Naruto: Next Generation
by Shang
Summary: Takes place 15 years after the manga; the Final Exam continues as the young gennin give it their all... who'll manage to exceed others and become chunin? Slight AU due to the manga development in the meantime. Please R
1. The new team number 7

**IMPORTANT ****EDIT:** it was brought to my attention that the first part of the story (reaching as far as chapter 45) has been… broken from the lack of a better word; the separation of scenes was gone being the most major issue and thus I'm in the process of fixing that. I'll be re-writing all, first 50 chapters to make them more 'reader friendly', however with a tight schedule (including normal updates) that will most certainly take time. So, if you're a new reader how does not wish to wait for me to fix the chapters, I apologize for a bit troublesome structure of the story. Back in 2005 when those chapters were uploaded it was more bearable. Also, if you wish, you can easily read on up to the latest chapters for I will not be changing the plot… by "re-writing" I only meant putting in scene changes and fixing the issue with the quotation marks from the early installments. The actions and dialogue will remain the same with a possible word added here and there to make the flow less simplistic. As I always stated, this piece was planned out from the beginning to the finish and I'm not about to shatter what it has established thus far, out of respect for the story itself if nothing else. So, if you still wish to read it, then thank you. I certainly hope you'll enjoy the ride.

This is the first fanfic that I've written. Hope you'll like it.

**Chap****ter #1: The New Team Number 7**

It still was early morning, but the sun was already high. The Shinobi Academy was quite crowded at this time… which should be understandable, since the final exam has finished just two days ago. Today young shinobies were supposed to meet their new teachers.

"_My, it's been a while_" thought Naruto. "_This place hasn't changed a bit._"

Iruka was sitting next to his desk, filling out some papers, when Uzumaki jumped into the room by the window. Iruka looked at his direction. If you would judge only by the looks, Naruto hasn't changed much: he still had a little messy, blonde hair, blue eyes… only his height changed.

But Umino did changed. His hair became grey and way longer then they used to be. He grew a beard and the scar on his faced seemed to be smaller then before.

"Konnichiwa, Iruka-sensei" he said stepping into the room.

"Naruto, you should stop calling me that" Iruka responded. "After all, you're a higher rank shinobi then me now."

"I know, I know. But it's hard getting used to being a jounin."

"I guess Hokage-sama choose you for being one of the new teams leader?"

"Well, that's why I'm here."

"Then here" said the chuunin, giving him some papers. "You're team number is seven. That brings back memories, doesn't it?"

"Yeah. But a lot of things changed since then. Well, best I get going…"

"Naruto, be aware of the fact, that you're team is a bunch of troublemakers. You should watch out for them."

"No need to worry about that, Iruka-sensei. I know how to deal with such."

---Some time later---

The Kyuubi vessel opened the door to the class, but didn't walk through it. Only thanks to that, he was able to avoid the blackboard sponge, coming from above.

"Oh, it didn't work" said sadly a blond kid with small, green eyes, clad in yellow.

"Of course it didn't, you bonehead. He's a jounin, how could he fall for such a lousy bobby trap?" responded a kid with long, black hair, clipped into a ponytail. What really drew Naruto's attention in him, was a scar on his left eye… he definitely could use it, but the scar was really visible.

"Forgive them, sensei" begged a young girl with long, brown hair (way longer then scar-face), also clipped into a ponytail. She had brown eyes and was wearing a violet, female shinobi dress. "They're always like that."

"_That sure brings back memories even more_" signed Naruto.

---Later still---

"Okay, first I'd like to learn something about you, so why don't you tell me about yourselves? Tell me your name, likes, dislikes, plans for the future and such. Maybe we should start with the ladies? You go first" he pointed a girl with long, dark brown hair (again, a ponytail!) in a black outfit.

Things did change since he became a jounin. One of the changes where that the gennin teams now consisted five members and a jounin.

"My name is Tanken Ibuki. About the things I like and don't like… I don't feel like talking about that. Plans for the future? I have one, but for now, I'd rather to keep it to myself."

"_Well, well, well_" thought Naruto with a smile. "_An heir of the famous Tanken clan. Who would have thought that she would land in my group?_"

"Guess you're next" he said to the other, browned hair girl (the one in a violet dress), this time out loud.

"I'm Murasakki Kumiko. I like… umm… I mean, my favorite thing is… uh…"

"_Sakura-chan, this girl's so like the old you_" smiled Uzumaki. "Okay, let's continue…"

"The name's Haisha Kai!" said the blond kid. "I don't have the time to waste it on talking about my likes and dislikes, but I will become the Hokage one day! What, you got a problem with that?"

"_Damn, this seriously is a déjà vu. And what's with that name, was his father drunk when he gave it to him or something? _" thought Naruto with a sweat drop. "Next."

This time it was the scar face:

"Name: Gekido Takaru. There are a lot of things I don't like, but none that I would especially enjoy. As for the plans for the future… well, I have someone to kill… and a person to surpass…"

"_Figures_" thought Naruto (_A/N: he's done a lot of thinking, didn't he :D ?_). "Well, you're the last one on the list it'd seem..."

And thus a boy with messy, short, black hair and blue eyes, wearing green, began to talk:

"I'm Hagane Kusari. As for likes… well, probably girls" at this point, he looked in Kumiko's direction, which gave her shivers, so he continued: "I don't like too many rules. As for my aspirations… to win Kumiko-chan's love!"

"_This guy… he creeps me out_" Uzumaki concluded with distaste. "Well, guess that's enough of introducing…"

"Wait a minute, how about telling us something about yourself?" interrupted Kai.

"Well, I guess it should be done" responded Naruto with a nod. "I'm Uzumaki Naruto and I like ramen. About the things I don't like… well, the list grew in the last years and there's no need to bore you with it. As for hobbies… probably just laying on the ground, doing nothing. My dream…" at this point he looked at Kai. "… I'll keep to myself for now. Is that enough for you guys?"

The four of them nodded, but Kai couldn't leave it without comment:

"I've heard better introductions…"

"Such as your own?" Uzumaki smirked, much to the boy's annoyance. "Never mind. As for now I suggest a goodnight sleep. Tomorrow we'll meet at a place mentioned here…" at this point he gave each of them an information note. "… and play a little game…"

"Game?" Kumiko was surprised.

"You didn't know? Just because you've passed the final exam at the Shinobi Academy, doesn't mean you become a gennin. In order to receive that title, you need to pass another test. The test that'll take place tomorrow morning. And I'll tell you this: the chances to fail it are over 50%."

"_Isn't that right, Kakashi-sensei?_" he thought to himself.

"I suggest bringing all the shinobi equipment and be prepared to go all out, or else you'll fail."

And with those words, he left them to their own thoughts.

---The next morning---

The next day the weather was also great (a little to hot though). All five rookies gathered in the place mentioned in the notes from Naruto. It was an opened field with a stone monument in the center and the forest surrounding it (a little they didn't knew, it was the same place where Uzumaki took his gennin exam).

Soon after them, Uzumaki appeared.

He placed an alarm clock on the nearby trunk and set the alarm on noon. Still not saying anything, he picked out four, little bells.

"I have four bells" he finally announced. "Your task will be to take them away from me till noon. Each person needs only one bell, but there are only four, so at least one of you will end up with no bells… and the one to do so, will automatically fail this exam and will return to the Academy…"

"But sensei, that's not fair!" yelled Kumiko with panic in her voice. "How come one of us will have to return to the Academy?"

"Who said that it'll be only one?" responded Naruto simply. "I said that at least one of you will finish this test with no bells, but it could be all five. To put it simply, all of you may fail."

Kai swallowed his saliva loudly. Takaru just smiled under his nose.

"As I announced yesterday, you can use shuriken and any other shinobi tool" continued jounin, tying the bells to his belt. "I'll tell you right now, if you won't go all out, there's no way for you to get the bells."

"_He sure is confident in himself_" thought Takaru with a smirk. "_Well, we'll see what he's capable of…_"

"_I'll get that bell even if I'll have to kill him_" Kai announced in his mind. "_At all costs, I have to become a shinobi!_"

"_Calm down Murasakki…_" Kumiko tried to calm herself. "_You can do it…_"

"_Getting some bells? That's lame…_" thought Kusari, barely holding in a yawn. "_But if I'll do this, Kumiko-chan will find out what awesome shinobi I am…_" he added, entering his own lala-land.

"_I can't fail here…_" Ibuki reminded herself. "_I have a goal to achieve…_"

"Well, you all seem to be ready" noticed Naruto as he looked around his students. "Guess there's no point in keeping you waiting" he looked at the clock. "From now on, you got three hours to take the bells away from me. Best of luck, you'll need it. Okay, enough chit-chat. Ready and… begin!"

_**---it begins!---**_

And hearing that commend, the five rookie scattered.


	2. Born Loser

**EDIT:** finally I found enough time to edit this chappie as well. I hope it's more reader-friendly now then it was. As stated before, the plot itself was not changed, I merely edited quotation marks and the sort. Hopefully I gotten at least the most noticeable bugs. Oh, and I also decided to place title pages where they belong from the start ;)

Okay, so here's the second chapter of my story. Well, it's still a little deja vu-ish (I shouldn't invent words on my own) but the first few chapters were planned that way. The point is, that during the coming uploads, you'll get to know Naruto's subordinates a little better and then the true adventures begin.

Also, I was asked about the other characters from the original 'Naruto', meaning what happened to them. Well, I can promise you that in the right time (if at least few people would like to know what happens next) you'll find out how they end up. Some of them are going to appear in the story, some will be just mentioned. Hope that suits you.

And now, let's see how the new team #7 attempted their gennin exam:

**Chapter #2: Gennin Exam – part I**

** Born Loser?**

_**Chapter Cover:**_ Kai's showing off two 'victory signs' with both his hands (of course he's smiling the way you can see his teeth) and behind him, to his left, in the back Naruto's (his back turned to Kai) sweat dropping at the sight of his student

"_So they all hid themselves, eh? I was actually positive that that whole Kai-guy will stay and fight just like I did_" Naruto thought to himself. "_They all probably hiding in the forest surrounding the area, but I'll stay on the open space for now._"

And so time flew…

"Come on, you guys!" yelled the jounin after a little while, slightly annoyed. "You're the ones with time limit here, you know!"

"You're right" he heard a voice coming from behind. It was Kai. "I'll fight you!"

"_I was right_' thought the Kyuubi vessel. "_He is an idiot._"

"_What's that pinhead doing?_" thought Takaru, looking at the whole scene from his hideout, narrowing his eyes. "_Leaving his hideout makes him an easy target!_"

"Once a loser, always a loser" Ibuki whisper to herself.

"_At least we'll find out how good this whole Uzumaki is_" figured Kumiko.

Kusari just observed in silence.

"You know, standing there, you're showing me hundreds of openings" announced Naruto, sweat dropping. "If your only plan is to fight me, then I'll tell you that there's no chance for you to touch me. My left hand alone is enough for a rookie like you…"

"Strong words, but I'm not just some weakling! I've passed the Academy graduation exam!"

"The exam doesn't have much to do with the real life. In the Academy you could easily concentrate but in battle conditions you have to be on the move all the time and observe your enemy. The seals must be preformed instinctually…"

"Blah, blah, blah!" interrupted Kai confidentally, getting into a fighting stance. "Who needs seals? I'll resolve this with bare hands!"

"_He… he… really is a moron_" thought the jounin, lowering his head. "Do as you wish. But I'll prove to you, that I'll knock you down using my left hand only…"

At this Kai charged at Naruto. When he beat the whole distance, he jumped into the air and tried to kick the whisker-marks man with his right leg, but the older blond moved aside and blocked the attack with his left hand.

Before his feet touched the ground, Kai aimed at Kyuubi vessel's face and this time he used his right hand, attacking from the Naruto's left. Uzumaki dodged the attack, by simply bending over.

When his feet landed on the surface, the boy tried to hit the man on the head with his right hand again, before his opponent would be able to raise his head. Surprisingly for him, Naruto bended over even more and propped with his left hand.

Before Kai noticed, the jounin used that hand to spring up, flow over the gennin-to-be and landed behind his back.

"_Dammit!_" thought Kai, pulling out shuriken from his holster and threw them at the location when he figure the older blond will be, turning around in the same moment.

Thanks to the fact that he turned around, he was able to see Naruto jumping into the air and spinning around, while flying parallel to the ground. Eventually, all the shuriken (except one) missed him and the one that would be a direct hit was grabbed by Uzumaki with his left hand.

Before Kai realized, the jounin landed with both feet on the ground and threw the shuriken he grabbed at the surface.

"Told you that if you'll use just your strength you'd lose" reminded the man with a shrug.

"_He's good…_" thought Takaru with a single drop of sweat running down his face.

"_And how in the world are we supposed to get the bells from him?_" wondered Kumiko.

"_Being able to dodge the attack from a place not visible to him… that whole Uzumaki-guy may look like an asshole, but he definitely can fight_" noticed Ibuki, narrowing her eyes.

Kusari still just observed the whole scene in silence.

"What do you know?" yelled Kai, visibly angry. "I'll get that bell, even if it kills me!" and with these word he jump right to Naruto.

The jounin just moved aside and grabbed Kai's right leg (with his left hand) when he was flying next to him. Without both feet to use for landing, the boy ended with his face on the ground.

"_Dammit!_' he thought, cursing in his mind as the man let go off his leg. "_Can the gap really be this big?_"

"You're pretty desperate to get those bells" the Kyuubi vessel he noticed calmly, looking at his student curiously. "Why is it so hard for you to accept your failure?"

"It's none of your business" responded Kai while getting back on his feet. "I have my reasons…"

And so the younger blond attacked again, this time with kunai in his hand. Naruto bended back at the moment when Kai pushed the knife so it would hit his opponent between the eyes.

The jounin hit the knife's blade with his left hand and when it went up a little, he used the thumb of that hand to push the kunai from the other side that he hit it. Kai couldn't hold the weapon anymore and it flew spinning to the ground.

Without waiting for the man's reaction, the preteen tried to grab Naruto's left hand in order to break it, but before he knew it, it was Uzumaki's left hand that grabbed his arm and by turning to the right, it forced the boy to fell on the ground spinning.

The jounin stood straight on his feet again, while Kai was slowly standing up. His breathe became heavy. It seemed that the fight exhausted him. They looked at each other for few moments. The younger blond was the first to break the silence:

"Do you remember what my name is?"

"Haisha Kai…" answered Naruto immediately with a calm voice.

"That's right. That name was given to me by my father. Do you know what it means?"

"A loser…"

"That's correct. Low rank loser. That's also how people refer to me. They see me as failure just because I have that name. You have no idea what it's like to be a loser, who could never achieve anything on his own!" and with those words, Kai charged at Naruto once more with kunai in his right hand.

"Kai…" whispered Kusari and lower his sight.

The boy cut from the jounin's right, but the Kyuubi vessel just lower his head and dodged the attack. When Kai's hand was going over his head, he grabbed it with his left hand and with force that his student could not withstand, threw his opponent on the ground.

Kai tried to get back up, but before he was able to do that, Naruto pressed him to the ground again (as always, with his left hand only).

"Believe it or not…" said Uzumaki, his voice still calm. "But I was a loser as well…"

Kai calmed down at hearing those words, looking at Naruto, as he continued:

"Did you knew that I spend three years at the Academy? I was also the last one from my class to pass the chuunin exam. I didn't had anyone to acknowledge me, especially since I carried a demon in my body. But I was able to find people who respected me. Wanna know why? Because every time I failed, I didn't get down thinking _it's always like that… it's pointless_. Not failing isn't true strength. True strength means to keep going even if you have failed…"

Naruto loosen his grip, but Kai kept laying on the ground.

"People make mistakes" announced the jounin without taking his eyes off the boy. "Thus they fail. The important thing is to learn on those mistakes and not make them the second time…"

Everyone observed the whole scene from their hideouts in silence.

"You failed" Naruto stated finally with a stoic face. "You didn't get the bells. But you still have time left. I suggest thinking about your mistakes and change your strategy" and with those words, he walked to the forest.

"Where are you going, sensei?" asked Kai, stopping the man in his tracks.

"Your teammates won't attack me on the open space, so I'll give them a chance, by walking into the forest. Oh and Kai, remember…it's never too late to change."

And with those words he disappeared between the trees. But Kai kept sitting on the ground not moving even an inch.

"_He finally entered the forest_" thought Ibuki with a smirk. "_Now those bells are mine…_"

_**-Ibuki steps into action!-**_

Well, the second chapter ends here. From now on I'll try to submit a new one at least once a week, but I'm not promising that I'll be able to (I'm also working on three, other projects and I my exams have already started).

Hope you'll enjoy the story and won't get bored with it. See ya.


	3. The Burden

**EDIT:** another chapter edited

Well, I was able to dig out some time and thus I give you the third chapter of my fanfic. Hope you'll like it.

Without further delays, lets get down to action:

**Chapter #3: Gennin Exam – part II**

** The Burden **

_**Chapter Cover: **_Ibuki's saluting with her right hand, in which she's holding a kunai... plus she winks to the 'audience'

"_Re-think my strategy?_" thought Kai, while getting back on his feet. "_What's to re-think? It was bad from the very beginning. I don't need to re-think it; I need to think of a new one…_"

"He walked into the forest" whispered Takaru with a smirk. "This is my chance" and with those words, he left his hideout.

"Seems that taijutsu is useless on this guy" noticed Kusari with his eyes narrowed. "Good thing that I didn't intended to count on it…"

-That time, in the forest-

Naruto was walking thru the forest. He didn't seem to look around, but his senses were as sharp as they could get. He could sense even a falling leaf. Still he was able to dodge the kunai thrown at his back only thanks to the sound it made while cutting through the air.

The jounin rolled on the ground and turned around. It was only then that he spotted Ibuki squatting on the branch of the nearby tree.

"Oh, it's you" he said simply. "Nice try. I couldn't sense you till the last moment. But I guess it should be obvious that from the five of you, you're the one who moves silently. After all, you are an heir of Tanken clan…"

Those words seemed to piss the young kunoichi off as she picked out more kunai and jumped off the tree, throwing the knives at her opponent before her feet touched the ground.

Naruto jumped back to avoid the attack but still he had to use his kunai to deflect few of the blades thrown at him. Before he knew it, Ibuki was already passing him from his left with the intend to attack from behind.

She prepared the shuriken and as soon as she found herself looking at the blond's back, she threw them strait at him. Right before her eyes, the image of her sensei just sort of disappeared in the air, but the girl was able the sense that he just jumped up and without even looking up, he released kunai to the sky.

"You've got good reflexes" she heard a voice coming from behind. "It's a shame that you've concentrated only on throwing weapons…"

In an instant Ibuki turned around, picked out a katana that she was carrying on her back and attacked the jounin. She was swinging her sword with incredible speed, but Naruto was able to dodge the blade every time. The kunoichi didn't even notice when he smashed her hands with his own hands, thus causing her to let go of the katana.

"Seems that I've disarmed you" announced the Kyuubi vessel with a tiny smile. "What now?"

-Same time, elsewhere-

"_Where could Naruto-sensei go to?_" thought Kumiko, while jumping from one tree to another. "_He was able to defeat Kai so easily. Typical techniques ain't gonna do the trick…_" he concluded as she kept searching the forest.

-Back to Naruto-

Ibuki had her shuriken prepared, but the blond wasn't standing where she wanted him to, so she decided to use a trick. The girl threw the shinobi stars only from her left hand, which Naruto dodged by jumping to his right.

"_Perfect_" thought Ibuki and while turning to the side the jounin jumped, she threw shuriken from her right hand.

Having a tree behind him and bushes on both sides, Naruto jumped up to avoid the attack. He grabbed a branch of the tree but at the very same moment he saw a string attached to it. Before he knew it, a big wooden pale was coming right at him.

The man pulled out a shuriken from his holster and threw at the lines that were tied to the pale. The star cut both of the lines and the pale missed the Kyuubi vessel just by inches flying bellow him.

However, when he looked around, Ibuki was nowhere in sight.

"_Figures_" he thought calmly. "_After all she is of the Tanken clan…_"

Naruto jumped off the tree and observed the area. The bushes moved only because of the wind and no leaves were falling down. The girl had hidden well.

"I suggest you come out" Naruto said finally. "After all you're the one who needs those bells. Further more, your clansmen will be pretty disappointed if you'd to fail this exam…"

"And just why do you think…" he heard Ibuki's voice coming from behind. "That I give a damn about how they'd fell about me failing this?" she roar, unleashing a new barrage.

When the blond turned around, shuriken were already flying towards him. He was able to dodge them by keeping in motion, but the kunoichi kept throwing more of her stars at him.

Seeing no other way out, Naruto picked out his shuriken while still dodging Ibuki's attacks and threw them the way they would deflect the projectiles thrown by his opponent. That surprised the preteen and she stopped for a second. But that was enough for the whisker-marks.

He grabbed her and pushed her against the tree. Before she could react to that, he nailed her to it with his kunai. She tried to break free but her sleeves and trouser legs were nailed to the trunk with too many knives.

"For a while you won't be able to break free" announced Naruto calmly. "Looks like you got defeated with your own weapons. You should practice a little more. Plus, if you're only going to rely on your throwing skills, you'll probably never be able to defeat a higher rank shinobi…"

"And what do you care?" yelled Ibuki, turning her head away.

"Look, I know that your clan specializes in weapons, but…"

"I don't care about my clan!"

Naruto stopped talking after hearing this. Ibuki just lower her sight:

"Why is it, that just because I am of the Tanken clan, everybody sees me as one? Just because I was born in it, it means that I'm like them?" the blond kept quiet, so she continued: "You know for what our clan is famous in Konoha, don't you? We're this village's greatest assassin clan. If there's a mission that requires killing secretly, jounin from my family are always asked first to take the assignment. Practically, we know about death as much as the ANBU, maybe even more. But I don't think that the fact we're so popular in Konoha is because of the respect. I'd say it's more about fear."

Naruto still kept quiet.

"The same is for me" she went on after a short pause. "Whenever I tried to become friends with anyone, it wasn't kindness that I felt from them. It was fear that some day I'll just stab them in the back. I had many 'friends', so how it is possible that I felt so alone?"

At this the jounin looked to the sky and said:

"It's the burden that everyone carries. Once marked, you have to carry it and try doing everything that is in your power to shake it off. You say that everyone sees just a member of the Tanken clan in you… so why don't you prove to them, that they're wrong?"

Ibuki looked confused at him as he continued:

"Sitting down and giving up is always the easiest way out. But standing up and facing it is what makes people strong. Instead of whining about it, you should do everything that's in your power to change it…"

The kunoichi lower her sight once more.

"Whether you accept it or not, you and Kai are very alike" announced Naruto thoughtfully. "He too carries a burden, just because of his name. But there's a big difference between you two; while you're complaining about your situation, that just because you wear the Tanken name, you're seen as one, Kai wants to prove that people who see him as the loser, because of his name, are wrong…"

"Tanken fight, to kill" said the Kyuubi vessel matter-of-factly. "You know it just as well as I do. You don't want to be seen as a Tanken? Why won't you find a different reason to fight for starters?"

And with those words began Naruto walked away. But before he disappeared, Ibuki heard his voice: "We're living our own lives, Ibuki. How you'll live it depends just on you" and with that, he was gone.

The kunoichi kept her sight down. All she was able to do, is whisper a short line, which no-one heard: 'Thank you, sensei.'

-A little later, another part of the forest-

Naruto kept walking between the trees. Many bushes were a perfect hiding place for the opponents. Suddenly he stopped and without turning around, he spoke up: "Come out. I can easily tell that moving in shadows isn't your strongest side…"

"I really wanted to use the element of surprise" announced Takaru, while stepping from behind the tree with a tiny smirk on his face. "Guess I'll just have to take those bells in a classical way…"

"Aren't you a confident one" responded the blond, returning the smirk. "Show me what you've got then, big shot…"

_**-two down!-**_

Okay, so the third chapter ends here.

Hope you've enjoyed it. Please tell me what you think.

Take care and hopefully till the next chapter.


	4. Hokage Blood

**EDIT:** and fixed chapters keep on coming

The fourth chapter is finally done. Sorry it took my so long, but I've been extremly busy lately and that probably won't change soon.

Still I'll try to submit at least one chapter a week.

Anyhow, hope you'll like this one. I would really appreciate any reviews, because I really want to know what you think.

Also, I would like to give a very special thanks to: BlueKanji, Hells-fox, DragoonVBK and Kakashiclone1120 as well as Draconous, Mastercrappy and Maggiemaggie. Thank you for your support. It really means a lot to me.

And now, without further delays:

**Chapter #4: Gennin Exam – part III**

** Hokage Blood **

_**Chapter Cover: **_Takaru's holding shuriken and kunai in his hands and mouth

"Guess there's no helping it" announced Takaru with a smirk as he readied himself. "I'll just have to take the bells in a classical way…"

"Aren't you a confident one" responded Naruto, returning the smile. "Fine, let's see what you're made of…"

-That time, elsewhere in the forest-

Ibuki tried her best to free herself, but no matter how hard she tried to bend over, the kunai wouldn't go out of the tree: "_Dammit_!" she thought to herself annoyed. "_At this rate, I'll never get those bells…_"

Then she remembered something and with the top of her fingers, she reached the sleeve of her jacket. From there she pulled out a senbon in hope to use it for freeing herself.

-Same time, the starting spot of the exam-

Kai was still sitting on the ground looking at the direction Naruto went.

"By just sitting there you won't get the bells" he heard Kusari's voice.

"Yeah well, it's not like I can defeat him with my taijutsu" responded the blond matter-of-factly. '" have to think of another way. Besides, you shouldn't lecture, since you didn't even make an attend to get the bells yourself…"

"True, I haven't" nodded the other boy. "But in the forest my attacks would be useless. At this point, it's better if I wait here for Naruto-sensei to return. More over, I can get one bell for you…"

"I'll get the bell with my own skills" interrupted Kai, drilling him with his gaze. "You should worry about yourself now" and none of them said anything more.

-Back to the stand-off-

"_Where Naruto-sensei could disappeared to?_" thought Kumiko, while running through the forest. Suddenly she saw the jounin and Takaru standing if front of each other. She instantly stopped and hid behind a nearby tree.

"_Those two…_" she began, narrowing her eyes.

Naruto and the scar-faced boy kept eyeing each other for a few, more moments. Finally the preteen decided to make the first move and in a fraction of a second, he pulled out shuriken from his holster, throwing them at the blond.

Naruto however, in stead of dodging them, used his hands to catch them all.

"Glad you did that" announced Takaru, his smirk returning. "With shuriken in your hands, you can't perform seals" and with those words, he started to execute seals himself.

"_What the…_" thought Naruto, widening his eyes. "_At his age, he's able to perform that attack?_"

"Insei Tooriame" yelled Takaru and with those words chakra surrounding both his hands turned into flames, just to send tens of small fireballs towards the Kyuubi vessel.

"_Didn't expected that_" admitted the blond, dropping the shuriken to the ground. When the fireballs reached their target, they explode and a big cloud of dust went up, covering the whole area. After a few seconds, the air was clear again, but Naruto was nowhere in sight.

In a place the man was standing right before the explosion, Takaru found just some wooden pale smashed into pieces.

"Kawamiri no Jutsu" announced the jounin. "Simple, but this trick will never get old. I gotta hand it to you: I've never thought that at your age you'd be able to use such a technique. After all, not even your mother was able to master it till she became eighteen…"

"And what do you know about my mother?"

"More then you think" answered Naruto simply. "After all, she was one of the greatest shinobi this village produced. Though, as far as I know, her last name wasn't Gekido. So why have you changed it?"

"I don't think this is any of your business" responded Takaru, barely hiding his anger mixed with annoyance. "The important thing is that I'll get those stupid bells of yours" and with those words, he threw more shuriken in the bushes.

Less then a second after the shuriken left the boy's hand, the Kyuubi vessel jumped out of the bushes in order to dodge that attack. While he was still in midair, the scar-faced preteen jump towards him and attacked with his right leg.

Naruto grabbed Takaru's leg before it could reach him with his left hand, but before he could do anything else, he noticed the gennin-to-be's right fist coming straight at his face from above. This time, the blond blocked the attack using his right hand.

Before the two of them touched the ground, Takaru attacked the man's stomach with his left hand. Having no hands to block, the whisker-marks used his right knee to stop the attack. It worked.

As soon as they both landed on the ground, the boy picked out more shuriken from his holster and threw them at his adversary. This time, it was a direct hit.

"_Got him_" thought Takaru, but before he even putted a smile on his face, Naruto's body changed into another wooden pale. "_Crap, another Kawamiri!_"

"Not bad" he heard a familiar voice behind him. "But seems that our little battle ends here" and with that he felt that two fingers were stabbed in the back of his neck. Takaru felt inertly on the ground.

"The tops of my fingers were filled with chakra" explained Naruto calmly, gazing at his fallen student. "I've just blocked the way that impulses from your brain traveled to the rest of your body, thus for a little while you won't be able to move your body from the neck to your feet. A little trick that I've learned from your mother…"

"Dammit!" cursed Takaru.

"Everyone needs training" announced the jounin, still staring at the boy. "Just because you're the son of a great shinobi doesn't make you one. Though I guess it must be hard… being the son of Tsunade…"

"_What?_" thought Kumiko with shock in her eyes. "_Takaru is…_"

"Coz its tough!" responded the scar-faced preteen. "She was one of the greatest shinobi of this village! How do you think I feel living in a shadow of her? I thought that when I'll get the bell, I'll be one step close to surpassing her, but it seems that I'm not even good enough to defeat you!"

"First of all..." began Naruto with a sweat drop. "Could you, please, stop saying something like that in a way that makes me feel like some sort of a weakling? And second: yes, your mother was a great shinobi, but not because of her strength. The true reason she was so respected is the fact, that as a Hokage of Konoha, she cared about every ninja of the Leaf. To save her comrades, she was ready to sacrifice her own life. By looking how you act, I have serious doubts if you're her son…"

"She was ready to sacrifice her life for other villagers, eh?" responded Takaru with a victorious smirk. "Then how come, she didn't even moved a finger, to help me?"

"I don't know how were your relations with your mother" admitted the Kyuubi vessel calmly. "But I'll tell you this: above Dan, or even Nawaki... you're the person she treasured the most…"

Takaru just stared at him (at least as much as the blockade allowed him to), so Naruto continued: "When I came to visit her, all she talked about was you. Moreover, it was her, who saved you that night… It was late when I heard about the attack on the Hokage mansion. Me and other jounin searched the whole village, but couldn't find any trace of the assassins, nor you and your mother. After few hours, the search was dropped. It was then that I've heard that both you and your mother were found right before Konoha hospital's door. Sakura-chan examined both of you. As it turned out, except the wound on your left eye, you were fine. That was rather surprising, since according to Sakura, such wound could even be fatal. Tsunade-sama on the other hand died because she released all of her chakra. Do you understand now?"

"She…" Takaru hesitated for a moment, his eyes widen. "She used the last of her chakra, to heal my wound…"

"It's impossible for her to not notice that releasing more chakra would be deadly for her. Also, as a medic, she must've known that your wound was fatal. That's the real reason why she was so strong. Strength has many forms, but being able to sacrifice your own life for someone precious to you… I believe that that's the biggest strength in the world…"

"The paralyze will fade before the exam is over" announced Naruto, while walking away. "Think about what I've said. In your current state, you won't have anything better to do anyway…" and so the jounin walked deeper in the forest.

After a longer while, the blond heard strange noise coming from the bushes surrounding him. He turned around and saw a large, white tiger, prepared for the attack.

_**-a new danger-**_

Please don't hurt me for endind the chapter in such a moment. I'll try to update as soon as possible.

Hope you've liked it. Love to hear what you think.

As for now, best wishes and hope to see you when fifth chapter will be released.


	5. Beauty and the Beast

**EDIT:** Well, my time is running short, but I figured I'll fix at least the first arc, meaning the whole, gennin exam, which means the first, 8 chapters should be fine by the time you're reading this… further ones though will remain a bit of a mess I'm afraid until notice…

Finally, the 5th chapter is done. Took me long enough, I guess. Sorry about that, but my exams are at an end, so hopefully, since next week, new chapters might appear more often.

Yeah, I made it to the ten reviews! Well, I know it isn't much compared to some, other stories, but it's good to know that there are people who enjoy reading your work.

A big thanks to all the reviewers. I'm really glad you like the story and hope that you'll enjoy what I've planned for the coming chapters.

Before the next chapter starts, just a big favor to ask you all: please, review and tell me what you think. Even constructive criticism helps.

And now, to wake you all up after my boring intro, lets get to where the action is:

**Chapter #5: Gennin Exam – part IV**

** Beauty and the Beast**

_**Chapter Cover:**_ Kumiko's sleeping in her bed with her hair down (she is turned with her face to the 'audience'). Her forehead protector could be lying on her night closet

Ibuki was finally able to get her right hand free with the use of the senbon. Right after that she started to pull out the rest of the kunai that Naruto used to nail her to the tree: "_Crap_" she thought, slightly annoyed. "_He'll pay me for that!_"

-Back to Naruto-

The tiger kept getting closer as the jounin backed up a little and prepared his kunai. He stood ready to dodge the first attack, when he suddenly noticed something. He turned his head around and at the very same moment, the tiger attacked.

The blond looked at it again, but didn't even prepare the knife. Just when the tiger's claws were about to cut him, he turned around and deflected shuriken that were flying straight at him.

When he looked back, the tiger was gone.

"Nice try" he said loudly. "But I'm afraid that genjutsu at this level won't do you any good. You got me fooled for a while though…"

"What can I say?" Kumiko's voice flew through the forest from an unknown location. "I was really hoping that my plan will be successful. Guess that now, fooling you with any illusion will be twice as hard, right Naruto-sensei?"

"You can try…" responded the Kyuubi vessel. "But genjutsu isn't a very good tactic against me… after being tricked by it so often, one needs to learn how to fend it off…"

"We'll see" announced the girl as she stepped out of her hideout.

The jounin looked at her direction, but then he heard a noise right behind him. He turned around and saw another kunoichi.

"_Bunshin no Jutsu, eh?_" he thought to himself, as more and more Kumiko phantoms started to appear. "_Even thought they're just phantoms, with so many of them, I can't tell which is the real one. Well, her goal is obvious…_"

Suddenly he heard an air slicing sound. He strafed to the left, in order to avoid the kunai flying directly from behind. Just a second later, more knives started flying, this time from every direction.

"_Nice thinking_" Naruto complimented her with a smile. "_If she'll use many, fake kunai at once, I won't be able to tell which is the real one, thus making me dodge all of them. She has the mind of a tactician._"

The blond was non-stop on the move in order to avoid all the attacks, the real ones just as the fake. But with every minute, there seemed to be more and more knives in the air at once.

"_At this rate…_" he thought, narrowing his eyes. "_Sooner or later, I won't be able to avoid all of them. Guess there's only one option left… even though it's so cliché…_" and, in an instant, the jounin preformed the right seals: "Kawamiri no Jutsu!" he called out, making his body became a wooden pale.

"_I knew it!_" smiled Kumiko and threw a kunai right in the direction where Naruto appeared.

The Kyuubi vessel dodged the knife by simply bending to the right, having the projectile flew right next to him and burry into the tree. It was only then that he noticed a small paper attached to it.

"_An explosive note?_" he thought to himself, but before he was able to dodge, the note went off.

"I did it!" yelled Kumiko happily, running in his direction as her teacher's body dropped to the ground.

-Same time, elsewhere-

Takaru was still lying on the ground, not able to move. He turned his head around as much as the paralyze allowed him to. Naruto was long gone.

"_I wonder how much time do I have left?_" he thought curiously. "_Probably two hours max. Dammit, when does this paralyze intend to disappear?_"

-Back to the battle-

Kumiko ran to the place where the blond was lying. She did it. She defeated a jounin.

"Forgive me, Naruto-sensei, but you said it yourself that if we won't go all out, we won't get the…" she stopped right there, noticing that the bells that were tied up to the Kyuubi vessel's belt, disappeared. "Where…?"

"That was pretty good" she heard the man's voice. "But it seems that genjutsu expert has fallen into her own trap…"

Suddenly, the body of Naruto disappeared and one of the phantoms that Kumiko created transformed itself into the whisker-marks.

"My sensei used to say, that you should think before using a jutsu or it will be used against you" announced Naruto calmly. "You created too many phantoms and didn't even notice that there's one extra. I used the bunshin myself and send out the phantom to appear. I knew that once you'll think you got me, the real you will reveal herself. And here you are…"

"I thought that I've won" said Kumiko, lowering her head.

"Don't be so cruel on yourself" asked the blond, placing his hand on her shoulder. "The plan was pretty good. At the beginning I really thought that your point was to make as many phantoms as possible and make me dodge your attacks until I'll be too tired to move. But I figure that keeping so many phantoms at once is really tiring for you as well and thus you won't take the risk that you'll be the one who'll get exhausted first. I believe that your plan from the beginning was to make me escape the kunai range and use the explosive note. Am I right?"

"That was it, but I'd never thought that you'll use bunshin as well, sensei…"

"An old friend of mine taught me basic of tactic" explained Naruto simply. "But I have to say, that I'm impressed: a strategic mind is the most important weapon of the squad leader. Anyway, shall we continue?"

"No point in that, really" responded Kumiko sadly. "I'm not good at ninjutsu, I'm also lacking in taijutsu. Practically, this trap was the only thing that I had planned. When it failed, it became obvious that I won't get the bells."

"Well, you still have about one hour left" announced the jounin, doing a quick calculation. "I think that's enough time to think of another plan. Or changing your strategy. If you'll decide to try again, I'll be where the exam started…" and with those words, he disappeared between the trees.

-A little later-

Naruto returned to the point the exam began. Kai was still sitting on the ground, but Kusari stood up, ready to fight.

"I was wondering where you disappeared to" announced the jounin with a smile that annoyed the boy. "Till now, you're the only one who hasn't tried to get the bells, Kusari…"

"Thanks for the info" replied the preteen. "Now I know that using their tactics is pointless. Kumiko is the best at genjutsu from the five of us. Since she failed, there's no reason for me to even try defeating you that way. Takaru probably used ninjutsu, so that's not the way either. As for Ibuki, since she is of the Tanken clan, I guess she used shuriken and kunai knives…'

"Nice, but just by talking, you won't get those bells" reminded Naruto.

"I know" responded Kusari, keeping his calm. "But I still have one trick up my sleeve. Allow me, sensei, to show you my weapon of choice" and with those words, he took his right hand behind his back.

A moment later, an extremely long chain appeared in it. The boy placed it behind his back and surrounded both his arms with it. One end of it had a big, steal ball attached to it, while the other was ended with a sharp blade, resembling a kunai.

"_A chain?_" Kai was a little surprised.

"That's rather unexpected" admitted the older blond, rising an eyebrow curiously.

"Believe me, Naruto-sensei…" responded the gennin-to-be. "You haven't seen anything yet..."

They stood in front of each other for a while and then, suddenly, Kusari launched the attack…

_**-the final approach-**_

And so the 5th chapter ends. Well, hope you liked it enough to visit the story when the sixth chapter is uploaded.

As for you, my good readers, there'll be a special note at the end of the 6th chapter. Nothing really special I guess, but I'll keep quiet for now.

To end it once more I beg your reviews and hopefully till the next chapter.

Best wishes.


	6. Bad Luck Chain

**EDIT:** another chapter edited on my part with fixed quotation marks and scene changes mostly.

Wow, so many reviews! I can't even tell you how much it means to me to know that you like the story. I would like to give a special 'thank you' for BlueKanji and Ruka-kun (whoes stories I also recommend you to read, because they're really good): thank you for the support.

But 'new' reviewers (as well as the 'old' ones) are always welcome, of course.

Now, because I know you didn't stopped by to read the intro, I guess I should get going with the story... and just as a reminder, there's a special note at the end of the chapter, which I promised.

Now, lets see how Naruto and the gang are doing:

**Chapter #6: Gennin Exam – part V**

** Bad Luck Chain**

_**Chapter Cover:**_ Kusari is using his chain as a swing... the chain is attached to a tree branch located above him

"_Where did Naruto-sensei wetn to?_" thought Ibuki, while jumping from one tree to another. Suddenly she stopped and looked in front of her; there was Kusari attacking the jounin with a chain: "_There you are…_" she announced to herself and observed the whole battle from a distance.

Naruto was easily dodging Kusari's attacks by jumping to the sides, the boy's chain hasn't touched him even once. The preteen kept swinging his hands, thus making the weapon chase after the blond's movement, but every attack was too slow. He felt that his arms started to lose their strength.

"The chain isn't an everyday shinobi tool" announced the whisker-marks calmly. "Wanna know why? First of: the attacks launched are usually slow and can go in just one direction. Second: above it's range…" at this point the man stepped on one of the chains."When blocked, it makes its user completely defenseless…"

Surprisingly for Kai, Kusari smiled. A moment later, Naruto felt chakra flowing

"_Impossible_" he thought, looking at the chain.

A second later he looked back and saw the sharp end of the chain coming directly towards him. The end of the chain which part he stepped on!

-That time, elsewhere-

Takaru was finally able to stand up. As soon as he stood back on his feet, he started to move every part of his body. It was completely numbness. Suddenly he noticed somebody's presence. He pulled out a kunai and turned around. It was Kumiko.

"What do you want?" he asked coldly, retreating the knife.

"The paralyze disappeared, I hope" she responded with a smirk.

"How did you…? Never mind. I heard an explosion. Was that you?"

"Kinda…" she nodded.

"But you didn't get the bells, did you?"

"No, I didn't" confirmed Kumiko simply. "But I do have an idea how to get them, if you're willing to listen…"

-Back to the fight-

Naruto dodged the attack from behind by jumping to the left. He heard the blade going right next to him as he flew. "_Unbelievable_" he thought to himself. "_Being able to control the chain with chakra at this age. This kid's ability to control chakra surpasses even that of Sakura-chan!"_

"Didn't work" announced Kusari, dropping his face a tad. "I really thought that I'll get you this time, sensei…"

"Well, you did surprised me, I'll give you that" responded the older blond.

"Well, it's not like I have no chance of getting the bells now" noticed the boy. "Even though my secret was revealed, it still doesn't mean that my chain won't reach your bells, Naruto-sensei.'

"It won't, Kusari" interrupted Kai.

"We'll see about that, won't we?" responded the chain master and attacked the Kyuubi vessel with his weapon again.

Both ends of the chain were flying parallel to the ground, straight at the jounin. Naruto strafed right to dodged the ball end and grabbed the one ended with the blade. Before he knew it, the part with the sharp end started to twist around his right hand and went to his belt in order to get the bells.

The blond jumped forward and charged right at Kusari. The preteen just moved the fingers of his right hand and suddenly the part of the chain ended with the ball blocked Naruto's path.

"Bad move" announced Naruto with a smirk, pulling out a kunai from his holster.

Before Kusari could react in any way, the jounin stabbed the chain so that the blade of the knife went through the links of both chain parts. After that, the sharp part that until now was using Naruto's hand to get to the bells, stopped.

"No matter how good is your chakra control…" explained Naruto calmly with a straight face. "If the chain is blocked, its length can't increase. The point at which the sharp end is right now…" at this time he pointed the blade at the end of the chain, which almost reached the bells "Is its limit…"

"_He used the weakness of Kusari's weapon_" thought Ibuki, narrowing her eyes. "_He really is good!"_

"Also…" continued the Kyuubi vessel with the same voice. "With nailing both ends, the part with the ball on its end won't be able to do much either…"

Kusari got angry and ordered the sharp ended part of the chain to let go of Naruto's hand. As soon as that was done, the blade at the end of the chain attacked the man's head this time. But with no chain blocking him, the whisker-marks easily dodged the attack, by jumping back. The chain kept chasing him but after a few jumps back, he stopped; the blade froze just before his face.

"I told you, that with my kunai blocking it, your chain has its length limits…"

"I didn't used that attack to get you, Naruto-sensei" responded Kusari as he walked forward. "It was to force you to back up, so I could do this" and with those words he pulled out the kunai that was blocking his chain.

The jounin instantly dodged the sharp end, which continued the flow stopped because of the knife. Before he even had time to look around, he sensed that the other end of the chain was coming straight at him. Without thinking, the Kyuubi vessel jumped to the air. A second after, the part of the chain with the ball on its end hit the ground, lifting tons of dirt to the air.

While he was still in midair, the sharp end of the chain came at him once more. With no possibility to dodge, Naruto pulled out one of his kunai and threw it directly at the chain's blade. It worked and the attack was deflected.

As soon as his feet touched the ground, they had to leave it again, due to another attack. This time it was the part ended with the ball that made an attempt to hit him once more. The jounin landed on the ground and looked at Kusari. The chains were waving in his hands, even though the boy wasn't moving.

"_Damn_" the chain master thought to himself. "_He's better then I anticipated. I gotta think of something…_"

"Kusari, when it'll get to your little mind, that you won't be able to get those bells?" asked Kai, walking up to his teammate.

"Shut up!" his companion shoot back annoyed. "I suppose you're such a marvelous shinobi, that you'll be the one to get them?"

"No" announced the younger blond, surprising the chain master. "Neither me, you, Kumiko, Ibuki or even Takaru is able to get those bells…"

"Stop talking nonsense!" ordered Kusari, anger mixed with confusion. "If it's not possible to get the bells, then what's the point in this exam?"

"I'm not saying it's not possible to get the bells" corrected Kai matter-of-factly. "I'm just saying that no-one from the five of us will be able to get them. At least not alone…"

"What're you suggesting?"

"There are four bells" explained Kai calmly. "All of us won't be able to pass that exam, but if we won't work together, none of us will. There's two of us. By working together, we'll need to get only two bells, so why not combine forces? As a team, we have better chances to get at least one…"

"You know, this actually make sense" responded Kusari with a nod. "Fine, lets try it. After all, we've got nothing to lose" he proclaimed while Naruto just smiled under his nose.

_**-joining forces to achieve common goal… and the result?-**_

So, the 6th chapter ends here. All seems to failed, so what will team #7 do now? You'll have to keep reading in order to find out.

And now, time for the promised, special note. As I said, it's nothing, really special, but if any of you guys (and girls) were wondering what the names of my characters mean, you'll find the answer right here. Without further to do:

_Naruto Uzumaki:_ this one you probably all know, but just in case, it won't hurt to inform you, that 'Uzumaki' means whirlpool and the biggest whirlpools in Japan are thought to be located near the Naruto straits

_Kai Haisha: _his last name means simply a loser, the defeated (which refers to what others call him). Kai has actually many meanings, but in this case it refers to 'low rank' (I choose it to underline his last name).

_Ibuki Tanken: _her clans name means dagger, which is thought to be a typical, assassin weapon (many killers use it). Her first name, Ibuki, means simply a 'mighty blow', but can also be translated as 'breath' and if you exclude the first 'I', you get 'buki', which stands for 'weapon'.

_Takaru Gekido:_ his last name means 'rage'. That is the name chosen by Takaru himself and will be explained in the later parts of the story (though you could figure it out already). As for his first name, takaru, was created from the word 'takara', which means 'treasure'. That name was given to him and it'll also be explained in the later part of the story.

_Kumiko Murasakki: _her last name, written with single 'k' (murasaki) means purple and that is also the color of Kumiko's dress. Her name means simply 'forever beautiful child', which refers to her looks, as she is though to be rather attractive.

_Kusari Hagane: _both his first and last name have only one meaning: 'hagane' means 'steel' and 'kusari' can be translated as 'chain', which is also Kusari's primary weapon. Putting both his names together, you'll get 'Steel chain'.

Well, I guess it's nothing, really special, but I hope this makes a good add-on for the story.

And with that akcent, I want to invite you to read the next chapter. Hope to see you then.

Bye.


	7. Time's up

**EDIT:** yeah, you basically know the drill by now…

Hey there. Sorry it took me so long to upload the new chapter. I had to many exams. But now they're over, so guess new chapters will be appearing a little faster from now on (unless something unexpected happens).

_Special note to Youkou (who's story I highly recommend):_ I know the chapters come out a little short, but I've already planed when every chapter is going to finish and most of them have that length. I'm not good at filling up (actually, I hate that, so I practically don't do it), but I can promise you that the chapters will get longer (around chapter 26 the new uploads will be longer). Hope that suits you.

I'd like to thank all the reviewers. Your kind words really are the inspiration for me. I hope you'll enjoy the story and that you won't get bored with it.

Now, without any, more delays:

**Chapter #7: Gennin Exam – part VI**

** Time's up**

_**Chapter Cover:**_ Kusari and Kai are using Kusari's chain as jump rope and Kumiko is the one who's jumping through it (don't know how to describe it, hope you understand what I mean)... of course Kusari is holding the chain on one side, Kai on the other and Kumiko's jumping in the middle

Kai and Kusari were looking at Naruto as he stood still, smiling at them. Ibuki, who observed the whole situation from the distance, didn't move an inch.

Suddenly, the younger blond charged at their sensei with the other boy's chains following him. The sharp end of Kusari's chain attacked the jounin from above. The Kyuubi vessel jumped back, causing the blade to stuck in the ground, but he had no time to celebrate, as Kai charged at him with his fists ready.

The gennin-to-be threw one punch after another, but the whisker-marks was able to block all of them, even though the furious attacks of his student forced him to back up a little.

Just then the younger blond moved aside and Naruto saw the ball attached to the second end of Kusari's chain coming right at him. He moved his head to the left and grabbed the chain that passed his face just by inches. But as soon as the attack failed, Kai entered the battle once more, this time attacking the jounin's head with his leg.

The older blond bend over in order to dodge the attack and before he knew it, the sharp end of Kusari's chain came out of the ground, aimed at his face. Without any, other possibility, Naruto jumped forward and avoided the blade, which flew right under his feet when he was still in midair.

A second later, Kai threw his shuriken at him. The Kyuubi vessel instinctually jumped up and dodged them, but it was exactly what the gennin wanted. Before the jounin was able to do anything, the sharp end of Kusari's chain cut his belt in the place the bells were attached.

All four of the bells fell to the ground. The jounin was able to grab three of them, but the one that felt on the ground was immediately taken by the younger blond, who returned to his teammate's side.

The whisker-marks landed on the ground and looked at his students with a stoic face.

"Success!" yelled Kai, throwing the hand in which he held the bell, to the sky. "We rock, you suck, Naruto-sensei!"

"What are you so happy about?" interrupted Kusari, sweat dropping. "We have one bell and there's two of us, moron! We need to take another one from him!"

"Well… yeah" nodded Kai, scratching the back of his head. "But so far, we rock and he sucks!"

-That time, a little further-

"Look, Kai and Kusari got one bell" announced Kumiko, somewhat surprised. "Nice…"

"Well then, we should get to work as well" responded Takaru seriously. "Are you ready?"

"It was my plan, you know…" she replied with a tired face. "Of course I'm ready!"

"Let's get going then…"

-Back to the clearing-

"Congratulations" said Naruto with a few claps. "It's quite impressive that you guys were able to get the bell. When I first attended this exam, I never even got close to grabbing one…"

"That just goes to prove…" responded Kai smirking. "That we rock and you suck!"

"Shut up already!" Kusari gave him a smack on the head. "How many times do I have to tell you, before it reaches your little mind? We need to get one more bell!"

"Fine, fine" replied Kai, throwing the small object to his companion. "Just ready your chain and we're going for it…"

Right after that Kusari's chain rose to the sky and felt down right where Naruto stood. The jounin jumped to the left, in order to avoid the attack. As soon as his feet touched the ground, he saw the other blond charging at him with kunai in his hands.

Without a moment of hesitation, the Kyuubi vessel grabbed the preteen's shirt with his left hand and tossed his student behind him. It was then that he saw Kumiko and Takaru heading right for him.

He reacted just in time to dodge the scar-face's attack. Right after that he found himself retreating from the storm of the boy's kunai. Those that he wasn't able to dodge, he grabbed and threw them back at the son of Tsunade.

Then he noticed a fist coming right at his head from behind. He grabbed it, while turning around and saw that the one, who attacked him this time, was Kumiko. Before he knew it, the girl's knee was already heading at his stomach.

"_Now I get it_" he thought to himself, barely holding back a smile. "_Nice plan, Kumiko, but you should think more ahead_" and with that, he blocked the kunoichi's knee and attacked her leg, which was still touching the ground, with his own.

She lost her balance and fell on the ground. Then Naruto charged right at Takaru but before he was able to reach him, kunai that flew out of nowhere blocked his way. Ibuki appeared on the battleground with more knives in her hands.

"So, you were able to free yourself, eh?" the jounin asked calmly. "Plus I didn't expect that you'll be able to use your body so soon, Takaru" with those words he turned to Kumiko.

"You noticed?" the girl seemed amazed.

"Not at first" the older blond admitted. "But when you attacked me, the solution seemed rather obvious. No point in using genjutsu anymore, so would you mind dispelling it?"

Kumiko smiled under her nose and preformed a quick seal. In an instant, in the place where she and Takaru stood, the cloud of smoke appeared. When the smoke disappeared, the kunoichi and the boy seemed to switch places with each other.

"Henge no Jutsu" noticed Kai, a bit surprised. "Kumiko made herself looked like Takaru and he transformed into Kumiko. Clever…"

"Well, it didn't work, so it wasn't clever enough" replied the son of Tsunade annoyed.

"We're running out of time" announced the younger blond. "If we want to get the bells, we should do something now!"

"Okay, okay, hold your horses" responded Kumiko, trying to calm him down. "I have an idea" and thus she whisper to other members of her team. Naruto waited patiently, playing with his bells. After a little while, the gennin-to-be turned their faces to him. First one to attack was Kusari with his chain.

The jounin dodged by jumping back but right after that he spotted Ibuki flying in the air and tossing a shuriken right at him. Before he knew it, the young ninja preformed several seals, yelling: "Shuriken Kage Bushin no Jutsu!" and with that phrase, the shinobi star she threw split itself into tens.

Having no, other alternative, the Kyuubi vessel jumped back once more, but Takaru and Kai were already waiting for him. They both attacked at the same time with their fists and legs. The jounin blocked the first, few attacks and dodged the rest, but the two gennin forced him to move back.

"_They're both attacking?_" the whisker-marks thought to himself with a smirk. "_And I thought they were rivals…_"

Occupied with blocking the attacks, the jounin didn't notice that Kusari surrounded the three fighters with his chain. Then Ibuki returned into action and threw a kunai aimed at Naruto's back.

With Kai and Takaru keeping him busy, he had no chance for grabbing the knife, so he decided to jump to the left. That was a mistake. While he was still in midair, the chain master used his weapon to grab him. Having no way to change direction in flight, Naruto was caught easily.

Kumiko rushed in to get the bells from his belt, but surprisingly for everybody, their sensei turned into a wooden pale.

"Kawamiri again!" yelled Takaru, narrowing his eyes. "Can't you be a little more original?"

Just then he noticed a shadow on the ground that was getting bigger and bigger. He looked to the sky to see his teacher falling down from it. As soon as his feet touched the ground, the jounin grabbed Kai's shirt again and tossed him at Takaru. Tsunade's son was so unprepared, that he didn't manage to dodge in time and both him and the younger blond flew a few meters.

Suddenly they all heard a loud rang. Naruto looked at the alarm clock and announced as calm as ever: "Well, ladies and gentlemen, looks like your time is up…"

_**-and the results are in!-**_

And that's the end of this chapter. Coming up, chapter 8th (this time it'll be uploaded rather soon).

Please let me know what you think (even flames can be helpful).

Also I have a question to ask you guys: tell me if you'd like me to place foretells of the next chapters since chapter 8th. I'll leave the choice to you.

Take care and till the next chapter, hopefully.


	8. Gennin Exam Conclusion

**EDIT:** for the time being this'll be the final chapter I edit… more "chapter fixing" later… but if you're a new reader and can't wait to find out what happens next, feel free to read on… the plot of the story is not meant to be changed, I'm only editing quotation marks and scene changes which FF apparently screwed up in the story

**Kai:** In the answer to your, many reviews, I, your 'Naruto' reported, Haisha Kai, am here with the writer, Shang, to find out some answers! Okay, first question, a lot of people want to know what happen to the rest of 'Naruto' crew. When we'll see them?

**Shang:** Well, you'll have to be patiance. I promise you'll find out what happened to all of them, but that will have to wait. Sorry, that's how I planned the story.

**Kai:** Next question - why have you used both first and last name of the characters, when discribing their actions?

**Shang:** Well, it'd be hard for me to explain it, but I can promise you, that that won't happen again, since many readers find it confusing.

**Kai:** Moving on then - YaminekoHyousai (how's story rocks, by the way!) wants to know if the other, shinobi villages have five-member teams as well? So...?

**Shang:** Sure, the other villages has started to make five-member teams as well. As you wrote yourself, if they haven't, the chuunin exam (that will eventually take place) would certainly be complicated.

**Kai:** Okay, now the question of my own - during the gennin exam, how come such a skillfulled shinobi as myself, was able to get only one bell and only with the help of Kusari?

**Shang:** Well, you should keep in mind that you're still only a gennin and more importantly, even though this wasn't mentioned in the story, your grades were thought to be similar to those of Naruto from his early years. To put it simple, you were dead last in your class.

**Kai:** Okay, final question - do you have any last words, before I'll beat the shit out of you?

**Shang:** Emm... yeah, thanks for reading and reviewing guys. Hope you'll like what I have in stored for you.

**Chapter #8: Gennin Exam – part VII**

** Conclusion**

_**Chapter Cover: **_This would be just Kai copying Kakashi's style - Kai has his forehead protector falling on his left eye and he's reading the 'Icha icha' book, while blushing

The ring of the alarm clock was heard in the whole area.

"Tough luck, your time's up" announced Naruto calmly, turning towards his students. "Guess it's time to talk about the results of your test. Well, you got one bell and the other three are still with me, so who's the lucky one that has the bell?"

Kusari reached for his pocket and picked out a small, golden bell, saying: "I have it. But I'm not the one who should carry it" and with those words he threw the bell to the younger blond. "It was Kai's idea that helped us get the bell, so he should be the one who passes…"

"It's not fair at all" replied the yellow-clad gennin-to-be. "Practically, I'm the weakest in our team, so I'm the last one here, who should pass…"

"Can't argue with that weakest part…" nodded Takaru with a serious face. "But Kusari does have a point. Even though it's pathetic to lose to you."

"_In the end, I was right…_" sighed Naruto, sweat dropping. "_They hate each other._"

"Takaru's right" Ibuki barged in. "So stop whining about not deserving it and just take that damn bell!"

"Okay, before you guys start killing each other…" interrupted Naruto with a smile. "I guess I should announce the results of the test. Listen carefully, coz I'm only gonna say this once: you guys… all passed!"

"Eh?" Kai's eyes widen as his jaw felt to the ground.

"Could you repeat that?" Kusari was stunt.

The jounin's eye twitched: "Just what part in 'I'm only gonna say this once' did you not understand?" he asked the chain master. "I said that you all passed."

"What is this, some kind of a sick joke?" Ibuki looked suspiciously at the man.

"Eh" the Kyuubi vessel sighed, lowering his head a bit. "It's no joke, but I see that you have no idea why you guys actually made it. Well, I guess it's even better that till now you didn't knew what was this test for…"

"Oh yeah?" yelled Kai confused. "So what was it for?"

"The goal of this exam was to…" Naruto made a dramatic pause (_A/N: well, you all know what was it for anyways_). "Test your teamwork!"

"Eh?" Kai's eyes widen again as his jaw hit the ground once more as well.

"Could you repeat that?" Kusari just stood there with his mouth open.

"What, your record's broken or something?" the jounin asked them both. "The object of this exam was actually easy to figure. I'm a little surprised that Kumiko didn't figure that out…"

"Well, it all makes sense now" replied the young tactician. "I guess that's the reason why there are only four bells: to divide the group…"

"Preciously" nodded Naruto with a smile. "My old sensei gave me and my cell a very similar test. Well, I guess you guys did better then we did during that time…"

"Yeah!" yelled Kai, throwing his hand to the sky. "We rock!"

"Change the record, will ya?" with those words, Kusari smacked him on the head.

"Wait a minute" interrupted Takaru, narrowing his eyes. "Even if we wouldn't get any bells, but worked together, we'd still pass?"

"Of course" replied Naruto with a shrug. "In Konoha, strength isn't that important, because the shinobi of the Leaf is never alone. The missions are completed by teams. To put it simply: the real power of Konoha ninja isn't chakra level or physical strength, but in the ability to cooperate with their teammates."

"Huh?" Kai didn't quite understood.

"Look, you bird brain…" said Kumiko somewhat tired. "As a team, it's not important who's the strongest and who's the weakest. The most important thing is how good we can fill in each other weaknesses…"

"I couldn't said it better myself" the jounin gave her a compliment.

"So wait a minute, it shouldn't bother me if Takaru's weaker then I am?"

"Didn't you just said a while ago that the weakest in the team is you?" the son of Tsunade gave the younger blond an asking glare, sweat dropping in the process.

"Well, you know, that was just because I didn't want to make you sad" replied the yellow-clad boy with a grin.

"The thing that you all must understand is the fact that you work as a team" Naruto stated, regaining their attention. "If one of you fails, you all do. You have to trust and support each other. Those are the basics of teamwork…"

"Understood!" yelled Kai, saluting, a fact that made the Kyuubi vessel smirk

"Anyway…" he said after a short pause. "Starting tomorrow we'll be attending the missions. I want to see all of you here at eight in the morning tomorrow. Right now I have business I must take care of, so for now, you're dismissed" and with those words he disappeared in the cloud of smoke.

-Later that day-

Iruka was sitting at his desk when Naruto appeared. The chunnin immediately looked up: "Please, have a seat" he pointed a small, wooden chair near the desk.

"No, thanks, Iruka-sensei" replied the blond with a smile. "This won't take long, especially since I have other matters to attend to. I only came here, to announce that I qualified all members of team number seven to become gennin…"

"They did that good?"

"Well… good enough" answered the jounin simply. "I'd say that there'll be problems with their teamwork, but in the end, they did worked together…"

"You think they'll manage the life of shinobi?"

"Guess we'll find out soon. Would you mind telling me what, other teams passed the test?"

"Well, it's no big secret" replied Iruka. "From this year it'll be teams number three and four. I assume you're aware of who the leaders of those teams are?"

"Yeah, I do" replied Naruto with a smirk. "Guess I should get going, after all, I still have to prepare some missions for my cell and I can't let those two take all the best ones."

"Well, I don't think you should be worrying about team number three stealing any interesting missions from you…"

"Things changed, Iruka-sensei" and with those words, the Kyuubi vessel once more disappeared in the cloud of smoke.

-Later still-

Hatake Kakashi was going through another pile of papers. He hasn't changed his way of dressing much: his forehead protector was still covering his left eye and the only thing new was a headgear with a symbol that represented fire, that covered his silver hair. He still had a sleepy face and carried the newest book of the 'Icha icha' series.

As he was signing another document, Naruto appeared by jumping through the window. Without even raising his head, the Sharingan user asked: "When are you going to learn how to knock? You know, that invention called the door was made for a reason…"

"But getting in through the door is so lame" replied the blond with a smirk. "Anyway, please, forgive me, Rokudaime-sama…" at this point the Kyuubi vessel bowed."I came in order to receive a mission for my team."

"Oh, so you actually allowed your students to pass?" Kakashi seemed surprised. "Well, at least now you'll see just what kind of hell I had to go through when you were my subordinate…"

"Perhaps, but at least I won't hide my face before them" replied Naruto teasingly. "Which reminds me: don't you think that now, when you're the Hokage, you should take off your mask, Kakashi-sensei?"

"How I dress is none of your business. Besides, you came here to get the first assignment for your new team, didn't you?"

"Oh yeah."

"Well, I think I've got a really interesting mission for you guys then…"

"So, we're going to fight bandits or something?" the blond already got a little excited.

"No, even better" replied the Hokage. "Your mission will be to exterminate… rats in the basement of the major of the nearby village!"

"_And thus crappy missions begin_" sighed Naruto with a sweat drop, taking the document that Kakashi was holding in his hands. "_What was I thinking when I allowed those guys to pass?_"

_**-the journey begins!-**_

_Looks around to make sure Kai's gone._

Okay, so now you know the results. Naruto's subordinates became gennin, but that's just the beginning of their ninja way. What'll happen to them? What sort of missions will they get? You'll have to keep reading to find out.

As usual, please give me reviews. Anything can be helpful, even flames.

Best wishes and hopefully till the next chapter.


	9. New Assignment

**EDIT:** yep, back to editing it seems. I'm hoping to do most of the mission in one go, especially since later on my free time will be greatly limited. Lets see how that goes. Anyway, this chapter, at least, is fixed

**Kumiko:** Hello everyone, this is your lovely reporter Murasakki Kumiko speaking. Today I'm with a talented, young writter Shang in order to find answers to your questions!

**Shang: **What ever happened to Kai?

**Kumiko: **He cought a flu. Anyways, here's the first question: many readers find it suprising that Kakashi is our Hokage-sama. Why did you picked him as the Rokudaime?

**Shang: **Well, I knew it'll be one of the old jounins. Asuma, Anko and Ibiki didn't fit in for the role due to their characters. Kurenai was close, but in the end I needed the Rokudaime who would be able to use ninjutsu and as we all know, Kurenai specializes in genjutsu. I was considering Gai, mostly because it'd be unexpected and funny (plus it'd show that you can be a great shinobi with only taijutsu), but in the end the Hokage had to know ninjutsu. Plus Kakashi's carrying attitude seems to fit for the job (even though he is a pervert).

**Kumiko: **Moving on: some of the readers want to know who are the jounin leaders of the other, rookie teams. Mind telling us?

**Shang: **Sorry, you'll read, you'll see.

**Kumiko: **Okay, since we're almost out of time, final question: could you get Kusari off my back!

**Shang: **Could I not answer that?...

**IMPORTANT NOTE: **In few days I'll have to go away for two weeks or so. During that time I won't have access to the internet or even computer for that metter, so the next chapters may take a while to upload. I'll do my best to upload the tenth chapter before I go, but I'm not promising anything. Sorry that you'll be forced to wait.

And now, without any more delays:

**Chapter #9: New Assignment**

_**Title Page:**_ Kakashi's in his normal outfit, sleeping on the desk which is filled with documents

Naruto and the rest of his team stood in front of the long desk, behind which sat few of the Konoha jounin along with Hokage himself. The Kyuubi vessel gave the Leaf's leader the report from their last assignment and returned to stand by his students' side.

Kakashi read the note he was given and after a little while he putted it away, saying: "Well, guess I should give you guys a new mission, but it seems that most of the D-rank ones are already taken…"

"Huh?" Kumiko was a little shocked at the statement. "How come?"

"Seems that your friends, team number four, is really active" responded the Rokudaime with a shrug. "Plus, there are other gennin teams except the three that just graduated from the Academy that needs some missions."

"And good thing they're so into those lame tasks!" announced Kai with a somewhat bored tone. "Maybe now we'll get something more interesting! I mean, come on, picking herbs for the local medic? How's that suppose to help us get stronger?"

"It just so happens that that medic-nin that we've been picking herbs for is a good friend of mine" responded Naruto as he glanced at the younger blond. "Besides, did you really expect that you'll get to fight other shinobi right after leaving the Academy?"

"Look who's talking" Kakashi whispered to himself with a sweat drop. "Well, judging from what Naruto told me about you guys…" he said, this time out loud. "I guess I could give you a C-rank mission" with those words he picked out a scroll from his pocket. "I want you to deliver this letter to the lord of the Country of the Stones. He's a good friend of mine, so I do hope you'll do a good job…"

At this the whisker-marks walked forward and took the letter from the Rokudaime's hand.

"So what's in that scroll?" asked Kai curiously.

"That is of no importance to you" replied the Hokage seriously. "But this mission also has a second part. Since you guys will be heading to the Stone Country capitol anyway, I'd like you to take someone with you…"

At the very same moment, a young girl, around eighteen years of age, walked into the room along with Iruka. She had long, brown hair (_A/N: I know, another brown hair, sorry, but at least this time, no ponytail_) and big, blue eyes. She was dressed in a long, white dress and carried a little fan with some paintings on it.

Naruto looked at her and grabbed Kusari just in time to stop the boy from jumping straight at the girl: "I love you!" yelled the chain master, right before his sensei smacked him on the head.

"You're really creepy" stated the Kyuubi vessel. "And what every happened to your feelings towards Kumiko?" he asked, rising his eyebrow.

"I still love Kumiko-chan, but you can't master your heart" replied Kusari with dignity.

"You do realize that she's like six years older then you?"

"Now I get it" announced Kusari thoughtfully, pointing a finger at his teacher. "You want her for yourself, don't you, Naruto-sensei? I may be too young for her, but you're just rust and wrinkles by comparison!"

"What the hell are you talking about? First of all: she doesn't interest me! Second… I'm not that old" he said with a sad face. "I'm only thirty" he added, much quieter.

"This is Hayama Deji" Kakashi introduced the girl, trying his best to ignore the two. "And she's the daughter of the Stone Country lord. Kusari, I suggest you stay away from her, especially since her wedding is only about ten days away…"

"Wait a minute, you old fart" Deji interrupted, gazing at the Leaf's leader. "You mean they're the ones who'll escort me? They look pretty wimpy. Especially that idiot with the blonde hair and that I-am-so-cool-with-my-scar-on-the-eye dope…"

Takaru's eye twitched, as he turned to Ibuki and whispered: "You're the killing expert here. Could you… you know… kill her in her sleep?" he asked annoyed, holding back his anger.

"Guess so" she whispered back. "But aren't we supposed to protect her?"

"Yoh, lady!" yelled Kai, pointing at the Stone princess. "I don't care who you are, but I'm the one who's going to become Hokage one day and I demand respect!"

"Look here, shrimp" came a response with a frown. "I'm royalty, so if anyone deserves respect around here, it's me. And you really should do something about your hair, because it sucks!"

"Hokage-sama" meanwhile Naruto walked over to the desk, whispering to the cyclopean ninja. "I know that this is none of my business, but why didn't the Stone Country lord hired shinobi from his own land? After all, Iwagakure is known for their shinobi strength."

"The way he put it" replied Kakashi, also with a lowered voice. "He told me that he's not certain about Hidden Stone ninja loyalty. You see, Deji is destined to merry Ouritsu Recca, the prince of the Tree Country. Those, two countries are recently at war and since shinobi villages are the military power of the country, both Tsuchikage and the leader of the Kigakure are earning a lot of money on battling each other. The marriage would end the war and you can easily figure that both shinobi lords may not be too happy about that."

"Great" came a response. "So why are you planning to send us? After all, they're just gennin rookies and according to your words, Hokage-sama, fights with jounin are possible…"

"I know, but at the moment you're practically the only jounin available. I promise to send some backup as soon as such a possibility will appear. Besides, you're one of the most respected shinobi in Konoha and your subordinates are pretty skilled. At least that's what you said about them…"

"Yeah, they did mastered tree-climbing already and both Takaru and Kusari are able to walk on water, but they didn't had a real, shinobi battle. Moreover, they're still not as good at teamwork. Sending them on such a mission is extremely risky."

"I trust your abilities, Naruto" replied Kakashi seriously. "Also, I know Tsuchikage a little and I believe that he won't send anyone to kill Deji, because he's not that type of a shinobi lord…"

"Well, I'll do my best" announced the Kyuubi vessel, straightening himself. "But I can't assure the success of the mission this time, I'm afraid. Okay, you guys" he said, this time in the way his students would hear him. "Pack your shinobi tools; we're heading to the Stone Country!"

-That time, outside the village-

"So, she's in Konoha at the moment?" asked a mysterious voice from the shadows.

"Not for long" replied another voice. "She's leaving with a small group of shinobi as we speak. But it's nothing much, really. Most of them are just brats, so I assume they're gennin."

"If they are, they also have a jounin with them" announced a third figure, but this one was a little girly. "By any chance you know who he'll be?"

"Actually I do" answered the second voice, allowing a smirk. "Some blond shrimp by the name of Uzumaki Naruto. I believe that the name is known to you, eh Kataki?" he asked, turning to another shadow.

"Uzumaki" repeated the fourth member of the gathering. "Seems that I'm pretty lucky. I was hoping to meet him for some time. Looks like I'll finally get the chance…"

"And I guess you want us to stay out of this, am I right, Kataki?" asked the fifth voice.

"If you'd be so kind" replied the one called Kataki calmly. "Having an opportunity to fight him… I'll finally get the chance to squares debts…"

"Fine then" announced the first figure. "We'll leave it to you. But remember, lady Deji is a priority. You may kill Uzumaki as a bonus…"

"Of course" responded the fourth shadow.

-The next day-

"Right, let's go!" yelled Kai, throwing his hand to the sky.

"Cut it out already!" scold Kumiko, smacking her teammate on the head. "What are you so excited about anyway? You never went outside the village?"

"I did, but we're heading to the Country of the Stone!" explained the blond excitedly. "I heard they have powerful shinobi! I can't wait to face them!"

"Calm down, Kai" asked Naruto lightly as he walked besides the princess. "Even if we do run into stone-nins, the one who'll be fighting them will be me…"

"That's not fair, Naruto-sensei! Why should you have all the fun?"

"Look, I'm not saying that you guys are weak. Actually, I believe that you're tops among Konoha gennin, but in the fight against a jounin you still don't stand a chance, so if only a high rank ninja will appear, your mission will be to take Deji-sama to safety and let me handle the battle. Is that understood?"

"But how are we supposed to get stronger if you won't allow us to fight enemies, Naruto-sensei?" asked Takaru with hands in his pockets as a slight disappointment sounded in his voice.

"I know that for you, youngsters, it's hard to deal with…" responded the Kyuubi vessel with sympathy. "But you have to learn that in the real battle, your enemy won't hold back on you. One of the most valuable, shinobi skills is to recognize his opponent and know when his enemy is too strong. Getting into every, possible fight, especially at your current level, will sooner or later equal death."

"Yeah, so shut up already and pick someone to carry my bags!" yelled Deji, rising her chin.

Naruto sighed. "_She's even worst then Tazuna…_"

And so the princess and her six shinobi bodyguard head to the Country of the Stone, not knowing that they were observed by a mysterious shadow from the tops of the trees…

_**-mysterious figure appear… and its goal?-**_

And that's that for the 9th chapter. Please give me your opinion about it.

As promised, I'll try uploading the tenth chapter before I go, but I don't know if I'll manage to, so sorry in advance.

Take care and hope to see you in the next chapter!


	10. Protecting Miss Daisy?

**EDIT:** too tired to think of something, so yeah, it's just another chapter edited.

**Shang: **Hey guys! I'm back from my vacation and...

**Takaru: **No one cares about that crap! Listen up, I have better things to do then play 'answers and questions' but Kumiko's doing her make-up or whatever and Kai's busy so I'll be asking you questions readers were interested in. Now, lets get this over with. First off: one of the readers was interested in pairing. Will there be any and if so, what will they be?

**Shang: **Well, romances are planned but I dislike giving pairing. I prefer for the readers to find out on their own. But, in case you guys would like to know, inform me and I'll give the pairings to you.

**Takaru: **Your story seems to be evolving like the original one. Any comments on that?

**Shang: **Well, this story was planned in the way to make it seemed like a deja vu. But, I can promise you guys that once the Chuunin Exam begins, the story will take a different course. And, more importantly, this mission was requiered for the storyline. I won't say why... for now.

**Takaru:** Yeah, right. So, mind telling the readers who the five shadows were? Some of them want to know that.

**Shang: **Sorry guys. You'll read, you'll see.

**Takaru: **Okay, final question: did you did anything during those two weeks when you were away or didn't you just seat on your butt doing nothing?

**Shang: **Don't worry, I was able to think of few chapters and even more, I thought up a new 'Naruto' fanfic. That one will also be an action/adventure one though I'm still not sure when I'll release it, since this is still mostly an idea. But I'll let you guys know for sure.

Enough of that. On with the story. Hope you'll find this chapter worth waiting for.

**Chapter #10: Protecting Miss Daisy?**

_**Title Page:**_ Takaru's with one of his hands surrounded by flames is sweat dropping as in front of him Kai is holding a marshmallow on a stick right above the fire

They were just two days marsh away from the Stone Country capitol. The five days that they spend traveling were, probably, the worst they had till now.

Deji kept demanding this and that and Kai was getting more and more pissed. Moreover, Kusari was totally annoying with his 'I love you, Deji-sama' crap, which, for some reason, Kumiko couldn't stand (_A/N: could this be love?_). Neither Takaru nor Ibuki seemed to pay any attention to the woman, but a little that Naruto didn't know was the fact, that the idea of killing the Rock princess in her sleep was not dropped by them… actually, it was slowly evolving.

To put it simply: Deji's company had proven to be a big pain in the butt.

"… and today I got a cold breakfast!" announced the princess, during her everyday morning complaining. "Just wait until my father hears about this!"

"_By the love of ramen…_" Naruto thought to himself. "_Isn't there a way to turn her mute off?_"

They've reached a small town on the outskirts of the Stone Country capitol. The village wasn't anything special, but the Kyuubi vessel was able to find a place to stay for the night (_A/N: if he wouldn't, you can count on Deji to scold him_).

"Okay, Deji-sama, you, Ibuki and Kumiko will sleep in that room…" with those words he pointed plain, wooden door with the number five attached to them. "… and me and the boys will take the room on the other side of the hall, in case my assistance will be required."

"Wait a minute" interrupted Deji, sending him a glare. "Why should I, the princess of the Stone, share room with those two?" and saying so, she flipped her head in the girls' direction.

"For protection" replied jounin simply. "In case you'd be attacked, they'll protect you until I'll come. Besides, I believe you'd prefer the company of other girl rather then guys…"

"This is not fair" announced Ibuki with a face of a scold dog.

"You can't leave us alone with her" Kumiko supported her teammate, not bothering to whisper. "It's inhuman!"

"Alright, but in that case, we'll have to at least eat some normal food in stead of that, whatever it was we ate during the last, few days!" demanded Deji, ignoring the two.

"_Arguing with her would be even worst then if the ramen prices would increase_" sighed Naruto. "It's a deal" he replied, this time out loud.

The town they stopped in had only one bar, so the choice wasn't too wide. As they sat to their table, the waiter came forward to take their order: "You wouldn't have ramen, would you?" the Kyuubi vessle asked hopefully, but the answer was a 'no'. "Then I'll have a steak…"

The others made their orders as well and the waiter went to the kitchen to inform the chief of the new order. Everything seemed to be normal, but the whisker-marks was too experienced to know better that nothing is what it seems.

Suddenly, two men who were sitting at the table next to theirs, picked out daggers and charged right at Deji. The jounin was about to react, when he noticed that Takaru has already taken action. With that, he decided to leave it to him for now.

The son of Tsunade spun around with the chair to face the attackers and in an instant he bended over, propping himself with his right hand. Both assassins slowed down a bit surprised, when the scar-faced boy placed his left hand across his right one, which allowed him to spin around once more, this time with his hands on the floor.

When his feet were finally aimed at both attackers, he launched his legs at their heads. Both kicks were so powerful, that the assassins had to take few steps back, just to keep their balance. But after they saw what happened next, it'd have been better for them, if they'd just allow themselves to fall on the ground.

Before they noticed, Kusari was already on the table with his chains released. He threw the ball end at them and before they could react to that in any way, the guy on the young Hagane's right was already hit in the stomach with the metal ball.

To his surprise, the chain started to coil around him and before he knew it, Kusari was already flying towards them, using his chain as the launching mechanism. The guy that got hit with the heir of Hagane's chain received another hit, this time on the face, from the boy's elbow and the one that wasn't attacked with the gennin's weapon got kicked in the kisser by the rookie ninja.

Both of them felt on the floor, as Kusari released the guy from his chain.

As soon as they felt the floor under their heads, they sensed cold steel at their throats. It was Ibuki, who held kunai in her hands, ready to stab their necks if they'd make a move.

"Nice job, you guys" Naruto complimented them with a smile. "And a pretty good teamwork… _I doubt it was on purpose though_" he added to himself with a sweat drop.

"And you're a jounin?" Deji snapped after a moment of silence. "Those brats are better then you! What kind of protection is this suppose to be?"

"I could have taken them out in an instant, if that would be required" the whisker-marks replied calmly. "But, as you see, my students have taken care of those two themselves, so there was no need for me to interfere…"

"Bullshit!" accused the Stone princess. "You're just a wimp! I'm telling my dad!"

"I know that we're her bodyguards…" Kumiko whispered to Kai, who was sitting right next to her. "But I really wouldn't mind if Takaru and the rest would allow those two to get their kill…"

The blond just nodded.

"_Well, well, well…_" thought a mysterious character, observing the whole scene from the roof. "_Looks like those brats can fight. Not that it was anything special to knockout those two idiots, but still they have some skills. This may be more interesting then I thought…_"

-That night-

The full moon shone on the night sky, which was completely covered with stars. All lights in the town went down and only a person with a great eye could tell that in the capitol few lights were still on. The village has gone to sleep.

Kumiko felt asleep almost immediately, she was tired (_A/N: mostly of Deji's complaining_). Ibuki on the other hand stayed awake until the Stone princess got to bed.

Both Kusari and Takaru were already sleeping, but Naruto decided to stay up a little longer. After all, he was the one responsible for Deji and the young gennins' safety. Kai, who got unluckily and became the last one using the bathroom, which was located in the hall, outside the rooms, left the apartment in order to brush his teeth and such.

With sleepy eyes, he kept moving his toothbrush back and forth, slowly falling asleep because of the monotony of this 'exercise'. He stayed awake only thanks to splashing his face with water. He wasn't even motivated enough to change into his pajamas.

When he left the bathroom, the whole hall was completely dark, so he decided to wait a moment, until his eyes get used to the darkness. Only thanks to that, he saw the door to the girls' room opening and Deji walking quietly out of it.

"_And just where is she going to?_" he thought to himself suspiciously.

Kai stood still to not draw her attention. As soon as she disappeared behind the corner, he followed. Tailing Deji wasn't hard, especially since she wasn't even looking around. After a little while, she left the village and entered the nearby forest. The blond went after.

The 'chase' ended at a small brook. Deji sat on the big rock, near the water, picked up few, smaller rocks and started throwing them into the 'river'. The young gennin observed the whole scene for a while and finally decided to show up:

"You shouldn't wonder off. After all, you're the most important person around, Deji-sama" he couldn't believe that he actually said that, especially since the way the princess acted pissed him off even more then Takaru did.

"And just what do you care?" she shoot back instantly.

"Hey, I'm supposed to be your bodyguard, ya know? Course I care! How it'd look like if the future Hokage failed his first, important mission?"

"Leave me alone" ordered Deji, this time much quieter. "And stop with that Hokage bullshit. Guess you really have no idea what it means to have a high position…"

"Course I do" replied Kai with a smirk. "When I'll become Hokage, everyone will start respecting me!"

"You really think that's all there is to it, don't you?" she asked sadly.

"What do you mean?"

"With every power, comes responsibility" announced the princess, lowering her head. "And by the look of things, I can tell that you have no idea of that."

"Oh?' responded the blond sarcastically. "And I suppose you do? Especially since you think so highly of yourself…"

"Of course, I do, since…" she pause for a moment, flapping her mouth slightly. "Since I've lost my free will in order to serve my country" she finally finished, looking away.

At this, Kai closed his mouth and looked at her confused.

Neither he nor the young princess noticed a pair of eyes that observed them from a nearby tree: "_Two little lambs have separated from the rest_" though the owner of the mysterious pupils. "_I guess it's my lucky night…_"

_**-it's coming!-**_

This concludes this chapter. Hope you liked it. Please tell me what you think of it (criticism can be helpful as well).

Also, I have a suggestion. It's something I thought of during the two-week holiday. What would you guys say if I were to give you chapter covers for every chapter? (if you know what I mean by that). This is just a proposal, I'll leave the choice to you, so inform me whether you want me to do something like that or not.

I believe that's all.

Take care and till the next update (hopefully).


	11. Unspotted

**EDIT:** yeah, you know the drill…

**Kusari: **Hey guys! I knew you just couldn't stand the others making an interview with Shang, so I've decided to take their place. Yes, it's me, your favorite shinobi, Hagane Kusari!

**Shang: **Actually, I believe that...

**Kusari: **On with the questions from our readers! Okay, there seem to be few questions considering those chapter covers. Would you mind making it a little clearer?

**Shang: **Yes, the chapter covers idea will be explained at the end of this chapter. I think it'd be better if we'd concentrate on answering readers reviews for now.

**Kusari: **Okay boss. So, one of our faithful readers wants to know who did Tsunade marry? Can you answer that?

**Shang: **It will be revealed later in the story. I'd prefer to keep this a secret.

**Kusari: **By the way, what's with all those grammar mistakes in the previous chapter? You suck... as Kai would say.

**Shang: **Yeah, sorry about that. I just wanted to update as soon as possible, since I've already forced you to wait so long for the chapter and forgot to double check the grammar. I hope that this time I've manage to free this chapter from such obvious mistakes. Sorry if I failed in achieving that goal.

**Kusari: **Alright, now the most important question: when I'll get a bigger part? I'm sure the audience can't wait to read more of me!

**Shang: **...

Thanks for all the review. Hope you'll let me know what you think of this chappie as well. Now on to the story:

**Chapter #11: Unspotted**

_**Title Page:**_ Kai is mocking a snake, sticking out his tongue

"And I suppose you know all about responsibility that comes with power?" yelled Kai accusingly.

"Of course, I do…" Deji paused for a moment. "After all, I've lost my free will in order to serve my country" she finished a little quieter.

-That time, back in Konoha-

Iruka knocked on the door and patiently waited to hear 'enter' from the other side. As soon as the phrase was heard, the chuunin pushed the door and entered Hokage's office where he saw the Rokudaime standing near the window, looking at the stars: "What is it, Iruka?"

"Hokage-sama…" Iruka began slowly, bowing his head. "I came to ask about team seven's new mission…"

"The one to the Stone Country?"

"Yes" responded the chuunin with a nod. "Are you sure they'll be able to complete it? After all, they're still just gennin…"

"Naruto's with them…" interrupted Kakashi, reminding him. "They should be fine. After all, our number one, hyperactive ninja have changed a lot. More then you know. Don't forget, the role he played in crushing the Akatsuki and Hidden Sound…"

"Yes, Rokudaime-sama" replied Iruka, nodding again. "But Naruto alone…"

"By this time tomorrow…" the Copying Ninja cut in once more, not letting him finish. "One of the shinobi I've send on a mission will return. I'll send him to help Naruto, but until then, our little blond will have to take care of himself."

"I understand, Hokage-sama" announced the scar-faced man. "If you'll allow me, I'd like to take my leave then. Classes start from tomorrow…"

"Okay" replied Kakashi simply. "Good night."

Iruka just bowed and then left the office. The sixth Hokage just got back to watching the stars: "_Even though I said so…_" he thought to himself, narrowing his visible eye. "_Naruto, will you be okay?_"

-Stone Country-

Naruto walked to the door with a sleepy face, as he heard the knocking. Once he opened them, he saw Ibuki and Kumiko standing in front of him: "What is it?" he asked, still a little out there.

"Deji-sama is gone!" replied Kumiko nervously. "She went to sleep before Ibuki did, but when I woke up to get something to drink, she wasn't in her bed! We searched the whole room, but she's gone!"

"Calm down" asked Naruto with a gesture, finally woke up. "Is all her stuff taken?"

"No…" responded Ibuki immediately. "Only her clothes seem to be gone."

"Well then, it doesn't look like she was kidnapped" announced the jounin thoughtfully. "Otherwise, why would only her clothes disappear? My guess is that she left on her own, free will. Any ideas as to where she might disappeared to?"

"Not really" Takaru barged in, joining the conversation. "But our blond pinhead's gone as well. Maybe he went after her or something?" he purposed, glancing at the Kyuubi vessel.

"It is possible" replied Naruto with a nod. "But, no matter what happened, we have to find her. We should split into three groups and search the village…"

"Can I be in one group with Kumiko-chan, sensei?" asked Kusari, with big, puppy eyes.

The jounin just sweat dropped.

-Back to Kai and Deji-

"You… lost your free will?" repeated Kai, with an asking tone.

"And how else would you call marring someone, I haven't seen even once in my life?" replied Deji, still avoiding eye-contact. "This marriage is meant to give peace to the people of this land and the Tree Country. Do you know how long our two countries has been at war?"

The blond just stood there, looking at her, without saying a word.

"Five years" announced the Stone princess, after the moment of silence. "Five, long years. It cost many lives, not only those of shinobi. This marriage will end it. If I wouldn't agreed to it, more lives would have been lost…"

"But why marriage?" asked Kai confused. "Can those dumb lords just sign a peace treaty?"

"It's all politics" replied the woman with a weak shrug. "None of the lords, neither my father nor the Tree Country leader, want to be seen as defeated. In case of a peace treaty, someone has to propose it to the other. The one, who would do that, could be considered as weak. And just for that, none of them would propose it. On the other hand, if their children would fall in love with each other, it would seem onckward if their countries would be at war. The perfect way out…"

The young gennin just lower his sight.

"People always think that being a princess is so easy and wonderful…" said Deji, after a short silence. "But that isn't easy or wonderful. The truth is that when a girl becomes a princess, she has to throw away everything. Do you know what it's like to have people looking at you, but not noticing you?" she asked sadly.

Memories of the times when he was called a loser just because of him name came across Kai's mind as he slowly replied: "Actually… I believe I do."

Now it was Deji who looked at him a bit surprised, as he continued: "You know what Haisha means?"

"A loser" she responded almost immediately.

"Yes" the blond nodded with affirmation. "That's also my last name. Thanks to that, everyone refers to me as a loser. It didn't matter what I did, I've always been a loser in their eyes. You might say it's some sort of a curse that cannot be taken away from me. Once a loser, always a loser…"

-That time, somewhere in the village-

"Where is she? Where is she, God dammit?" yelled Kumiko, looking around nervously.

"Calm down" asked Takaru with a stoic face. "We'll find her. After all, she's not a shinobi that can erase her presence…"

"Yes, but what if some ninja got her and erase their presence?"

"_And to think I could let Kusari go with her_" sighed Takaru as he jump onto another roof.

-That time, another part of town-

"We checked almost the whole village, but there's still no trance of Deji-sama" announced Ibuki, looking around carefully. "The only place, that we haven't searched yet, is that nearby forest."

"Guess it's high time to check it out then" replied Kusari and they both headed to the trees.

-Once more with Kai and Deji-

"Seems that we're both imprisoned by something" announced Deji with sympathy sounding in her voice. "You by your name and I by my position…"

"Even so…" replied Kai with determination sounding in his voice. "There's always hope to set ourselves free. All we have to do, is refuse to give up."

"And what do you think we can do? You can't change your name just like I can't become a normal girl."

"It's talking like that, that makes it impossible" responded the blond. "People can change, because they'll always try to change. Sometimes you don't have to do anything to change something, but sometimes changes have to be fought for."

"You know, for a dumb brat, you're not that stupid" stated Deji with a teasing smile.

"Touching" they heard a voice coming from behind and as they turned around, the two saw a tall man with short, spiky, black hair and mouth covered with a shinobi mask. He was carrying a huge sword (at least as long as he was himself) and a forehead protector with Iwagakure symbol on it. "Move aside kid, I came here for the girl" he announced simply.

"Really?" responded Kai stepping in front of the princess. "And what if I won't move?"

"It wouldn't make any difference" replied the swordsman with a shrug. "The woman would die anyway, only you'd join her. Now, be a good boy and move."

"Sorry…" said Kai, picking out his kunai. "But I never was an obedient child" and with those words, he charged right at the Stone shinobi.

The assassin just sighed, rising his sword and then hitting the ground before him with it, with full force. The ground under the blade broke and the crack that appeared raced right at Kai. Young gennin lost his balance, when his leg stepped in it and felt to the ground. When he raised his sight, all he saw was the blade of the gigantic sword, coming right at his head…

_**-life flashing before his eyes… is this the end of Kai?-**_

And this concludes this chapter. Next one should be uploaded rather soon. Please tell me what you think of this one.

Now, before I'll get to that chapter covers issue, there's one thing I need to ask you. It's about the names of the techniques. I'll let you decide about the form you would like the techniques to be written. I can either write them originally in Japanesse, in English, in Japanesse with the translation to English between the brackets right after the techniques name or I can make a jutsu encyklopedia at the end of every chapter. I believe that the first, three options are clear, so I'll explain the last one on the example of a technique already used in the story:

_Insei Tooriame _(Meteor Shower) - technique invented by Tsunade, first used by Takaru during his Gennin Exam. In order to use this jutsu, the ninja must first cumulate chakra into his hands and then, after performing the right seals, release it in the form of a flame. If the technique is performed the way it should be, the flames should surround the users hands, but not burn them. At any moment the user may release those flames upon his opponent. Even though this technique has incredible, destructive power, it's not meant to be used against many enemies, because it becomes extremely less effective.

_Shuriken Kage Bushin no Jutsu _(Shadow Shuriken Clone Skill) - one of very few ninjutsu techniques used by the Tanken clan. It was first used by the Third Hokage during his fight with Orochimaru. This technique multiplies a throw object into many, exact replications, that make damage. The Tanken used it mostly one shurikens and kunai's.

Okay, so I hope you'll remember to tell me in which form you'd prefer the techniques to be written.

Now on to the chapter covers issue:

First I'll try to explain what I meant by 'chapter cover' (seems that some didn't understood). If you read manga, you should notice that sometimes the titles of chapters are placed on the pages with drawings that doesn't have much to do with the actually chapter (for example chapter cover for the fifth chapter of the original 'Naruto' was Naruto dressed as a punk, holding a lollipop). Now, the idea of the chapter covers for this story was mostly aimed at the drawers who're reading it. I could give you guys description for every chapter cover and if you guys would like, you could draw it. Of course, those who would decide to do that, I'd place links to those drawings right before the chapter begins.

Also, if there won't be any volunteers, I still can simply give descriptions on how I've pictured the chapter covers to look like, so I'll leave the decision to you: those who are interested in drawing chapter covers, let me know and I'll try to contact you in someway in order to make the arrangements. Also, if you're not interested, please let me know if you'd like me to put descriptions of the chapter covers anyway.

And here is the description for chapter one, which I missed:

_Chapter #1: _Kai's ridding a giant toad (he's enjoying it or has his hands crossed before him) at the right side bottom of the pic, Kumiko's picking up flowers on the left bottom, above her Kusari's ridding an eagle or a hawk with those lame, pilot goggles on, in the middle Takaru, doing nothing (whatever you think off... probably the best would be sweat dropping at the site of his teammates or something like that) and on the top right (above Kai) Ibuki's sitting on a tree branch

Well, I believe that's that.

Hope you liked the chapter. Please tell me what you think about it.

Take care and hope to see you guys when the next chapter will be released as well.


	12. Shinobi of the Stone

**EDIT:** blah, blah, blah

**Ibuki: **Looks like this time I'll be interviewing. Suprised?

**Shang: **Not really. Since now you were the only one who didn't do it. So, what kind of excuse did the others pulled out this time?

**Ibuki: **Dunno, was listening when they made those. At any rate, I'm supposed to asked you about things the reviewes wanted to know, but it seems that this time the only comments you got are congratulations on a chapter well done. What the hell is wrong with you people! No flame?

**Shang: **You know, you should be rather happy about that...

**Ibuki: **I know, but it's no fun when everybody likes it...

**Shang: **I'm kinda happy that there's no flames. It's good that the readers like the story.

**Ibuki: **Whatever... lets just the get this show on the road.

**Chapter #12: Shinobi of the Earth**

_**Title page:**_Kumiko and Ibuki are holding the kites in the air while Kusari is lying on the ground and also holds his kite in the air, but insted of the rope he uses his chain.

Kai fell to the ground. When he raised his sight, all he saw was the blade of the gigantic sword, coming right at his head.

He covered his face with his hands and closed his eyes, waiting for the hit, but it never came. After a short while, he opened his eyes and saw that assassin's hand, which was holding the sword, was winded by a chain. Kai looked to his right to see Ibuki and Kusari standing on top of a small hill.

"Nice to see you guys, again" announced the blond, getting back to his feet.

"Heh, can't you do anything right, bonehead?" asked Ibuki with a smirk. "Tripping in such a lame way…" she added teasingly.

"More annoying brats" sighed the swordsman, keeping his calm. "Don't you realize the difference in levels?"

"You're pretty confident of yourself" replied Kusari with a serious face. "Especially for someone, who's trapped."

"Oh, this?" asked the assassin, rising the hand that was surrounded by the boy's chain slightly. "Do you really believe that gives you any advantage? I could kill all you brats in few seconds, even using only one hand…"

"Lets check it out then, shall we?" yelled Kai, launching his fist at the swordsman's head.

Before he knew it, his opponent bended to the right and grabbed his arm with free hand. A second later, Kai was already flying towards Kusari. The chain master strafe right, in order to dodge his teammate, but once he got into mid-air, the swordsman pulled his hand, surrounded with the preteen's weapon towards himself, making the young Hagane fly right where his opponent was standing.

The next thing Kusari felt, was a powerful punch, he received in the face. He lost his chakra control because of that and thus the swordsman's hand was free. The Stone shinobi heard a sound of something cutting the air from his back and he jumped to the left just in time to dodge shuriken thrown by Ibuki. As he landed on the ground, he spotted a smile on the young assassin's face.

The next moment, the explosive tag, which Ibuki left on the ground (before she used the shinobi stars) went off, tossing into the air a cloud of dust. As the smoke disappeared, she noticed that the swordsman wasn't there.

"_What… ?_" the kunoichi thought to herself surprised.

"It was a Kawamiri!" announced Kusari, getting back to his feet. "He was able to perform the correct seals in a fraction of a second… that's Naruto-sensei's level!"

"So what do we do?" asked Kai, joining them.

"Well, in an open battle, we probably don't stand any chances against him" replied the chain master seriously.

"Told you so, but you brats just won't listen" came the swordsman's voice and before any of them knew it, the stone-nin appeared between them, attacking with his blade.

Thanks to their good reflexes, both Kai and Ibuki where able to draw kunai in time to block the sword's blade (the blow was so powerful, that they flew back few meters though), but Kusari wasn't that fast; he received a hit in his left hand. Luckily for him, the wound didn't seemed too deep.

Trying to avoid another hit by the sword, Kusari jumped to the right, but before he knew it, the swordsman was already in front on him, preparing to cut him in half. Surprisingly for the chain master, the stone-nin seemed to freeze for a moment and then his body turned into a pile of rocks.

"Iwa bunshin?" noted the boy, a little surprised.

"Seems that our presence was uncovered after all" stated Takaru, who was standing right next to Kumiko on a nearby hill, both of them held kunai in their hands.

As Kusari looked at the pile of stones, that just few seconds ago were the Iwa jounin, he spotted two throwing knifes lying next to it. Obviously, his teammates made direct hits.

"I was wondering when you two will get out of your hiding place" the swordsman announced, now standing right behind them.

Takaru began performing the chain of seals, while turning around. As he faced his opponent, his right hand was already surrounded by flames: "Mori Kasai no Jutsu!" he screamed as a powerful, fire scourge came out of his fore and middle fingers.

But before the flames reached him, the stone-nin was already gone.

"_Dammit!_" thought Ibuki, as she pulled out her Fuma Shuriken. "Kusari!"

The chain master looked at her and in an instant he understood what the young assassin was planning to do. He grabbed his own shuriken and threw it in the same direction Ibuki did, just few seconds later.

The stone-nin glared at the shinobi stars coming right at him. In an instant he hid his sword and then used his left hand to catch the shuriken thrown by the girl, so that a moment later he could grab the one thrown by Kusari with his right hand.

"Pathetic" said the swordsman with a bored tone. "What was that for?"

"To keep you hands occupied" replied Ibuki with a smirk and while making the right seal along with the chain master, they both yelled: "Kawamiri no Jutsu!"

The stone-nin's eyes widen as the two shuriken that he was holding in his hands changed into the two, young shinobi. Before he knew it, both rookies attacked him with their legs. The jounin was able to block both attacks using his hands in the last moment, but he didn't predict that the two kicks he just blocked weren't the end of it.

With a wild scream on his lips, Kai flew right at the stone-nin's back, ready to launch a powerful blow. Having no, other alternative, the swordsman moved his hands closer to each other and preformed the right seals in the fraction of a second: "Ishi Arashi no Jutsu!" came from his mouth and suddenly hundreds of small rocks came to the air and started circling around the stone-nin.

Both Ibuki and Kusari received a few hits from the stones in the faces, before they went flying back, but Kai felt the full impact of the technique as he went right into the stone storm. The rocks started to attack him from every direction and even though they weren't too big, the amount of hits he received almost made him paint.

In the meantime, the swordsman turned around to face the blond gennin and gave him a direct punch in the face, that send Kai flying right were Takaru and Kumiko were standing.

"_Those brats actually forced me to use a high level jutsu…_" the swordsman though to himself, keeping a poker face. "_They're not as weak, as I fought…_"

"_Those kids stand no chances against this guy_" thought Deji, as she observed the whole battle from the distance, her body shivering. "_What to do?_"

"This won't get us anywhere" noticed Takaru, turning towards his female friend. "We need a plan, Kumiko!"

"_Sorry father, but it doesn't seem like I have any choice. I have to use that jutsu…_" Kumiko thought to herself and then she whispered to Tsunade's son. "Okay, I have one…"

Meanwhile, Kusari launched another attack with his chain. The stone-nin already pulled out his sword and by jumping into the air, he dodged the ball end of the weapon. Then, still in midair, he deflected the sharp end of the chain with his blade.

As soon as his feet touched the ground, he had to block the katana's blade that was heading right towards him. He deflected the attack with his own sword and then the blades clashed few more time before the weapon used by Ibuki broke in two.

As soon as her sword was broken, the young assassin jumped back. It was then that the stone-nin felt strange chakra gathering behind him. When he turned around, he spotted Takaru, ending his seal chain and fire concentrating in his right palm: "Kasai Onban" cried out the son of Tsunade, as the fire left his hand.

Once the connection between the hand and the flame disappeared, the fire took a form of a disc, which spinning around headed right for the swordsman.

As the disc kept getting closer, Takaru threw two kunai, one on the left side of the fire disc and the other on its right. Having no, other way to dodge, the stone-nin jumped into the air, only to find out that it was a trap, as he noticed Kumiko performing a long chain of seals.

"Odori no Sendo!" she yelled as the swordsman's world begin to spin.

When he landed on the ground, his whole body started to hurt. He felt his bones burning from the inside and his veins exploding. He was breathing hard, but the air just didn't seem to go to his lungs. His sight started to be covered with blood as his heart slowly began to stop beating. His chakra was freeing itself from his body and disappearing in the air.

With his last breath, he performed several seals and yelling: "Ishi Tomurai no Jutsu!"

Suddenly stone spikes started to come up from below the ground, aiming at the young gennin. Takaru grabbed Kai, who wasn't able to move, and jumped onto the branch of a high tree, were he figured they'd be safe. Kumiko and Ibuki did the same. Kusari, using his chain, was able place Deji on a branch, but he failed to escape himself. All he could do was closing his eyes as a huge stone spike, headed right towards him.

When he opened his eyes, he saw Naruto standing right next to him on a tree branch.

"You brats are really something" announced the stone-nin, looking around. "Not only have you forced me to use my high level jutsu, but that hag over there…" with these words he pointed Kumiko, who was sitting on the branch of the same tree as Takaru and Kai. "Is able to use a genjutsu technique of a jounin level. That's really impressive. You almost got me back there…"

"Yes, well" replied Kumiko, breathing hard as sweat began running down her face. "It's not something that one can master at such a young age as mine. In order for this jutsu to work, I needed you to be defenseless at least for a few moments. Practically that's why Takaru threw those kunai along with his fire disc."

"I see…" responded the swordsman with a nod. "But I could always jump to the side and deflect the knives with my sword…"

"True" admitted Kumiko simply. "But you didn't. Well, above everything, this technique costs a lot of chakra, since it's one of the few, genjutsu techniques that can actually kill the one imprisoned in it. If they won't get out of the illusion in time, that is…"

"Still it's pretty impressive that you were able to learn it at your age and level" it was only then that the stone-nin turn his eyes onto the blond jounin, his expression changing to anger immediately.

"You did good" announced Naruto, jumping down from the branch (_A/N: the stone spikes were already gone_). "You managed to keep Deji-sama safe till my arrival. Take five. I'll handle things from here…"

_**-Naruto steps in!-**_

And that's that for this chapter. Hope you liked it. Please tell me your opinion.

And now, here's the jutsu encyklopedia for this chappie:

_Mori Kasai no Jutsu _(Fire Lance Skill ) - technique invented by Takaru, in performing very similar to the Meteor Shower, only in this case you need to cumulate chakra in only your fore and middle fingers insted of the whole hand. After performing the right set of hand seals, the cumulated chakra is released in a form of a fire scourge.

_Kasai Onban _(Fire Disc) - another technique invented by Takaru. As usual in his techniques, the user needs to cumulate chakra in his hands and then release the flame. If the seals were perform corretly, the flame will take the form of a spinning disc, that could cut through almost anyhing.

_Ishi Arashi no Jutsu _(Stone Storm Skill) - a jutsu that requires the user to release his chakra into the ground. The very same chakra pushes up small stones into the air, giving them a start rotation. That way, once above the surface, the stones starts circilng around the user, creating a stone barrier, which damages anyone who'd enter it.

_Ishi Tomurai no Jutsu _(Stone Funeral Skill) - a technique performed by releasing chakra into the ground. It's not that much different from the Stone Storm, the difference os that in this case the stone are pushed up from the surface in a form of spikes.

_Odori no Sendo _(Dance of Death) - a genjutsu technique used by the Murasakki clan. If perform correctly, it attacks all of the victims senses, giving him the feeling that they're slowly dying. After a longer while, if the victim won't be able to break the jutsu, his heart stops working due to the stress/

I believe that's that.

Take care and till the next update.


	13. Shadows from the past

**EDIT:** well, I wanted to do more, but I'm too tired, so ultimately I decided to just finish up Naruto's fight at the moment, just so that you could enjoy it in HD without any wait :D So, enjoy dammit :D

**Kai: **Yes my friends, it's me again! Because the others really sucked at interviewing our 'beloved' writter, I'm back in charge! And let me just tell you, that I'll squeeze every information from you!

**Shang: **Yeah, right. Just get to the reviewers questions, the readers are probably starting to get annoyed.

**Kai: **Okay! First question... what, no questions? Not even a flame? What the hell! All I have in my notes is that the readers can't wait to see Naruto-sensei fight!... And that the fight scene was 'awesome'.

**Shang: **Good, it means they still like the story.

**Kai: **And just why are you so happy? You're getting less reviews lately. You suck!

**Shang: **You know, if the story won't be popular, I'll just drop it... and that means your appearance will be over.

**Kai: **... Please read and review guys!

On to the story:

**Chapter #13: Shadows from the Past**

_**Title Page:**_ this wasn't supposed to be anything special, simply a grown-up Naruto eating (or sucking in this case) ramen

"You did good" announced Naruto, jumping down from the branch. "You managed to keep Deji-sama safe till my arrival. Take five. I'll handle things from here…"

"What happened?" asked Kai, slowly regaining consciousness. "Did I get him?"

"Not exactly" answered Takaru without looking at the young blond. "But it's not of a big importance now. Looks like Naruto-sensei will deal with him."

The other gennin looked in the direction the son of Tsunade was staring and saw his teacher and the swordsman standing in front of each other.

"I was actually hoping to get a chance to fight you" announced the stone-nin, grabbing his sword. "I have some business with you…"

"Really?" replied the blond jounin calmly. "And just what might that be?"

"Vengeance" came a response and with those words the masked man jumped right at the Kyuubi vessel, ready to cut off the whisker-marks' head with his weapon.

The leaf shinobi bended over and heard the sound of the air being cut right above his head. While his opponent's blade was still moving, he preformed the right seals and taking a deep breath, he called out: "Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu!"

With those words a powerful fireball came out of the blond's mouth, hitting the man death center. The smoke didn't even cleared itself, when Naruto felt something grabbing his feet from bellow. "_Figures_" he thought to himself, as he began to complete a new chain of hand seals.

The same time that the swordsman yelled 'Doton: Shinjuu Zanshuu no Jutsu!', Naruto cried out: "Doton: Kassha!". Instantly hundreds of tiny stones went into the air, lifting up tons of dust. When the air cleared, gennin and Deji saw the Kyuubi vessel blocking stone-nin's sword with his kunai.

"_Such jutsu speed…_" thought Kumiko, sweat still dripping from her face.

"What are you trying to do?" asked Naruto with a smirk on his face. "Catch me for the oldest trick in the world? I've expected better from a stone-nin…"

"Defeating you won't be as easy, as I thought" responded the swordsman simply. "Guess I should start being serious, but before that, mind telling me how in the world you've master an Uchiha technique?"

"Lets just say that the Uchiha prodigy is a good friend of mine" replied the blond jounin as both of them jumped back.

The Kyuubi vessel instantly performed his favorite hand seal and as he finished, eight Narutos took the place of one. After that, they started to surround the swordsman.

"What is that jutsu!" Kai asked amazed, his eyes wide.

"Kage Bunshin, eh?" stated the stone-nin, tilting his head slightly. "That sort of trick is good against the opponent of a lower level. To counter that, all I have to do is use Iwa Bunshin…"

"Do you really believe that I don't know that?" asked Naruto as all his copies held out their right hands. The swordsman felt chakra concentrating in their paws and looked as it took the form of a spinning, blue ball.

"Is that the famous Rasengan? I've heard that it can go through anything…"

"_Rasengan?_" thought Kusari, totally shocked. "_The ultimate, Konoha technique? I've heard that there were only three people in the Leaf's history, who mastered that jutsu. Naruto-sensei's that good?_"

"The rumors give this technique a little too much credit, I'm afraid" replied the blond jounin with a stoic face. "Though, against you, it should be enough" and with those words, all the clones charged at the stone-nin.

The swordsman preformed the right combination of seals and with the yell: "Doton: Ishi Banka!" his hands touched the ground. Instantly stone spikes raised around him, forming some sort of a bunker with extremely wide walls. When the Rasengans reached the walls, a huge cloud of dust went into the air and when the air cleared, everyone saw the stone bunker heavily damaged, but the stone-nin hiding inside it was definitely unharmed.

"Ishi Tomurai no Jutsu!" came a voice from behind the rocks.

Naruto instantly jumped into the air, but his replicas didn't had that good reflex. As they were stabbed by stone spikes, they all disappeared in the cloud of smoke and the stone-nin was already making a new chain of hand seals.

"Doton: Doryuudan no Jutsu!" and with the swordsman ending this phrase, the earth formed into a large dragon that charged right at Naruto. In less then a second the Kyuubi vessel preformed his own chain of hand seals and with the last symbol, he cried out: "Katon: Kasai Tori!"

Suddenly chakra that came out of his body has formed itself into a bird of flames which charged at the stone dragon at full speed. When both attacks clashed, nothing was left, neither the ancient lizard nor the phoenix.

"That technique…" said Naruto, narrowing his eyes as he landed on the ground. "I saw it before, only then the dragon was made out of water…"

"So there was no mistake" announced the stone-nin simply, confusing his adversary even further. "You really are Uzumaki Naruto. Then allow me to announce that you'll die here by my hand and thus you'll pay for what you did eighteen years ago!"

"Eighteen years ago?" whispered the blond jounin, rising his eyebrow. "You mean, you're…"

"My name's Momochi Kataki!" announced the stone-nin with fury sounding in his voice. "Your executor!"

"Zabuza's younger brother…" stated Naruto with understanding. "I've heard few things about you, when I was traveling with ero-sennin through the Mist Country. The one who betrayed the Kirigakure when his brother became a missing-nin. It was thought that you become a stone-nin, but it still surprises me that Tsuchikage allowed this."

"The whole situation was a little more complicated, but it's useless to speak about it here and now" replied Kataki matter-of-factly. "You're the one who killed my brother. I've train for eighteen, long years just for this moment. Tonight, you will die, Uzumaki Naruto!" and with those words he began performing another chain of hand seals.

"Doton: Iwa Sasori!" and with those words hundreds of stones, all shapes and sizes, began to concentrate right under Kataki, lifting him up in the air.

"_Wha… what is that jutsu?_" Ibuki looked with her eyes widen.

Naruto just stood there as more stones began to pass him and join 'the form' completing itself under Kataki's feet. The more rocks placed themselves, the easier it was to figure what they were creating: a gigantic scorpion.

"Impressive" announced Naruto with a nod, looking at the monster.

"Thank you" replied Kataki modestly. "I call him Dokumaru, as the sting on his tail really contains poison. There's no cure for it and even a trained medic-nin wouldn't be able to do much about it. Or, to put it simply: let the sting touch you and you die…"

"Well, I am amazed by the jutsu itself…" repeated the blond jounin. "But this is still just a pile of rocks. I'll make it go to pieces once more."

"Such confidence…" noticed the stone-nin. "Lets see if you have anything to back that up. Dokumaru, attack!"

Hearing that, the stone scorpion attacked Naruto with his tail from above. The Kyuubi vessel jumped back just in time as the venomous sting went deep into the ground where he was standing just a second ago.

Landing of his feet and propping himself with his left hand, Naruto saw gigantic claw coming right at him. Acting on instinct, he used his left hand to spring to his left, thus dodging the attack, but just barely.

While still in mid-air, he took out three kunai with his right hand and threw the directly at Kataki. But the stone-nin deflected all the knives with his sword without bigger problems. As the Leaf shinobi landed on his feet, he started to perform a quick chain of hand seals. Before the chain was finish, he was already surrounded with flames.

"Katon: Honoo Arashi!" and with those words, flames that were surrounding the blond jounin went straight at the swordsman in the form of a tsunami.

"Dokumaru, protect me!" with that order, the stone scorpion hid Kataki behind its claws.

As the wave of flames went through the stone giant, Dokumaru lowered his claw, thus revealing Kataki, who managed to survive the attack unharmed.

"To think that you'll be able to avoid even that…" said Naruto with a alight frown.

"That was a good attempt" replied the masked man. "Seems that playing around won't do me any good. I suggest you prepare yourself, Uzumaki Naruto, as with the next attack, I'll end your existence" and with saying so, he performed a quick set of hand seals. "Doton: Iwa Hando!"

Naruto jumped into the air and only thanks to that he was able to avoid a gigantic, stone hand that came at him from the ground. Once he found himself in mid-air, he saw Kataki's shuriken coming right at him.

"_Dammit_" he thought to himself, as he quickly executed the right hand seals.

"_Kawamiri, eh?_" figured the swordsman as he saw a wooden pale coming down to the ground with his shinobi stars in it. "Using something like that in a fight against me… I should take that as an insult…"

"Sorry if I insulted you then…" replied Naruto, who was standing right in front of him and the stone scorpion now. "I'll show you that I respect you as a ninja. Prepare yourself, Kataki, coz playtime's over" and with those words the blond jounin picked out two kunai…

_**-the battle enters another level!-**_

And the thirteen (some say unlucky) chapter ends here. Please give me your opinion about it.

And to finish things of, time for another jutsu encyklopedia:

_Doton: Doryuudan no Jutsu_ (Earth Element: Earth Dragon Blast Skill) - a technique very similar to Zabuza's Water Dragon. In order to perform this jutsu the user must send his chakra into the surface, thuscreating a large dragon shape formed from a large amount of stones. The dragon form is sent towards your opponent for a powerful attack.

_Doton: Kassha _(Earth Element: Blocade) - this jutsu was simply invented to black the effects of Inner Decapitation Skill (Shinjuu Zanshu no Jutsu). It's based on sending the right among of chakra into ones feet, does preventing the user from switching placed with the one who attemps to use the Decapitation Skill.

_Doton: Ishi Banka _(Earth Element: Stone Bunker) - a jutsu thanks to which the user prevents himself from receiving damage. It's usage is similar to the Stone Funeral (Ishi TOmurai no Jutsu), only this time the spikes surround the user, forming a barrier that is very hard to break.

_Katon: Kasai Tori _(Fire Element: Fire Bird) - jutsu used by Naruto. Normally it requires already burning flames to be performed, but Konoha's loudest shinobi invented a way to perform it even without the fire. In his case he simply releases chakra from his mouth in the form of flame (just like in the case of Grand Fireball Skill) and with the use of right hand seals he forms it into a phoenix, wich can be send at the opponent.

_Doton: Iwa Sasori _(Earth Element: Rock Scorpion) - a forbidden jutsu from the Hidden Stone. As usual, the user must send his chakra into the ground, but in this case it's also required to be send into the air. The among of chakra in the ground lifts up all sort of stones which then travel on the routes created by the chakra released into the air and form a gigantic scorpion. This technique requires a huge among of chakra to work (similar to the Summoning Skill).

_Katon: Honoo Arashi _(Fire Element: Flame Storm) - jutsu invented by Naruto. In this case chakra is released by the users feet and starts circling around the user. Then, with the use of the correct seals, the user forms the flames into a huge tidal wave which can wipe out a small army! This technique requires a lot of chakra to work though.

_Doton: Iwa Hando _(Earth Element: Rock Hand) - one of a primary jutsu's of stone-nins. The user must send his chakra into the ground and then, after performing the right seals, the chakra pushes up the stones in a form of a gigantic hand.

And now some of the techniques that were already presented in the original 'Naruto'. The descriptions are taken from (with a little add-ons from me):

_Doton: Shinjuu Zanshu no Jutsu _(Earth Element: Inner Decapitation Skill) - the user hides beneath the ground, and reaches up to grab their opponent. The opponent is then pulled under the ground, up to their chin.

_Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu _(Grand Fireball Skill) - uses a high amount of chakra, which allows the user to breath out a large portion of flame. It's one of the Uchiha clan primary techniques.

And I think that's that for this time. I'll try to upload the next chapter soon.

Take care.

**SPECIAL NOTE: **Almost forgot: to those who will be intrested in that other, 'Naruto' fanfic, I'll just would like to announced that the first chapter should appear soon after the release of the 14th chapter. More details next time.


	14. Clash of Titans

**EDIT:** Sorry but this is the last edit of the week. For more you'll probably have to wait for the next update of NNG. Hope you're enjoying the ride so far.

**Kai: **And we're back!

**Shang: **You again? I thought you guys take turns in this...

**Kai: **Who are you trying to fool here? Everyone knows that I'm the star of the show, so it's only fair I do this. Those times when I allowed them to do the interview... you know, didn't want them to be depressed that they don't play an important part in the story... even though they really don't.

**Shang: **Okay, so what do reviewers want to know this time?

**Kai: **Bah, still it's just that 'great chapter' stuff. No wait, one of them actually wants to know when we'll get to see Sasuke...

**Shang: **I didn't promised that you'll find out what happened to the whole 'Naruto' original crew and I won't go back on my word (I'm not a ninja, so I'll skip the rest of the Naruto phrase...).

**Kai: **Why do we even do this, since every time you don't really answer the questions, dammit!

**Shang: **I just don't want to spoil anything. At any rate, lets get to the story. Please leave a review when you finish reading and tell me what you think.

**IMPORTANT NOTE: **This is just a favor I'd like to ask you. It came to my attention that, for some reason, reviewing the previous chapter was impossible. Well, it seems that it's fixed now (if you want you can leave a review for the 13th chappie), but in case that problem will appear with this chapter (or any other) please let me know in some way. Thank you.

The information about my other, 'Naruto' fic will be displayed at the end of the chapter. Now on to the story:

**Chapter #14: Clash of Titans**

_**Title Page:**_ this one would present a grown-up Naruto standing above the graves of Haku and Zabuza

"Prepare yourself, Kataki" advised Naruto, picking out two kunai. "Playtime's over!"

With those words, the blond jounin jumped high into the air and threw one of the knives at the stone-nin. The swordsman easily deflected it with his weapon and only then noticed that the Leaf shinobi cut his finger with the other knife, starting a chain of hand seals: "Kuchiyose no Jutsu" yelled the Kyuubi vessel. "Come forward… Gamabunta!"

In an instant the whisker-marks was covered with the cloud of white smoke. Soon after a giant frog with red skin, a tobacco-pipe in its mouth and a sword appeared before Kataki's eyes. The toad was falling straight at him from the smokescreen.

"_This is bad_" though the stone-nin as he began to perform the right seals.

The ground trembled as the frog landed right on Dokumaru, smashing him into pieces. The gennin and Deji looked completely amazed at the sight of a gigantic toad and Naruto standing right on top of its head.

"What… what the hell is that?" asked Kai, pointing at the amphibian.

"How should I know, you pinhead?" Takaru shoot back when the blond gazed at him.

"It… it's a frog, right?" Kai was still amazed.

"Well, no matter how'd you look at it, it's not a rat" replied Kumiko matter-of-factly.

"Dammit, why was I summoned again?" asked the toad annoyed. "Naruto, you blockhead, can't you survive even few seconds without my help?"

The blond jounin's eye twitched at hearing that: "Would you shut up already, you damn excuse for a lizard? I'm not a brat anymore! Start respecting me or you're shoe material!" and with those words he started to kick the frog's head.

"Why you, little…" responded Gamabunta, his face twisted with anger.

Suddenly Naruto felt chakra release and soon after both him and the toad heard Kataki's voice: "Ishi Tomurai no Jutsu!"

"Gama, jump up!" yelled the Kyuubi vessel with a note of panic.

The frog listen to his command immediately, but it was still a bit too late as few of the stone spikes that came from under the ground were able to would the red-skin amphibian.

"Hey big guy, you okay?" the whisker-marks asked with concern in his voice.

"I'll live" replied the toad shortly. "But looks like that this time you're on your own, kid" and with those words he disappeared in a cloud of white smoke.

"_That Kataki guy…_" thought Deji, shivering from fear. "_He was able to survive such an attack. Moreover, he was able to defeat that gigantic toad like it was nothing. He's a monster!_"

As the smoke cleared, Naruto saw shuriken and kunai heading right at him. Acting on his instinct again, he began to release chakra that surrounded him. Before everyone's eyes both the knives and shinobi stars stopped at that chakra sphere. Right after that, the blond jounin started to spin around and the weapons thrown by Kataki were blasted away.

The Leaf shinobi landed on the ground and raised his head. It was only then that he noticed the change in Kataki's look. He was completely covered in stones. They were his armor: "I see" announced the Kyuubi vessel. "So that's how you survived Gama's landing on you. It is surprising that this armor of yours didn't went to pieces as well…"

"Ishi Yoroi is Iwa shinobi absolute defense" stated Kataki simply. "Just like Konoha has its Kaiten. But as far as I know, it's a technique of the Hyuuga…"

"True" replied Naruto with a nod. "But I know the Hyuuga rather well also… besides, I've mastered the technique on my own. What's more surprising is that you know so much about Konoha clans…"

"What do you mean?" asked the stone-nin, rising his eyebrow; not that his opponent could tell through the armor. "Uchiha and Hyuuga are two of the most famous clans in the whole shinobi world. Both of them are well-known. It's the same as the Kihako clan from the Tsukigakure…"

"Or Momochi clan from the Hidden Mist?" finished the blond jounin with a smirk. "After all, the killing skills of your clan are as well-known as Konoha's Tanken clan. But as far as I know, you and Zabuza were the last of your family…"

"It's good to be famous" said Kataki with a smile under his armor. "Though Momochi is no longer a Kiri clan. At any rate, chit-chat's over. Lets finish this…"

"Since you've asked so politely" responded the Kyuubi vessel and began to form another Rasengan in his right hand.

"Rasengan again?" noticed the stone-nin with a bored tone. "That thing wasn't even able to destroy my Ishi Banka and the stone armor is way more resistant, since it's supported by my own chakra."

"It'll break" replied the whisker-marks calmly, as another Rasengan began to form in his left hand. Now the Leaf shinobi held two, destructive spheres. "You'd better be ready, coz this is the end" and with that Naruto charged straight at Kataki.

"_Fool_" thought the swordsman as he began to perform the right seals. As soon as he finished, the blonde's hands smashed into his armor. The stone-nin reacted immediately; he grabbed the Leaf ninja's left hand and called out: "Ishi Tomurai no Jutsu!"

Before anyone noticed what was going on, Naruto's body was pierced by a large, stone spike that came out of the ground.

"Naruto-sensei!" called out Kumiko, observing the whole thing from a tree branch.

"_This guy…_" thought Ibuki with sweat appearing on her face as she stared at the stone-nin. "_Now he'll kill us all!_"

Blood came out of the Kyuubi vessel's mouth as Kataki's stone armor went into pieces, revealing two, deep wounds on his torso. Those were the spots where the whisker-marks attacked his armor with Rasengan.

"Seems that this Rasengan of yours really earned its reputation" announced the swordsman calmly. "It actually broke my stone armor and was able to cause serious damage to my body. But still, with that spike in your own, you'll die soon enough. My brother's death has been avenged…"

"Sorry to disappoint you…" replied Naruto, coughing out more blood from his mouth. "But I plan to live a few, more years" and with those words his body disappeared in the cloud of white smoke.

"What the… ? Another Kage Bushin? But when… ?"

"When Gamabunta had to leave the battle" came a voice from the stone-nin's back. Kataki looked around to see the blond jounin standing right in front of him. "When Gama took his leave, I used the cloud of smoke that he created to make one shadow clone, knowing that you won't be able to see me doing this. Right after that I used my clone's back to jump even higher into the air, so you wouldn't spot the real body. I actually noticed that you used the Ishi Yoroi and I knew that a single Rasengan wouldn't be able to break it. I could always create two Rasengan, but with my both hands occupied, I'd become an easy target. That's the reason I used the clone to destroy that armor of yours."

"I got careless…" announced Kataki, his eye twitching as the pain finally caught up. "Dammit."

"You know…" began Naruto after a short moment of silence. "Your brother didn't die by my hand…" at this the swordsman stared at him a little confused. "He died by his own choice" finished the Kyuubi vessel. "Me and my cell were on a mission to protect the bridge builder Tazuna. Apparently, Zabuza's assignment was to kill him, thus we became enemies. During our final encounter, Haku sacrificed his life to protect your brother. Right after Haku's death, Zabuza's boss appeared with the intention to betray him. Gatou, coz that was his name, started to disgrace Haku's body and then Zabuza made a decision. With his hands numb, he grabbed my kunai with his teeth and came at Gatou. He died not because of my actions. He died for the sake of his friend. At the end of his life, he understood what's the real strength of a shinobi…"

Kataki propped himself on his sword, what allowed him to stand on his feet. He looked at the blond jounin straight in the eyes, but didn't said anything.

"Uzumaki Naruto…" finally the stone-nin broke the silence. "I'll remember what happened here tonight. And I promise you this: we'll meet again" and with saying so he performed a quick set of hand seals. When the chain came to and end, he called out: "Doton: Chika Suidou!" and before everyone's eyes he just disappeared underground.

"Naruto-sensei!" yelled Kai, jumping down from the tree. "Why are you just standing there? Go after him or he'll get away!"

"No point in that" replied the whisker-marks. "Chika Suidou is a technique which allows shinobi to travel underground. Right now he could be miles away from here. Besides, those two Rasengan caused a serious damage to him. He'll have to recover at least for a month. By that time Deji-sama will get married and he'll have no point in going after her life. Currently, he presents no danger to us…"

"Yeah, besides it's not said that he was the only one who's after Deji-sama" noticed Kusari with surprising perception, to which Kumiko gaze with a slight amazement.

"Exactly" nodded Naruto towards the chain master. "As for now, I suggest we head back to the hotel and get some sleep. First thing in the morning we'll leave for the country capitol…"

And so the Kyuubi vessel, along with his subordinates and the Stone princess, headed back to the village.

-Some time later, a bit further-

"So, Kataki failed" stated a shadow's voice without any trace of emotion. "Why in the world did you agree to let him go alone, Kouba?"

"That's of no importance" replied another voice, before the one who was asked was able to answer. "The important thing is what are we going to do now?"

"Kill that bitchy princess, of course" announced the female voice, cutting in.

"Calm yourself, Fugou" asked the owner of the first voice. "It is obvious that the Stone princess will die, but this whole Uzumaki is stronger then we thought. We should prepare…"

"We don't have that much time, Karuto" reminded the forth voice, one called Kouba. "I suggest we set of to the Stone capitol. Once there, we'll think of a strategy…"

"It's settled then" announced the owner of the second voice, the only one not named yet. "Only this time, the princess will die… along with those shinobi brats."

_**-the battle is won… but danger still awaits!-**_

And this is it for this time. Hope there won't be any trouble with reviewing. Please give me your opinion.

Now for the usual jutsu encyklopedia:

_Ishi Yoroi no Jutsu _(Stone Armor Skill)_ - _one of the most powerful ninjutsu techniques from Iwa Gakure. As usual in case of earth-based jutsu, the user must send his chakra to the ground and the air. That chakra pushes up hundreds of small stones into the air. Then the stones travel by the routes that the chakra in the air created. All the stones then attach themselves to the user thanks to the chakra they were provided with underground and in the air. Thank to that the shinobi gains an extremely resistant armor, which is hard to get through.

_Kuchiyose no Jutsu _(Summoning Skill) - used by many shinobi in the original series (mostly the legendary sannin). Using a contract, seal, and the users blood, allows the user to summon an animal. The type of the animal is determined by the contract used, and the blood is the 'signature'(Which can be on a scroll, tattoo, etc). In most cases one shinobi can sign only one contract. Bellow I place a list of the shinobi that use this jutsu and the animals they summon (in time more contracts will appear):

**Frogs** - Jiraiya, Naruto Uzumaki

**Snakes** - Orochimaru

**Slugs **- Tsunade

**Dogs **- Kakashi Hatake

**Weasels **- Temari (it's those weasels with reaping hooks, in case you got confused)

_Hakke Shou Kaiten _(Heavenly Spin) - a technique invented by the Hyuuga clan. Another one of the 'perfect defense' jutsu types. At the exact moment a blow is landed on the body, large amounts of Chakra are expelled from the Chakra Holes around the body. With that force, the users body spins like a top. The combined efforts of the Chakra and the spin, first deflect the attack - then throw the opponent backwards. The only weak point of this technique is the fact that it works mostly on physical attacks, against ninjutsu techniques it rather useless.

**SPECIAL NOTE: **Okay, so here's the promised data about my other fic. The first chapter should appear in around two days after this chapter will be published on FFnet. This time the original, 'Naruto' crew will play a much bigger part in it (they'll be the stars, actually). That will be an action/adventure story as well, with humor, romance and drama. Not sure about the title yet though, sorry. Also, because I'm starting another fic, the release of the 15th chapter can be a bit delayed (I'll still try to submit it in a week's time, just not sure if I'll manage).

And that's that for this time.

Hope to see you again soon.


	15. The Wedding Planner

**Kai: **Well, whadda you know, here we are... again. I know I'm in no position to complain, but why doesn't the other do those interviews anymore?

**Shang: **Hey, you're the one who wanted this job. Now shut up and tell me what the readers want to know.

**Kai: **Okay, okay... dumbass... First of mrasdfghj wants to know will Naruto-sensei release his Kyuubi power... Kyuubi power? Hey, that's awesome, does Naruto-sensei really have that?

**Shang: **Well, to answer the question in a no spoiling way: the Kyuubi is still sealed in Naruto, I can tell you that. But it has also been around 15 years after the events shown in the manga and few things about Kyuubi-Naruto... lets call it 'relationship'... changed. But Konoha's loudest ninja still have access to that power. Oh, and by the way, you wrote 'hope Naruto is stronger then this'... you mean you don't see him as strong now? Kataki was a jounin after all and a skilled one, for that matter.

**Kai: **Blah, blah, blah... MOVING ON! Many people liked the Gamabunta part... it's not like I know who that is, but just figure you'd like to know.

**Shang: **Thanks, I really wanted that scene to look good. Plus I wanted to prove that Naruto haven't fogotten about his old jutsus.

**Kai: **Don't get so excited. Some Frankie fellow wants to know whatever happened to the chapter covers thing?

**Shang: **I'll answer that in a simpliest way that I can... oooops. Sorry, I just forgot about those...

**Kai: **...

**Shang: **What, I'm only human!

**Kai: **Lets just get started...

**INFORMATION NOTE: **To those who were interested in my other story but still didn't read it: the titel is 'Shinobi Showdown' and the first chapter is already up (the second one should be released soon as well). Just wanted to let you know.

**Chapter #15: The Wedding Planner**

**_Chapter Cover: _**Kusari is 'reading'one of the Icha Icha books, with a pervert looks on his face and Kumiko is standing right behind him with bloodlust in her eyes.**  
**

The Rock Country capitol was surrounded by a wide wall high for at least fifteen meters. On top of it archery ranges could be easily spotted. The town was well-prepared for any assault.

The road lead them to a large gate made out of wood with a golden symbol of the Rock Country in the middle of it. The wings of the gate seemed to be extremely heavy. It was obvious that no human being would be able to move even one of those wings alone.

Hundreds of people were going through the gate every minute, so Naruto was a little surprised that the entrance to the city was guarded only by few soldiers. An experienced jounin should have much trouble getting in.

As soon as the guards spotted Deji, few of them ran right towards her, asking to go with them to the palace. They threw the leaf shinobies suspicious looks, but none of them said anything.

Naruto and his subordinates followed Deji and the guards through the city streets. After a long walk they finally reached the royal palace.

The building was huge, especially compared to the houses around him. Judging by its size, Kai could sworn that it's almost as big as the whole Konoha itself (_A/N: of course he over did it a little_). On each corner there were high towers that vanished in the clouds. The walls were made out of white brick and were decorated with many drawings, on which golden paint was used.

As they passed the gate, they've entered a huge garden with lots of trees and hundreds or maybe even thousands of flowers. Most of them Naruto could even recognize. In the center of it there was a large pond with a fountain. The fountain itself was decorated with a statue of a young women with butterfly wings, holding a vase from which the water was falling into the pond.

Kumiko gave Kusari a smack on the head, when she noticed the pervert look in his eyes as he stared at the statue. '_Blockhead_' she though to herself.

'Wow, this garden is almost as big as the whole Konoha' announced Kai, looking around.

'Didn't you just said the exact same thing about the palace when we were outside?' asked Ibuki with a little sweat drop on her face.

'Lady Deji' said one of the soldiers, not paying any attention to the shinobies chatter. 'Your father is expecting you.'

Deji just nodded and turned to her protectors, saying: 'Please, come with me. We shouldn't make my father wait' and thus she headed straight to one of the doors.

'_Since when she's so nice?_' Naruto thought to himself, as he observed the Stone princess.

The leaf-nins fallowed her through the palace halls, which were filled with paintings, expensive furniture and colorful carpets made from many, different materials.

Finally they entered a wide room with small statues under the walls, large windows, a long, red carpet and a big, golden throne at the end of it.

There, on the throne, sat a fat man with medium-length grey bread, dressed in a blue, fancy toga. Right next to him stood a much younger man (_A/N: in the age of Deji_) with long, black hair and blue eyes. He was dressed in a white, also fancy, shirt and aristocratic-like black pants. Naruto instantly spotted a saber attached to his belt.

'Lady Deji, you finally came' said the young man with a smile as he approached the Stone princess. 'I was worried about you…'

'And just in what aspects is that weirdo better then me, that Deji-sama chooses him?' Kusari whisper to Ibuki, pointing at Recca.

'So many answers…' replied the young assassin. 'I don't know where to begin with.'

'Takashi-sama…' began Naruto, bowing before the fat man. 'We've came here also to give you the letter from Hokage-sama' and with this words he picked out the scroll and presented it to the Stone Country lord.

Grey beard took the scroll from the blonde jounin's hand and opened it. He slowly read the note and then spoken to the leaf shinobi:

'Thank Kakashi for the letter…' he began. 'I would also have a favor to ask you. Since you risked your life to protect my daughter I'd be honored if you and your subordinates would decide to stay here until the wedding day. Of course, you can expect royal bedrooms during your stay.'

Naruto looked at his students. Takaru and Ibuki didn't seem to care at all, but Kumiko, Kai and Kusari were delighted about the thought of living like royalty, even for few days. With a sigh, the blonde jounin turned to the Stone Country lord:

'We gladly accept your offer, Takashi-sama' he announced. '_Besides, those guys deserve some reward for what they did last night against that stone-nin._'

'Splendid!' responded Takashi. 'Now, if you excuse me, I have to make all the arrangements for the coming, big day' and with those words he stood up and left the room.

'Well, for the time being, it seems that Deji-sama will be well-guarded, so you guys can take the rest of the day off' announced Naruto to his students and with that he disappeared.

'Okay, so we're free to do what ever we want…' repeated Kusari, with a grin on his face. '… who wants to check the hot springs with me?'

Before he knew it, Kumiko landed a powerful blow on his face, which send him flying to the other end of the room.

'Who dumb can you be?' she whispered under her nose and turned to Ibuki. 'Hey, wanna go shopping? Since this is the capitol, they should have few, interesting things to buy around here, right?'

'What ever' replied the young assassin as she fallowed her teammate.

'I guess I'll see you guys later as well' announced Takaru, walking away to his room.

Kusari stood back on his feet and watched as Tsunade's son leaving them.

'So, how about those hot springs?' he asked his blonde teammate with a pervert smile on his face. 'I know you want to.'

'Maybe later' replied Kai. 'I have business I must take care of…' and with that he turned to the door through which they all entered the hall.

'What?' yelled the chain master after his friend. 'I have a bad breath or something!'

* * *

It was already dark when Kusari was going back to his room from the hot springs. He was supposed to share the room with Kai (_A/N: Naruto had one room with Takaru and the girls were sleeping together... I meant shared the room as well_), but when he opened the door, the blonde gennin was nowhere in sight. 

'Where the hell did he went to?' Kusari asked himself as he decided to look for his teammate.

After a longer while, he was able to locate the blonde gennin in the garden, practicing hand seals. As he finished, the chain master felt chakra release and with Kai's yell 'Haaaaa'… nothing happened.

'What are you doing?' he finally asked his teammate.

Kai looked around and when he saw Kusari, he replied:

'Training. That fight with that Kataki guy has proven something to me.'

'And what's that?'

'That from our team number seven… I'm the only one, who doesn't have any special abilities. I am the weakest one in our cell.'

'What the hell are you talking about? You're…'

'Could you, please, stop comforting me!' yelled Kai with desperation in his voice. 'I am the weakest link in our team… no point in cheating myself… even Takaru is way stronger then me…'

Kusari wanted to say something, but he decided to keep his mouth shut this time.

'That's why I need to train' continued Kai after a short silence. 'I need to become stronger! I won't own Takaru anything ever again! I will beat my own name!'

The chain master lower his head and put a smile on his face.

'Okay then…' he said, breaking the silence. 'But you'll need a break. And I know just the thing. After all, with that wedding coming, this needs to be done!'

'What do you mean?'

'We'll throw…' Kusari made a dramatic pause and after that, he announced: '… a Bachelor Party!'

* * *

And that concludes this chapter. Hope you liked it. Please leave a review with your opinion. 

And, to show you my gratitude for reading this story (I've reached 100 reviews!), I figure I could share some of the information about how this story was made. It isn't anything important for the story, but those who are interested, are welcome to read it:**  
**

**BONUS INFORMATION:**

**Did you know, that…** at the beginning, team number seven was extremely different from the one you know in this story? To start off, it was supposed to be a typical, three-man team. The members back then were: Kai (he haven't changed a bit from what I've imagined him to be), Kusari and Kumiko (yes, all the names started with a 'k'). Even though Kusari from the very beginning was suppose to use a chain, he was also the one I've pictured as Tsunade's son. More over, he wasn't such a pervert back then. Kumiko, even though she didn't changed much in looks, is way different from her first design. Back then she was supposed to be a weakling with no nin- or taijutsu skills and genjutsu bellow average as well… she didn't even had a strategic mind… a complete 'Sakura wannabe'…

It all changed as I started to plan out later parts of the story. I came to a conclusion that the chain user and Tsunade's son should NOT be the same person… but all the spots in the team has been occupied. It's then when I came with an idea of five-man team. Kusari wasn't the Godaime's son anymore and Takaru was born… though back then he wasn't named Takaru and his background was far different from the one he has now… also the scar on his face didn't exist back then.

The biggest problem was the other female in the team… first I've pictured her to be something like Hinata, but I didn't really like the idea (even though I like Hinata myself). Then it hit me that both girls from the team are rather weak… and the thing in the original 'Naruto' that I didn't like was the fact that female shinobies aren't that strong, especially compared to the guys (Tsunade and Temari are exceptions). That's the reason I've decided to changed Kumiko into a smart-ass you know now.

But the Hinata-like girl still presented a problem… I wanted her to be more original… then I kinda just had the idea that since in the real world shinobies are assassins, why not make a clan of assassins in Konoha. And the fact that the assassins would use typical weapons, in stead of ninjutsu or taijutsu was really of my likings. After a while Ibuki character was made, along with her clan specifics. Thus team seven was created.

I have to admit that the idea of five-man team has proven to be problematic later on (when more gennin teams will appear), as I had to create more characters, but I've grown to like the five brats that are Naruto's subordinates. And I hope you like them too.

Also, in order to make it up to those who liked the chapter covers idea, the covers of the chappies I forgot to describe:

**_Chapter #13: _**This wasn't supposed to be anything special, simply a grown-up Nauto eating (or sucking in this case) ramen

**_Chapter #14: _**This one would present a grown-up Naruto standing above the graves of Haku and Zabuza

And now this is seriously the end of this chappie. Please leave a review on what you think about it (what you like, what could've been done better).

Best wishes and hope to see you later.


	16. A Bachelor Party

**Kai:** It's me again! You may all now cheer and...

**Shang:** You know, now that I think about, you're pretty annoying... maybe I should get some different for this job?

**Kai:** No, you can't! I have that in my contract! I can interview you every chapter! Buahahahaha!

**Shang:** What the hell? Even story characters have their rights now? What happened to this world?... Well, lets just get this over with...

**Kai:** Yeah, well, I'm not doing this because I like you either! But once more only 'congratulations'... can't you people suck him up with ANY flames, dammit? Though it seems that some readers are disappointed that this 'Hinata wannabe' (whoever Hinata is) isn't on our team instead of Ibuki. I can't blame them really, Ibuki is kinda...

**Ibuki:** Kinda what...?

**Kai:** Holy cow! How the hell did you get here?

**Ibuki:** I asked you first about something. 'Ibuki is kinda...' WHAT?

**Kai:** Well... ummm... a little help here, big guy?

**Shang:** Hey, it's your problem. I don't care. At any rate, On with the show. Please leave a review when you finish.

**Chapter #16: Bachelor Party**

**_Chapter Cover:_** This one would simply represent Kai who standing in the middle, propped by two, large scrolls.**  
**

'Bachelor party?' Takaru looked at his teammates.

'Yeah, you know…' replied Kusari with sparkles in his eyes. 'Big wedding coming up and the hero of the day won't celebrate the last day of freedom. We need to change that! It's our duty as males!'

'You guys are aware of the fact that we're underage?' asked the son of Tsunade. 'Besides, you have no experience for throwing such a party.'

'Come on' Kai tried to convince his rival. 'It'll be fun.'

'Fine' sighed scar face after a short silance. 'At least I'll be able to cross it of from my 'Stupidest things I've done' list.'

'It's decided then' announced Kusari with a pervert smile.

* * *

The morning came and Leaf shinobies gathered around the table with Stone Country lord and the future bride. After a little while, the Tree prince joined them. 

Both Kusari and Kai ate their breakfast at an incredible speed, which made Ibuki a little suspicious. She looked at her teammates with the feeling that they'll puke any second now.

Kumiko noticed that as well, but didn't care.

'_If those two are up to something…_' she thought to herself. '_… it can't be anything good. Best just not get involved._'

Naruto observed his subordinates also, giving asking glares to both Kai and Kusari, but didn't received any form of an answer. He decided to turn to Takaru, but the son of Tsunade ignored the stare.

After breakfast, the three gennins headed to the city. A lot of preparations needed to be done and the wedding day was tomorrow, so they had to be ready tonight.

They ran around the stores, buying what they need for the Bachelor party, not noticing Ibuki fallowing them.

After a longer shopping, the boys had everything prepared for the big night. Judging from what they bought, Ibuki figured out what they were up too.

'_How stupid can they get?_' she thought to herself, as she headed back to the palace.

* * *

'Did you send for me, Takashi-sama?' asked Naruto, bowing before the Stone Country lord. 

'Indeed I have' replied the ruler. 'Naruto-kun, I'd like to tell you the true reason why I've invited you and your team to stay in the palace till the wedding day. I think you guessed it yourself already though.'

'I believe I did' nodded the blonde jounin. 'You're still afraid they'll come after your daughter, aren't you Takashi-sama?'

'When the wedding will be done, they'll have no point in attacking her…' announced the Stone king. 'But until then, her life is in danger. I'm afraid that my guards won't be able to defeat shinobies if it'd be required.'

'There's no guarantee I'll be able to do that either' replied Naruto. 'Do not forget that my subordinates are still only gennins. There are talented, but assassination missions are usually given to jounins. At their current level, chances that they could defeat a jounin, even working together, are rather low.'

'I am aware of that. But still your presence gives my daughter better chances of survival. Will you guard her until she marries Recca-san? I know it wasn't part of your mission to do that, but… I'm willing to pay you as much as you'd ask.'

'Payment is of no importance here' replied the blonde jounin. 'Takashi-sama, your daughter will have our protection. But do not expect that that solves the problem. It ain't over till it's over… that's what the Third Hokage used to say. Keep that in mind and do remember to place the guards on city walls tonight' and with those words Naruto left the audience room.

* * *

'Okay, I believe we've got everything we need' announced Kusari, looking at the list. 'All that's left to do is invite the prince to his party' and with that he looked at his teammates. 

'Don't look at me' replied Takaru. 'I've already done enough stupidity for one day.'

'It was your idea after all, Kusari' added Kai.

'Fine, but I'm gonna remember that' said the chain master, leaving the room.

* * *

'They what?' Kumiko couldn't believe her ears. 

'They'll throw a bachelor party for Recca-sama' repeated Ibuki, still practicing her shuriken throwing. 'At least that's my guess from the observation.'

'I can't believe those guys' announced Kumiko. 'Come on, we gotta move.'

'What do you mean?' asked the young assassin, looking suspiciously at her teammate.

'The guys are throwing a bachelor party for the prince. We can't stay behind. We'll throw a bachelor party for Deji-sama!'

'You're nuts' replied Ibuki and got back to her training.

* * *

'Recca-sama!' yelled Kusari, knocking on the young prince room door. 'I need to speak to you in an important matter!' 

After a few moments the prince opened the door and with a little annoyed look asked:

'So what do you want to talk about… Kusari-kun, right?'

'Yes' replied the chain master and went straight to the point. 'You see, tomorrow's your wedding day so me and rest of the guys thought that…'

Suddenly his speech was interrupted by a woman's voice, coming from the room:

'Recca-sama, hurry up!' the voice belong to Deji.

'Ummm…' was all that Kusari could say, getting a bit red on the face. 'Never mind' and with that he left the confused prince, who soon after closed the door to his room.

'So?' asked Kai, who was waiting for him with Takaru in their room. 'How did it go?'

'He's not coming' replied the chain master. 'Seems that he decided to throw a bachelor party of his own.'

'So, what do we do now?' Takaru looked at his teammates.

'Well, we already bought the food and stuff, it'd be a shame if they'd go to waste' announced Kusari. 'Lets invite Kumiko-chan and Ibuki and party!'

'_Somehow I'm not surprised the way this whole thing ended_' sighed Takaru, as Kai went to look for their female teammates.

* * *

Meanwhile, four shadows arrived at the city gates, jumping from one tree top to another. 

'So this is the Stone Country capitol?' asked the one called Karuto. 'To be honest, I was expecting something more… spectacular.'

'You know what they say…' replied the one with the name Kouba. '… the bigger the expectations, the greater the disappointment.'

'Could you guys cheer up a bit?' asked the female voice of Fugou. 'We came here to celebrate the prince and princess wedding. It'll be fun. I love wedding.'

'Enough chit-chat' ordered the fourth shadow, whose name has yet to be revealed. 'We've got a job to do' and with those words the four shadows disappeared in the darkness.

And so night falls above the Stone Country capitol, leaving everyone waiting for the morning of the wedding day.

* * *

Well that's it for now. Hope you had a few laughs while reading this chappie, coz that was the main point of it. Please leave a review with your opinion. 

Also, sorry for running a bit late with this one, I have been busy lately. And to all 'Shinobi Showdown' fans: the third chapter of that story should be up in around two days, but sorry if I won't manage that.

Once more no jutsus were used, but I have an idea of how to give you guys a bit of an entertainment. Here's a special treat to all N:NG fans:

**Character Profile:**

_Name:_ Murasakki, Kumiko

_Age:_ currently 12 years old

_Birth Date:_ 14th of February

_Bloodtype:_ A

_Height:_ 148,2 cm

_Weight:_ 36,1 kg

_Village:_ Konoha (Hidden Leaf)... but you all know that by now

_Current rank:_ gennin

_Sensei's:_ Umino Iruka, Uzumaki Naruto

_Teammates:_ Tanken Ibuki, Haisha Kai, Hagane Kusari and Gekido Takaru

_Bloodline Limits:_ there is no exact information about it, but the Murasakki clan is thought to be a gemjutsu users one

_Techniques (used so far):_ Bushin no Jutsu, Henge no Jutsu, Odori no Sendo

And I think that covers the basic information about 'our' pretty, little Kumiko. Hope you liked it and if you did, let me know and I'll give you the files of all the characters that will appear in the story (meaning that only after they'll make their appearance).

And now, this is it for this time. Please leave a review.

Take care and may the Rasengan be with you!


	17. The Big Day

**Kusari:** Yeoh.

**Shang:** Huh? What ever happened to Kai?

**Kusari:** Lets just say he wasn't able to come due to... some technical problems.

**Shang:** Ibuki kicked his ass badly, didn't she?

**Kusari:** Yeah. What a view... what a girl...

**Shang:** Emm... didn't you had a crush on Kumiko?

**Kusari:** Oh yeah, she's great as well... Oh, the reviews... lets see... okay, so Kakashiclone1120 writes... hey, who are you calling idiot!

**Shang:** I guess he meant you guys...

**Kusari:** Oh yeah? Well... you're... emm... ummm... eh... nevermind.

**Shang (sweatdropping):** Are there other reviews?

**Kusari:** Few, but still it's just congrats and stuff. But, since that's over, how about telling me about this Hinata person which you mentioned earier? Is she hot? Huh, huh, huh?

**Shang:** Ummm... eee... can we start already?

**Chapter #17: The Big Day**

**_Chapter Cover:_** Kumiko walking forwards in wedding dress and a bit further behind Ibuki as bridesmaid (of course Kumiko carries a bouqeut of flowers)**  
**

The next morning Naruto woke up in his room welcomed by the rising sun. He walked to the window and observed the town. Even though the hour was early, many citizens of the Stone Country capitol already walked through their city streets.

'_The day starts here pretty early_' thought Naruto with a smile under his nose.

---------

As he walked through the halls of the royal palace, he met Deji, who was returning to her room from the shower (_A/N: Naruto guessed that from the fact that she was covered with blankets_). He bowed a little, but he didn't expect to see the Stone princess doing the same:

'Good morning, Naruto-san' she said, rising her head. 'Could you, please, give me a minute of your time? There's something that I need to speak to you about.'

'Of course, Deji-sama' replied the blonde jounin, as he looked at her face.

'Well, you see…' started Deji, lowering her sight a bit. 'I… never really… thanked you and your students for saving my life back then in the forest… I hope you'll accept my gratitude now' and with those words she bowed the second time.

Naruto just stood there a bit stunted. You could easily see that he didn't expect anything like that.

'It's fine, Deji-sama' he finally replied. 'After all, that is what we were hired for…'

'Yes, but that doesn't change the fact that you saved me. I'm really grateful. Please give my thanks to your students as well… especially that blonde one.'

'I'll do that' assured Naruto, as Deji bowed and walked away.

'_Well, this was new_' he thought to himself, as he continued to walk in his own direction. '_Just what exactly happened during that night we fought Kataki?_'

----------

'Read it and r.i.p.' said Kai, exposing his cards. He had three queens.

'Not bad' replied Kusari. 'But not good enough. Three kings.'

'I have a full house' announce Kumiko, exposing two queens and three nines.

Ibuki just threw her cards on the table, which shown she gathered four sixes.

'How come she always wins!' yelled Kai, pointing at his teammate. 'She doesn't even care whether she wins or not! This world is unfair!'

'Oh, you guys are up already?' asked Naruto, walking into the room where all his students were supposed to be. 'Where's Takaru?'

'He said he was going to take a walk' answered Ibuki. 'It looked like he didn't cared much about the wedding'

'I see. Well, I just came here to tell you guys that I want to see you all at that wedding today' the blonde jounin said, letting out a small sigh. 'I hope you'll pack all your shinobi tools, especially since today is the last day of our mission. It'd be a shame to fail it today… Also, Deji-sama says 'thank you' for saving her two nights back.'

'Eh?' Kumiko's eyes widen. 'Are you sure Deji-sama said that? I mean, are you sure you weren't hallucinating, Naruto-sensei?'

Kai just smiled under his nose.

'I think that's that' announced Naruto, heading to the door. 'See you guys on the ceremony.'

----------

Takaru was wondering around the city without any destination really. Every once in a while he stopped to look at some things to buy but didn't bought anything.

Finally he stopped before a jewelry shop and got interested in a little primitive necklace.

'Of all the things that caught your eye?' he heard a familiar voice coming from behind.

'Why are you following me, Naruto-sensei?' he asked without turning around.

'For one reason you are my subordinate' replied the blonde jounin. 'And also I needed to tell you that soon the ceremony will begin, so we should hurry back.'

'I would prefer not to go. I have no interest in that sort of… events.'

'I guess I can understand that' said Naruto, walking closer to the boy. 'You know, she used to wear a very similar necklace' he announced, pointing at the thing Takaru was looking at. 'That is, before she lost it to me…'

'She told me about that bet' replied the son of Tsunade. 'It belonged to the first Hokage, right? Do you still carry it, sensei?'

'Of course' responded the blonde jounin. 'How could I threw it out after all I had to go through to get it? Even though it is crappy.'

Takaru smiled lightly at those words. Then they both went silent. Finally Naruto decided to speak:

'I can understand why you don't want to go to that wedding, but I think you really should. Besides, it is your duty.'

'Weddings are meaningless' announced Takaru. 'Especially when they're forced.'

Look…' began the blonde jounin. '… in some way I know how you feel about it… I didn't know my father either… but sometimes things aren't as simple as black and white.'

'Oh really? So what, you mean to tell me that my father was a good man leaving my mother?'

'No! Your father…' Naruto shut himself before finishing the phrase. 'Takaru, I was there when you were born. Your father… he should have been there as well, but it's much more complicated then you think.'

'Then maybe you'd clear this up a bit for me?'

'Listen up: someday you'll learn the truth. I hope that when that happens, you'll understand few things better.'

'You know more then you're willing to tell me, don't you Naruto-sensei?'

'For now, lets get back to the palace, the wedding's about to start' asked the blonde jounin.

Takaru was going to argue, but then he decided to keep quiet and slowly began walking back to the palace.

'_Someday you'll learn the truth_' Naruto thought to himself, '_And probably, you'll hate yourself when that happens. And that is why I'll do my best to prepare you for it. After all that was her last wish._'

----------

The palace was crowded with people. All the royalty for both Stone and Tree Countries gathered to witness the marriage of the 'first' children.

Naruto and his subordinates stood in the back, prepared for action as the doors opened and Deji walked right through them.

She walked slowly next to her father. She was wearing a beautiful, white dress and was carrying a bouquet of flowers. As she walked through the hall, everyone was looking at her, disbelieving how beautiful she was (_A/N: Actually, two people looked a bit differently… Kusari was staring at the stone princess with a pervert glare and Kumiko's eyes were shinning as she observed the wedding dress_).

When she finally stood next to Recca, the priest began the ceremony. Time passed and nothing seemed to be wrong, but Naruto had a bad feeling. His 'sixth sense' rarely failed him, so he knew something was coming.

'If anyone knows a reason why these two shouldn't merry may he speak now or silence forever' as the priest said those words, Naruto jumped right in the direction where the royal couple stood.

Suddenly the wall behind the priest exploded and a kunai flew right at Deji. Before the Stone princess could react, the blonde jounin landed between her and a throwing knife and deflected it with his own knife.

'I see you got good reactions' announced a guy wearing a mask just like Kakashi, but the blue one. He carried a sword, even larger the Kataki and his hands were completely covered with bandages. He had a Ki Gakure forehead protector across… his forehead.

'If I have to be honest, he doesn't seem so tough to me' announced a girl with long, blond hair clipped in a ponytail and green eyes, wearing sleeveless shirt and white pants with short trouser legs. 'He really defeated Kataki?'

'Do not judge your opponent on his looks, Fugou' advised a guy with black hair, which were falling on his face. He was dressed in a brown shirt with short sleeves and long, black pants. 'Looks can be very deceiving.'

'At any rate…' said a guy with red hair and hazel eyes, who was carrying a pack of cards attached to his belt. '… seems that we won't get the girl as long as he's in our way. So, what are we gonna do, Ryu-san?'

'Simple, Karuto' replied the swordsman. 'We'll just kill him' and with those words he charged at Naruto with the sword in his hands.

* * *

Okay, this concludes this chapter. A lot of action coming up during the next, few chappies, so I hope you're ready for that. Please leave a review of what you think about this chapter. 

And, since those who reviewed seem to like the character profile idea, here's info about another team seven member (a bit more detailed):

_Name:_ Tanken, Ibuki

_Age:_ currently 12 years old

_Birth Date:_ 22nd of November

_Zodiac:_ Sagittarius

_Bloodtype:_ AB

_Height:_ 147,9 cm

_Weight:_ 39,1 kg

_Village:_ Konoha (Hidden leaf) of course

_Current rank:_ gennin

_Bloodline Limits:_ Ibuki comes from the Konoha clan which specializes in weapons, but her clan is also thought to know some, unique nijutsu techniques

_Techniques (used so far):_ Shuriken Kage Bushin no Jutsu, Kawarimi no Jutsu

_First Appearance:_ 1st chapter XP

**IMPORTANT NOTICE:** to those who actually read the character profiles, I've decided to give you a chance to form it! Let me know in your reviews which, other info about the characters would you like to find out and I'll place those in the profiles as well (and, of course, add the same info about characters which profiles I've already published).

This concludes this chapter. Please leave a review when you're done.

Best wishes and have a nice day.


	18. To Crush the Party

**Kai:** I'm back!

**Shang:** Yeah, I hardly overcome my joy... I have a VERY special announcment to make, so lets get going, shall we?

**Kai:** Okay, okay... first of Yamineko Hyousai wants you to know that someone cheated in playing cards in last chapter. There were five queens... come to think of it, he's right. Hey, I lost few bucks because of that! What's the deal?

**Shang:** My bad... I missed that mistake. The game was supposed to be fair (I wonder who's going to believe me...).

**Kai:** We'll get back to that... this one is for the character profile... most of reviewers ask you to give the characters favorite food in those...

**Shang:** Shall be done.

**Kai:** ... a compliment on creating a second guy with a big sword... that's kinda cliche...

**Shang:** It will be explained in the story.

**Kai:** Akimori-chan wants to know if she can use the chapter covers idea in her story... she promised me some money if I convince you to allow that, so... give her your approval, dammit!

**Shang:** She'd gain it anyway. And that goes for every writter who reads this story: you can use the chapter covers idea in your fics as well, be my guest. I'm glad that there are people who like the idea.

**Kai:** Ruka-kun feels bad for Takaru because Naruto-sensei knows something about his father and Takaru knows nothing... but who cares about that dope anyway? Or do you want to add something?

**Shang:** Well... maybe just that Takaru's father case is far from closed...

**Kai:** Lastly, the readers would like you to place something about the families in the character profile.

**Shang: **I'd prefer not, coz it may spoil few surprises... but if guys REALLY want it, then I'll do it.

**Kai:** Boy, one, boring interview this turned out to be... lets cut the crap and let the readers enjoy my heroics!

**IMPORTANT NOTE:** the cover for the second chapter is done! It was done by a friend of mine, Hytokiri and he placed it on the site called Minitokyo. Here's the link: **gallery dot minotokyo dot net / view / 175868.** Of course you have to put 'the http' stuff (http colon / and then another /) in front of all that (sorry for the way I wrote it, but as some of you may know, FFnet 'doesn't like' to show links). Those of you who are MT members, please at least leave a comment under his drawing. Hope that won't be the only chapter cover that was turned into the drawing. Of course those who want to make chapter covers are welcome to let me know. It doesn't metter which cover you wish to do: ALL of those who are interested in drawing them are welcome to do so and I promise I'll put a link to your works. That's all for now.

**P.S. **If, for some reason, the link doesn't seem to work and you're really intrested in that pic, let me know and we'll settle things through e-mail.

**Chapter #18: To Crush the Party**

**_Chapter cover:_** Kai dressed as a wampire is showing 'his fangs' and strechtes his arms out so that his cape is unrolled.**  
**

'We'll just kill him' and with those words the one named Ryu charged at Naruto with his sword in his hands.

The blonde jounin bended back in order to avoid a hit. As he saw the blade cutting the air right in front his face, he decided to counter attack. He aimed his fist in the swordsman's gut, but his opponent dodged the attack by side stepping to his left. Before Naruto knew it, the blade of the huge sword was already heading straight at him once more.

'Naruto-sensei!' yelled Ibuki, picking out her kunai and charging at the two fighters.

'Stay out of this!' she heard her sensei.

Naruto kneed under the blade and in the fracture of a second he picked out a kunai in order to toss it at the swordsman. The tree-nin dodged easily, but he had to slow down a bit.

'These guys are jounins and it seems they're on no different level then that Kataki guy we fought earlier' announced the blonde jounin to his students. 'If you'd interfere, you'd only make things worst. Listen up, take Deji-sama and Recca-sama and get out of here! I'll try to hold them of as long as I can!'

'But…' Takaru was about to argue, but was cut of by Naruto:

'That's an order!'

The young gennins looked at their sensei for a moment and then, grabbing Recca and Deji, left the hall.

'These brats are mine!' announced the one called Karuto as he ran right after the Leaf shinobies. 'You guys can have this freak!'

But before he reached the door, Naruto blocked his way and launched a sidekick in his face.

The red head was able to block the attack with his hand though and instantly reached for his cards. Before the blonde jounin knew it three cards were already aiming for his head. He jumped into the air using the wall behind him and once he got above the tree-nin he threw his shurikens at him.

The red head jumped back in order to avoid the stars and once his feet touched the ground he saw the image of Naruto right before him, going for a punch. He moved his head to the left, so the leaf-nin's fist went right next to it, but before the card user could do anything else, he received a hard knee in his stomach.

The tree-nin feel on his knees as Naruto picked out his kunai's (one in each hand), ready to finish the job. But before he could cut the card users throat he was forced to jump away in order to avoid a shuriken flying right at his head. Before his feet even touched the ground the blonde haired girl gave him a kick in the back, thus making his landing hard.

She lifted her leg up in order to drop it at the leaf-nin's head, but before she was able to put her plan into motion, Naruto's body went up, supported by his hands that were propped on the ground.

Only thanks to her good reactions was the tree-nin able to jump back, thus avoiding her head being smashed by Naruto's legs that came at her from both sides.

As the whisker-marks ninja landed on his feet he saw the one with black hair coming right at him with the swordsman close behind.

The blonde jounin instantly reached for the sleeve of his jacket and took out tens of kunai's attached with a rope to each other. With a quick move all of the knives were released from the line and flew right at the two tree-nins. The one in front dodged by jumping into the air but the other deflected them with his sword.

While the black-haired one was still in mid-air, Naruto jumped up as well and once he found himself in front of his opponent he launched a punch in his face.

The tree-nin blocked the attack by grabbing his fist and then stopped another punch with his other hand. But the smile on his face quickly vanished as he saw another Naruto coming into his view and landing a powerful punch on his face.

The black hair crashed into the floor as both Naruto's landed safely few meters away.

'He performed the Kage Bushin in less then a second' announced the one called Ryu. 'That is impressive. But you won't defeat us with such low-level tricks.'

'I figure' replied Naruto with a smile on his face. 'After all you are Togatta Ryu, right?'

'You heard about me?' asked the swordsman.

'Well, you were one of the Mist seven swordsmen, just like Zabuza and Kataki. You guys are famous. From what I've heard you were ranked second among the swordsman, weaker only then Kisame. Now first since Kisame's dead.'

'Thanks' replied Ryu. 'But don't think that I'm the only one you should be afraid of. All my comrades are… were elite jounins in their villages.'

'Ryu-san, what…?' began the girl called Fugou, but her leader interrupted her:

'No point in hiding it, this man knows me and thus he knows we are not Tree shinobies. All except Kouba and you, but you guy are missing-nins just like us.'

'I guess you have your reasoning in pretending to be tree-nins…' began Naruto as his replication disappeared in the cloud of smoke. 'And I don't really care what they are. The fact is that I am going to defeat you.'

'Such confidence' said the black hair getting back on his feet. 'My friend, you're thinking too highly of yourself. We didn't even used our top techniques. Karuto, you wanted to play with the brats. Go and leave this guy to me and Fugou.'

'Okay, you can have him' announced Ryu. 'Lets go, Karuto. We should not let the Stone princess escape…'

'You're saying this just like I'd let you to leave' stated Naruto as he went into a fighting stance, but before he was able to take any action, he heard a sound coming from behind.

Before he knew it, he felt a hard punch on his face and was send flying back. As he landed on his feet he saw the blonde girl smiling.

'_I didn't sensed her till the last moment_' the leaf-nin thought to himself. '_Such speed… that was Lee's level!_' then he turned to the door just to see the swordsman and the card user disappearing by running through them. '_Dammit… this is not good. I have to finish this quick or otherwise those kids are dead!_'

'Now then, let's start the fun' smiled Fugou as she ran straight at Naruto with incredible speed.

But to her surprise the blonde jounin dodged in the last moment by moving to his left and gave the female shinobi a hard punch in the stomach. She bended over just to receive a knee in the face. As her head went back Naruto finished the job by landing a kick on her jaw, which send the girl flying back.

Then he spun around in order to face the black hair that came from behind. He bended over just in time to avoid the kunai thrown by the former tree-nin and attacked his feet. The black hair jumped back instantly and threw some shurikens at his opponent.

The Leaf shinobi instantly picked out a kunai and deflected the incoming stars in the way they would fly back at the one who threw them (_A/N: kinda like Sasuke did during his fight with Yoroi_). As the black hair was going for the dodge, Naruto charged forward in order to use the opening which was bound to appear.

Just when he was about to stab the tree-nin's head with his kunai he had to bend back in order to avoid the female ninja punch aimed at his face. Once his head was located parallel to the floor he bended back even more, thus avoiding the kick that the kunoichi launched at him.

Once Naruto's hands touched the ground, he felt his feet hitting something. He guessed it was the female ninja's face, since once she launched the attack, she probably created an opening as well.

When he finally landed on his feet he saw black hair's fist coming right at him. He bended down and as the tree-nin's fist went above his head, he received a powerful knee in the face from the female shinobi. That send him to the sky, but as his feet left the ground he grabbed the girls hand and, by tossing her by his shoulder, send her right at the tree-nin.

Both the girl and the black hair rolled on the floor for a few meters before coming to a stop. They slowly got back on their feet and looked excited at the blonde jounin.

'Well, you're certainly better then I've expected' announced the one called Kouba. 'We really should stop playing around and get serious, don't you think so, Fugou?'

'Guess so' replied the girl and it was then that Naruto felt her chakra flow all over her body.

Few seconds later the black hair performed few, quick seals and send his chakra to the floor by putting his hands on it. The leaf-nin looked at the surface for a moment and when he raised his head back at his opponents, he saw that the girls body was covered in strange markings, that looked like tattoos, but they weren't there just a second ago.

'What the…?' was all Naruto could say before the kunoichi disappeared from his view and landed a powerful blow on his face.

----------

'Where are we going?' asked Kusari as he and his teammates were running through the palace gardens.

'Away from the battle, just like Naruto-sensei told as too' replied Ibuki not even turning to the chain master.

'Kusari has a point, actually' announced Kumiko. 'We should think through our moves. If those guys are on the same level as Kataki, we should be prepared to face them because it's not said that Naruto-sensei will be able to hold them back. And if a need to fight with them is possible, we should do it in a place where we have the advantage…'

'Then what do you suggest?' asked Takaru, slowing down.

'I don't know, but since Kusari uses the chain it should be a place with open space where his weapon won't be limited. Also, since Ibuki is a weapon mistress, it should be somewhere with the lack of hideouts, so she could throw her knives and shurikens more effectively…'

'Alright, so which place in the palace would you suggest, that fits the requirements, Deji-sama?' Kai turned to the Stone princess.

'I think that this garden fits the description best' replied the royal girl.

'Whatever it'd be, you won't have the chance to go there' they all heard a voice coming from above.

As they looked at the top of the palace they saw the swordsman and the card user standing on the roof. Suddenly they both jumped down and landed just few meters away from them.

'I'm afraid that the time for running has ended' announced Ryu, pulling out his blade.

* * *

And that's it for this chapter. Releasing another may take me a bit longer then usual, coz it's highly possible I won't have access to any computer for more then a week. I'll try to submit the 19th chapter before I go, but if I won't manage: sorry. I promise I'll submit right after I get back though. 

Now, for another character profile, with imporvements you asked for:

_Name:_ Hagane, Kusari

_Age:_ curretnly 12 years old

_Birth Date:_ 1st of April

_Zodiac:_ Aries

_Bloodtype:_ AB

_Height:_ 150,3 cm

_Weight:_ 48,1 kg

_Favorite Food:_ spagetti

_Village:_ who doesn't know he's from Konoha (Hidden Leaf)?

_Current rank:_ gennin

_Bloodline Limits:_ none

_Techniques (used so far):_ Kawarimi no Jutsu (Art of Substitution)

_First Appearance:_ 1st chapter

And that's it for this time. Before I finish I'd like to ask you to leave a review with your opinion, as well as invite you to read my other fanfic: 'Shinobi Showdown'.

Take care and till the next time.


	19. Difference in Level

**Kai:** Yo! Yes, it's me again! And I'm here to make the interview with...

**Shang:** I think by that time everyone knows why you're here. But didn't you told me you don't wanna do this anymore? So how come you're interviewing me this time?

**Kai:** Simple: you starting to get less reviews! You're pathetic! Hahahahaha!

**Shang:** Yeah, I know. I feel sad due to that fact. So before I start answering your reviews this time, I'd like to ask you to leave a review once you're finished with this chapter. I'd really like to hear your opinion about it.

**Kai:** Blah, blah, blah... yeah, like anybody's gonna listen! Just answer the question and let this agony come to an end. firstly - most of the readers liked the drawing to which you placed the link.

**Shang:** I'm glad you liked it, but the whole credit goes to my friend, Hytokiri. I only think of the design, he drew the whole thing. And using that ocasion I'd like to remind all the drawers that they can make their chapter covers as well. Once they're done, just let me know in some way and I'll place the right link or something once the new chapter will be released.

**Kai:** They won't draw, coz nobody likes you! Moving on: Kakashiclone1120 wish to know was that the cursed seal appearing on that kunoichi Naruto-sensei is fighting?

**Shang:** Not quite. It's explained in this chapter, but there's a bit more to it then you'll read in this chappie.

**Kai:** Okay, now it seems we have a new reader, who's moved by your story... and he wants you to allow him to use the chapter covers idea. Along with the jutsu encyklopedia. So, will ya?

**Shang:** Of course. As said, you're welcome to use them. I'm glad that other writters like them so much they wish to copy them.

**Kai:** Well, I think that covers the review answers. Any last words before we launch another chapter?

**Shang:** Yes: please leave me a review. I really want to improve and hearing the readers opinion is one of the best ways to do it.

**IMPORTANT NOTE:** Well, I manage to submit the new chapter before I go. But keep in mind that the 20th chapter may take longer then a week. I'll try not to make you wait longer then two weeks, but I can't really promise anything. Hope you'll keep on reading and that you'll drop me a review from time to time. Take care.

P.S. Just so that you won't say I leave you guys on ice, I've decided to upload the first chapter of my newest fic before I go. It should appear soon after this chappie. The title will be "Love, Demons and Bloodlines". As usual you'll find there action, but no OC's (later few will appear) and it'll be more of a romance too (action/adventure/romance). Read if you like.

**Chapter #19: Difference in Level**

**_Chapter Cover:_** this time it's Kumiko winking and holding five cards in her hand: Kai is the joker and is in front of other cards, then Takaru makes the king, Ibukiqueen, Kusari is a jack and lasly is a ten.**  
**

"Looks like time for running has ended" announced the swordsman, pulling out his blade. "We came here only for the princess, so if you brats stay away, you won't get hurt."

"You know, Kataki said the same thing" replied Kai. "What do you think we answered?"

"Figure" sighed Ryu. "Brats will always stay brats. But I'm not like Kataki. I will kill you…"

"Ryu-san, may I have them?" asked the red head. "These shrimps aren't even worth your time. Besides, killing them all shouldn't take longer then few minutes."

"Fine, have your fun" replied the swordsman after a moment of hesitation. "But don't over do it like last time."

"I won't" promised Karuto with a smile as he reached for his cards.

As few of the cards flew right at them, the gennins jumped to the side, Kusari grabbing Deji and Takaru Recca. Only Ibuki kept standing and picked out a kunai. When the cards came dangerously close, she deflected them with her knife and her eyes widen when the cards stayed in one piece.

"How…?" was all she was able to say.

"It's chakra" explained Karuto. "Once the card is in my hand I give it some of my chakra, thus making in sharp and harder. Of course, thanks to that, the cards aren't affected by the wind either. Simple as that."

"Dammit, stop looking down on us!" yelled Kai as he charged at the red head.

"What idiot" smiled Karuto and with one, quick move he send the blonde gennin flying back.

"What the hell are you doing?" yelled Kumiko at him, as he landed near her feet. "If they're really at the same level as that Kataki guy, like Naruto-sensei said, we stand no chance of winning! Rushing in thoughtlessly is the worst thing you can do!"

"Well, as that sword guy said, running away is not in option anymore" interrupted Kusari. "We have to fight. But still charging in alone is suicide…"

"Then lets attack together" proposed Ibuki, picking out her Fuuma shuriken.

"Whatever you're planning, do it fast…" asker Karuto. "I'm starting to get bored."

"Then here you go!" yelled the young assassin as she tossed the shuriken right at the card user.

Karuto dodged the star by jumping to the left but as he turned around he spotted Takaru intercepting the shuriken and tossing it at him once more. Since he was still in mid-air he reached for his cards and threw them at the coming weapon.

The cards didn't stop the shuriken, but changed its trajectory enough for it to miss the red head by inches. As he landed on the ground he spotted Kai coming at him with his fists ready.

Karuto backed away few steps, blocking all of Kai's punches and then gave the gennin a hard knee in the stomach. It was then that he noticed the sharp end of Kusari's chain coming right at his head. He jumped back and then deflected the chain with the card he held in his hand.

Before he knew it, he had to block Ibuki's katana with the same card. As the young assassin furiously kept pushing the card user back, Takaru perform few, quick seals and with pointing the red head with his fore and middle fingers he called out:

'Mori Kasai no Jutsu!'

The same moment the son of Tsunade said those words, Ibuki jumped away. Karuto's eyes widen as he saw a powerful, fire scourge coming right at him. Without a second thought he jumped into the air, barely avoiding the fire lance, but once he found himself in mid-air, he also spotted Kai flying right at him with a kunai in his hand.

_Those brats are so annoying_" he thought to himself as he prepared one of his cards and threw it at the blonde gennin.

Kai avoided a direct hit but still the card cut his cheek. He looked back at the card that cut his skin. And that was a mistake. As he turned back to look at his opponent, he saw him finishing the chain of hand seals. With a yell 'kawamiri' he switched places with the card he just threw, grabbed the blonde gennin from behind and tosses him right at the surface.

Kai landed hard on the ground and once he tried to stand up, he felt Karuto's cards cutting his hands and legs. The blonde gennin yelled in pain as he collapsed to the ground.

"Kai!" yelled Kumiko, running to her teammate.

"How bo…" began Karuto, but his words froze in his throat as he felt Kusari's chain wrapping around his feet.

As he looked down, he spotted that the chain has already reached his knees.

"We got you now!" announced Kusari, manipulating the chain.

Takaru jumped into the air and after performing the right seals he held out his hands, yelling:

"Insei Tooriame!" and with those words hundreds of fireballs flew right at the red head.

_Dammit!_" thought Karuto as he threw some of his cards into the air and perform few, quick seals.

Then the place he was standing got completely covered with dust, lifted up by Takaru's meteor shower. As the son of Tsunade observed the place were the card user stood just a second ago, he turned to the other missing-nin and noticed that the swordsman still haven't moved an inch.

"Damn brats!" they heard Karuto's voice coming from the cloud of dust and before they knew it tens of cards flew right at them. Neither Kusari nor Takaru were able to dodge them all, though the chain master managed to avoid any fatal wounds. Tsunade's son on the other hand got the worst of it.

His body got cut by plenty of cards, some were even stuck in his bones. He felt unconscious to the ground, not moving.

"Takaru!" yelled Deji, as she tried to run to the young gennin, but was stopped by Recca.

"We can't help them" reminded the Tree prince. "Go in there and you'll only make things worst. Be best we can do is believing that they'll manage to win."

"You brats really are dumb" announced the card user. "Do you really believe that I'd be defeated by something like that?"

When the smoke cleared young gennins saw some of Karuto's cards flying around him.

"Kirifuda Tate no Jutsu" explained the red head. "By releasing my chakra into the air I'm able to create a sphere in which my cards can fly above the ground. Once another chakra enters the sphere, the cards automatically stand on it's way. Since most of ninjutsu techniques are based on releasing chakra, those cards stops practically any chakra-based attack."

_Shit!_" thought Kumiko at the sight. "_With that thing active, there's no way we can reach him! There is no point in even trying!_"

"Guess you guys can't give me any more entertainment, so I'll finish you all this instant!" announced Karuto as he picked out few more cards.

"Dammit, I won't forgive you…!" they all heard a voice and as they turned in the direction it came, they saw Kai getting back to his feet. "… for looking down on us!" and with those words he began performing a set of hand seals.

----------

Naruto was backing out, barely blocking and dodging all the kicks and punches launched by the kunoichi, not having enough time to counterattack. Suddenly roots shoot out from under the floor and trapped his right leg.

As he noticed that, Fugou landed a powerful punch on his face and then a few lighter ones on his stomach. The roots let go of his leg and Naruto went back a few meters before landing hard on the ground.

"Well, that was pathetic" announced Kouba, looking at the leaf-nin getting back on his feet.

"I see" replied Naruto, whipping the blood that came from his mouth. "Power-increasing charms. Those tattoos are the chakra containers. Once they're activated, you're able to send more chakra to your feet and hands, thus increasing your speed and strength, right?"

"In short: yes" responded the female shinobi. "What, you can't keep up?"

"And what was that trick with the roots?" the blonde jounin asked the tree-nin, not even bothering to answer the girl.

"Quite simple really" replied Kouba. "Nekko Gyuujiru no Jutsu. The chakra that I send to the ground searches for any roots under it and then surrounds them, thus allowing me to stretch them and turning them anyway I desire. It is a forbidden jutsu though…"

"Quite impressive" nodded Naruto. "You had me surprised there. Guess defeating you two won't be as easy as I thought. But don't get your hopes up, the one to win this fight will be me, whether you like it or not."

"Heh" smirked Kouba. "Even if you'll manage to defeat us, Ryu-san and Karuto will kill the Stone princess before you'll get there."

"No, they won't" ensured the blonde jounin. "She still has my students protection. I believe in them. They're not plain gennins. They know what true shinobi strength is… they'll keep Deji-sama alive even at the cost of their own lives…"

"Really?" smiled Fugou. "And what makes you so sure of that?"

"Because Kai's with them… and until he falls, they'll keep on fighting…"

----------

The blonde gennin finished performing a short set of hand seals and with the last symbol he called out:

"Kage Bushin no Jutsu!"

And suddenly the place of one Kai took twenty.

* * *

And thus ends the 19th chapter of the 'Next Generation'. Please leave me a review with your opinion. 

Now it's time for the jutsu encyklopedia:

_Kirifuda Tate no Jutsu_ (Trump Card Shield Skill) - jutsu used by Karuto. It's based on his chakra-filled cards. With the execution of the right seals he releases chakra into the air, thus creating a sphere. After that he throws the cards in the air and with the sphere active the cards travel in it, blocking any, chakra-based attacks. Physical assults aren't stopped by that jutsu however.

_Nekko Gyuujiru no Jutsu_ (Root Control Skill) - just like Kouba said: the user has to release his chakra into the ground in a search for any roots. Once the roots are found, the chakra surrounds them, thus allowing the user to strech and turn them in any way he/she desires. This technique is extremely effectivewhen used in a place with many plants or near such a place. It's one of the forbidden jutsus created by the tree-nins.

And now one of the last character profiles (for now, as later you find more characters):

_Name:_ Gekido Takaru

_Age:_ currently 12 years old

_Birth Date:_ 6th of June

_Zodiac:_ Gemini

_Bloodtype:_ AB

_Height:_ 151,4 cm

_Weight:_ 44,9 kg

_Favorite Food:_ not specified

_Village:_ take a guess... (for those who still don't know: Konoha!)

_Current rank:_ gennin

_Bloodline Limit:_ not specified, but he's the son of Tsunade and seems to have talent for fire ninjutsu

_Techniques (used so far):_ Insei Tooriame (Meteor Shower), Henge no Jutsu (Art of Transformation/Transformation Skill), Mori Kasai no Jutsu (Fire Lance Skill), Kasai Onban (Fire Disc)

_First Appearance: _ 1st chapter

Now this is really the end of this chapter. Hope you enjoyed it and that you'll sacrifice your valueable time to leave me a review.

Take care and till the next submission.


	20. Ace out of the Sleeve

**Kai:** So we're back! We rock!

**Shang:** Just tell me what reviewers wish to know.

**Kai:** Fine! Firstly, one of them wish you to tell him who's Takaru-teme's father... actually I'm a bit curious myself.

**Shang:** Well, I wanted to keep it a secret for a while, but since I didn't plan to reveal it too soon in the story I could tell you. If you really, really, really wish to know, let me a note and I'll give you the answer on your e-mail or something (since other readers may wish that to remain a secret).

**Kai:** As always: never gives a straight answer... why the hell are you even doing this interview thing, dumbass? Anyway, another reviewer says that we're going to wail some people... we are?

**Shang:** I'm not saying anything... you'll soon find out.

**Kai:** Okay, so we seem to have another, new reader... some Catarina... she wish to congratulate you on the job well done and... blah, blah, blah...

**Shang:** Can't you show any respect to the reviewers? Anyway, thanks for leaving a comment. Thanks to reviews like that I feel like doubling me efforts to make this an even better story. Really, thank you.

**Kai:** Seems that this one is the last... Fic Slayr really did gave you some questions. Firstly, he announce that the chappies are too short... guess he just can't get enough of me...

**Shang:** ... Well, the chapters are short, that true, but I can promise you that once the Chuunin Exam will begin (which no-one doubts it will), they'll get longer. Also, the fact that they're short allows me to upload new ones a bit fast... and I suck at filler ups, so I usually don't do things longer then they has to be. Those are the main reasons.

**Kai:**Moving on! He also wishes to know why Naruto-sensei doesn't use the Kyuubi... what the hell is that?

**Shang:** Well, the Kyuubi... wait, why am I explaining this to you? To answer Fic Slayr question: Naruto still has the Kyuubi sealed in him, but... well, let's just say that some things changed during those fifteen years. I can promise you that Naruto will use it... but in later parts of the story.

**Kai:** Another one: he wants to know what happened to the original, 'Naruto' crew? And when you're at it, do tell who Kakashi send after Naruto-sensei and us.

**Shang:** For the first question: the original, 'Naruto' crew will appear in the story (not so far from now actually). For the second one: don't want to spoil anything... I'll say that you'll find out soon... really soon.

**Kai:** Lastly: he thinks Naruto-sensei learned more jutsus during the time of those fifteen years... so? Plus, he thinks Rasengan was way more powerful...

**Shang:** Well, he did learned more jutsus, it's just that he doesn't use them too much Some I've already shown, more will be revealed as the story goes... I like saving some things for later. As for Rasengan: it is powerful (at least in my opinion), but everything can be stopped... even Rasengan (that's my point of view anyways).

**Kai:** Okay, anything more?

**Shang:** I'd just like to thank everyone who reviewed. Hope you'll like what's coming.

**IMPORTANT NOTE:** With the collage start it may take me longer to upload then I used to. Still I promise I'll do my best to submit AT LEAST one chapter every two weeks. The 21st one should be done this week though... at least I'll try to hurry it up so you won't have to wait too long. Hope you'll bare with me.

**Chapter #20: Ace out of the Sleeve**

**_Chapter Cover:_** Ibuki simply practicing shuriken throwung in the forest. The target with few shinobi stars in it is hanging on a far away tree**  
**

"Kage Bushin no Jutsu!" yelled Kai, as his place took twenty clones.

"Kage bushin?" Karuto raised his eyebrow. "I'd never expect a brat like you to master a jounin level technique. This may be interesting…"

"_Kage bushin…?_" Kumiko looked with amazement in her eyes. "_But he only saw that jutsu once, when Naruto-sensei used it against Kataki. Did he really memorized all the seals and in just few days he managed to learn how much chakra is required to perform the technique? Even Kusari with his chakra control would have problems in managing that!_"

"That…" whispered Takaru. "That… blockhead… using his trump card like that…"

"Here I come!" announced Kai as he picked out several shurikens and kunai's.

As the original and the clones charged at the cards user, they threw the shinobi stars at the red head and preparing the knifes half of the jumped into the air.

"Useless" Karuto said calmly as all the shurikens were deflected by the card he held in his hand, but the clones that jumped into the air were already aiming at the card user's head.

_So those cards of his can only block an attacked based on chakra, they're useless against a physical one, eh?_" Kumiko thought to her as she observed the scene.

Before the clones were able to hit the red head with their knives he unleashed a storm of cards from his hands, hitting even single clone that was still in mid-air, thus causing it to disappear in the cloud of white smoke and their kunai's falling into the ground, covering it with white smoke as well... But it was then that the clones that were still standing one the ground charged at him.

"You're really stupid" announced Karuto, preparing more cards. "Can't you sense the difference in level? There's no way you, gennins, can defeat me!" and with that he threw his cards at the charging Kai's.

All of the blonde gennins were hit severally before disappearing in the cloud of smoke and it was only then that Karuto noticed something.

_Where's the original?_"

It was then that he spotted one kunai at his feet which didn't disappeared and, once it got covered with white smoke, Kai took its place with a kunai aimed at the red head's heart. In the last moment Karuto blocked the attack with a card in his hand.

"Well, well, well, who'd have thought?" said the card user with a smirk. "You almost got me that time. But almost is not enough" and with that he gave the blonde gennin a hit in the stomach which send him flying back.

But at the very same moment he heard a kunai coming right at him and jumped to the left in order to avoid the attack.

As he turned around, he spotted Ibuki throwing more kunai's and shurikens at him. Knowing that he won't be able to dodge them all, Karuto threw some of his cards in order to deflect some of the incoming weapons.

"Kai, are you okay?" asked Kumiko, who instantly found herself next to her teammate.

"I guess" replied the blonde gennin. "But what do we do? It doesn't look like we'll be able to defeat this guy…"

Kumiko looked at the card user for a moment as Kusari reached them.

"I have an idea" she announced quietly. "Kai, can you repeat the kage bushin?"

"I think so… what are you planning?"

Ibuki threw her last shuriken at the card user and once Karuto stopped, prepared to deflect the shinobi star the young assassin moved her hands closer to each other and performed a quick set of hands seals:

"Shuriken Kage Bushin no Jutsu!" she called out as the star thrown but her suddenly splited into tens.

"What the…?" was all the red head could say before he found himself dodging and deflecting all the shurikens that flew right at him.

As he finally avoided the last of the stars he instantly appeared right before Ibuki and cut her stomach with a card. The young assassin gave out a scream of pain and felt motionless to the ground.

"Yo, loser!" he heard a yell coming from behind and as he turned around he saw Kai finishing a set of hand seals. "Kage bushin no Jutsu!"

Once more twenty, new Kai's appeared before his eyes.

"You're wasting your chakra, kid" announced Karuto.

"We'll see" replied Kai as his clones charged directly at the card user.

Avoiding the wild attacks of every blonde gennin, the red head was slowly cutting the clones one by one. Finally he moved to his left in order to dodge the fist of the last clone and as the young shinobi was flying next to him he cut his back. The blonde gennin felt to the ground and his body got covered with white smoke.

"Told you so…" said Karuto when he noticed Kusari coming right at him with his fists ready.

The red head didn't move an inch. He simply blocked the first attack with his left hand then he grabbed the chain master's right fist with his right hand and finally gave the pervert ninja a kick in the stomach.

Kusari bended over, breathing heavily as Karuto began laughing.

"This is hilarious!" he announced. "I really though you guys were up to something, yet you're still just brats playing…" but his words froze in his throat as he felt his body being tied up by a chain. "What the…?" he looked surprised at the boy that was kneeing right before him. "_Impossible, I'd have noticed if he…_" then he noticed that the chain came from behind.

As he turned around he spotted Kusari with a smile on his face, saying:

"Gotcha… looks like you've fallen for the same trick twice. Even your Kirifuda Tate has been dispelled."

As the card user turned around to the other gennins he noticed Kai disappearing in the cloud of white smoke and Kusari that was kneeing in front of him just a second ago turned into the blonde gennin.

"I see… henge, eh?"

"Correct" announced Kumiko. "Since you use your cards in battle, I figure you won't be dangerous if Kusari were to trap you with his chain. Unfortunately, that card shield of your would stop any chakra-based attack and Kusari uses his chakra to control the chain. But when Kai clones came right through that shield along with Kai in the shape of a kunai, I figure that any, physical object could get through it. Also, you threw your chakra-filled cards from within the shield, so I guessed that once someone would get on the same side of the shield as you, he or she would be able to use any chakra-based attacks they desire. That's why I told Kusari to switch places with Kai…"

"Kage bushin was only a decoy" continued the chain master. "I turned into Kai and charged at you along with other clones. When you cut my back and I felt on the ground, the smoke that appeared didn't mean that you destroyed the clone. I just canceled the henge…"

"Yeah, then I charged in so you wouldn't notice" Kai joined the explanation. "Simple as that!"

"And now, that your shield is gone, we'll finish this fight" announced Kumiko as she performed the right seals and after she finished, she called out: "Odori no Sendo!"

A second later Karuto's scream of pain could be heard throughout the palace. But before the genjutsu could finish the job, Kumiko received a powerful blow in her face, which send her flying a few meters. At the very same moment her genjutsu was dispelled.

"Enough child's play" announced Ryu as he charged at Kusari and gave him a knee in the stomach. The chain master bended over just to receive a hit in the back of his head. The young gennins felt unconscious to the ground.

Then he gave Ibuki, who was just beginning to stand up, a kick in the back, thus knocking her out again.

Before Kai knew what happened, he was the last one of the leaf-nins still standing and Ryu was coming right at him!

----------

Fugou's eyes widen as Naruto grabbed her fist that was coming right at his head. She was even more surprised that the blonde jounin blocked the knee she aimed at his stomach with his second hand.

With a quick motion Naruto tossed the girl right at the wall and as she used her feet to bounced of it, she felt the leaf-nin's fist landing a powerful blow on her face.

_What the…?_" she thought to herself. "_Just a second ago he was barely able to keep up and now his speed is the same as mine! What did he do?_"

"_Shit!_" thought Kouba as he began performing a new chain of hand seals. "_I don't know what he did, but at this rate there's no other way. I have to use THAT jutsu_" and as he finished the chain he called out: "Mokudon: Nekata Gooremu!"

The floor started shaking as giants created from the roots raised before the blonde jounin.

"How do you like that?" asked Kouba with a smile. "My every own technique. No-one who saw it, lived long enough to tell anybody about it" and at his commend the root giants charged right at the leaf-nin.

Naruto ran straight at the new opponent, cutting them to pieces with the kunai he held in his hand. Before anyone noticed, the blonde jounin was standing behind the tree-nin, his face shown no emotions at all!

"An impressive jutsu, I give you that" announced Naruto. "But a trick of such level won't do against a shinobi who just opened the fifth, celestial gate."

At hearing that both his opponent felt shivers coming down their spines.

"_That guy…opened the Limit Gate!_" Fugou thought to herself as Naruto continued:

"I'm not an expert in this so five gates are my limit, but judging from the looks on your face I believe that will be enough. As I told you, this ends here and now!"

* * *

Okay, that's that for this chappie. Hope you liked it and that you'll leave a review once you're done reading. 

Now for the jutsu encyklopedia:

_Mokudon: Nekata Gooremu_ (Tree Element: Root Golem) - a jutsu invented by Kouba. The user first gathers chakra in his hands and then, with the use of the right hand seals releases it into the ground. The chakra doesn't lose connection to the users hands and once it finds roots, it forms then into a golems. The shinobi can use those golems as puppets. It's quite similar to the Hidden Sands Kugutsu no Jutsu (Puppet Skill), only it requires more chakra.

And now time for another, character profile:

_Name:_ Haisha Kai

_Age:_ currently 12 years old

_Birth Date:_ 4th of October

_Bloodtype:_ 0

_Height:_ 149,8 cm

_Weight:_ 46,1 kg

_Favorite Food:_ ramen (kinda reminds you of someone, doesn't it?)

_Village:_ Hidden Sand... yeah, right... of course it's Konoha (Hidden Leaf)

_Current rank:_ gennin

_Bloodline Limit:_ none

_Techniques (used so far):_ Kage Bushin no Jutsu (Shadow Clone Skill), Henge no Jutsu (Transformation Skill)

_First Appearance: _ 1st chapter

Okay, I think this seriously ends this chappie. Sorry for any, grammar mistakes, I just really wanted to upload it, so you won't have to wait too long for it. Hope you'll leave me your opinion once you're done.

Keep warm and see you on the next chapter (hopefully).


	21. Live Up to Ones Name

**Kusari:** Surprise! Kai got sick, so this time I'm filling out for him!

**Shang:** That's a relieve... Kai was beginning to work on my nerves as an interviewer. Okay, so tell me what the readers wish to know.

**Kusari:** Sure, but before that: when will some chicks appear?

**Shang:** ... My kingdom for a NORMAL interviewer...

**Kusari:** Okay, okay... Chill. Actually, there doesn't really seem to be questions this time around. The reviewers just want to congratulate you on a job well done. Oh, wait, there are some who wrote there wasn't enough Naruto-sensei is the last chapter...

**Shang:** Well, there won't be much of him in this one either, I'm afraid. But I think you'll find it entertaining anyway... won't say more :wink:

**Kusari:** A short interview this turned out to be...

**Shang:** Thanks for all your reviews. I'm really glad to know that you like my story and that you keep reading it. Hope you'll sacrifice a minute or two of your valuable time to leave a review for this chapter as well. Remember, I'll try to answer ANY question you have about this fic (if it won't be a big spoiler).

**Chapter #21: Live up to Ones Name**

**_Chapter Cover:_** an eight-year-old Takaru is standing out front with a wide smile and right behind him Tsunade is bending over, also smilling, and holding her hand on her sons head**  
**

"Takaru, do you know what your name means?" asked Tsunade as she bended down to her eight-year-old son with a smile.

"Well, taka means hawk, falcon, but can be also translated as quantity…"

"That's not it at all" interrupted the Godaime. "At first I wanted to call you Takara, but that's rather a girl's name, so I changed it into Takaru. Do you know what takara means?"

"Yes" nodded the young shinobi. "A treasure."

"That's right" agreed Tsunade, taping her hand on his head and smiling even wider. "That's what you are to me, Takaru. My treasure…" she paused and walked towards the window. "I am the Leaf's Hokage. I have many duties due to which I can't always take care of you. As a Godaime the village is my responsibility and every, single person in it is precious to me. But above anyone I care about you the most. That's why I choose that name for you, Takaru. Remember that!"

"I will, mom!" promised the young boy.

"There's also another reason…" announced Tsunade after a moment of silence. "In order for you to become a Leaf shinobi, a lot of people put their lives on the line. They risked their lives for you, Takaru… I know this is much to ask an eight-year-old, but I hope you'll be able to prove that you deserted the risk taken. Takaru, Konoha ninjas are family! They don't abandon their comrades. I hope that you, just like me and those who joined me back then, risked their lives to save you, you'll also do your best to protect your comrades."

Takaru looked at his mother with mouth opened and eyes widen.

"Takaru, I hope you'll be able to live up to your name" announced Tsunade turning back to her son. "Please… become Konoha's treasure… shown that you were worthy of the sacrifice…"

Takaru just stood there in silence, looking at his mother before he was finally able to reply:

"I… I promise I'll make you proud, mother!"

Tsunade smiled at those words and gave the child a kiss on his forehead.

"A man shouldn't break his promises" she announced.

----------

Takaru slowly got back on his feet as the memory of that day faded away. As he raised his head, he saw both Ibuki and Kusari lying on the ground, barely moving, Kumiko shaking few meters away and Kai trying to stand up as the swordsman stood next to him, ready to cut the blonde gennins head off.

"_Mother, I will keep my promise_" he thought to himself as his eyes stopped at the tree-nin.

"_He got up even after Karuto's cards cut his legs and hands?_" Ryu stopped in his tracks and observed the Godaime's son. "_That brat is sure determent. Just like the blonde one._"

"_No matter what…_" began Takaru as he fought with the pain. "_… I will protect my comrades!_"

"Boy, you guys are stubborn" announced the swordsman, looking at Tsunade's son. "You can barely stand. What are you planning to do?"

"_I don't have much chakra left_" Takaru thought to himself. "_Barely enough to perform one, two techniques at best… guess I'll just have to go all out…_" and with that he began forming the right hand seals.

As he finishes, he called out:

"Mori Kasai no Jutsu!" and suddenly a long, fire scourge came out of his fingers.

As the Fire Lance came closer to him, Ryu noticed that dodging to the left or right was pointless as the attack would get him anyway. Jumping into the air was risky, because he wouldn't be able to avoid another attack once in mid-air. Therefore he perform a quick set of hand seals and with the last symbol he called out:

"Suiton: Mizu Kekkai!" and in an instant his body was surrounded by the sphere of water.

As Takaru's attack reached the barrier, the two jutsus canceled each other out, lifting into the air a ton of steam, thus blocking the swordsman view. As the steam faded away, the former mist-nin spotted Tsunade's son flying above him and finishing another chain of hand seals.

"Gougi Insei Tooriame!" Takaru let out in a desperate voice as a huge fireball formed in his hands, which he threw right at the swordsman.

Ryu smiled under his mask as the fireball came closer, but then, to his surprise, the fireball exploded in half way and hundreds of small fireballs were now coming right at him.

"_Dammit!_" he thought to himself as he prepared himself to dodge and began performing another set of hand seals. "_He left some of the chakra inside the ball so that it'd explode after a moment and separate the huge one into a shower! That brat sure has some talent…_"

As the chain of hand seals was completed, Ryu called out:

"Mizu no Yaiba!" and suddenly a blade of water appeared in his hand with which he blocked the meteors he wasn't able to dodge.

"_So this is it_" thought Takaru. "_If the next attack fails, I've lost…_" and with a short set of hand seals he called out: "Kasai Funka!" and instantly tens of fire bullets came out of the ground right at the former mist-nin.

Acting on instinct, the swordsman perform a quick set of hand seals and just a moment before the fireballs reached him, his body was exchanged with a wooden pale.

"Kawarimi" whispered Takaru as his feet touched the ground.

"Looks like you've lost" he heard Ryu's voice coming from behind and then felt cold steel on his neck. "Move and you'll die…"

"Who cares whether he moves or not?" yelled Karuto, picking out his cards. "He's dead!" and with that he threw the cards right at the boy.

----------

Kouba received a powerful kick in the face which send him flying towards the wall. Fugou instantly unleashed the storm of kicks and punches at Naruto, but the blonde jounin didn't seem to have problems in blocking and dodging all of her attacks. Suddenly Fugou's speed increased, but still not enough to lay a single punch on the leaf-nin.

"_So she can open the gates as well, eh?_" Naruto thought to himself as he jumped away from the tattooed kunoichi. "_But it seems her limit is the third gate… but with the charms activated it'll be enough to make her speed equal to mine… this can be troublesome…_"

As his feet touched the ground he found himself dodging shurikens that the tree-nin threw at him right after he got back on his feet. As he avoided the last of the shinobi stars he saw Fugou's leg coming right at his face. Not being able to dodge, he blocked it with his hand but it was then that his feet were once more trapped by the roots.

"_These guys are really something… if it was just one I could take them rather easy but it seems their great at teamwork… fight both at the same time is really a pain in the…_" but before he could finished, he received a hard punch in the stomach and then in the face.

But to surprise both Fugou and Kouba, Naruto's leg ripper out the roots and before the kunoichi knew it, the blonde jounin's knee already smashed her chin. Her head went back and the leaf-nin jumped into the air.

Using Fugou's stomach to bounce of it he went flying at the tree-nin. The black hair didn't react in time and received a powerful kick to his left cheek. Kouba rolled on the ground for few meters before he came to a stop and got up.

"Enough is enough!" announced the tree-nin as he began a new set of hand seals and called out: "Mokudon: Ibara Niwa!" and suddenly thorns started to shoot out of the floor.

In the matter of a second the whole hall was covered with the spiky plant. The next moment the spikes on the thorns started to shoot out in Naruto's direction. Acting on instinct, the blonde jounin began dodging as many of them as he could, but still few were able to cut his clothes and skin.

"How do you like that?" he heard Kouba's voice coming from behind the thorn wall. "My ultimate jutsu. Even if you were to open the seventh gate you won't avoid all the thorns. This ends here!"

"_Damn, he does have a point…_" thought Naruto, still dodging the thorns. "_The number of thorns is still increasing… if I won't do something soon…_" but suddenly something hit his senses. "_What the…? That chakra! Could it be…?_"

On the other side of the thorns Kouba and Fugou had the same feeling.

"You sense that as well, right?" asked the kunoichi. "Who is that?"

"I don't know, but it's definitely not Ryu or Karuto…"

"Seems that I can't waste any more time playing with you guys" announced Naruto. "Since HE arrived, I have to end this now."

----------

"Damn brat!" Takaru heard Karuto's voice and observed the cards flying right at him, not being able to move.

But before the cards were able to reach him they all burnt in a powerful fire blow. Takaru and both of his opponents turn in the direction the fire appeared from and saw a man in the black hood, wearing a black and white tiger mask.

"Well, that was unexpected" announced Ryu. "What does a Konoha Anbu doing here?"

"Hokage-sama send me as reinforcements" replied the anbu member. "And I see that he made a good decision. That dope can't even take care of his students."

"So I guess you're here to stop us" continued the swordsman. "There's no helping it then. Mind telling me who you are? I prefer knowing who I'm about to kill…"

"As an Anbu I shouldn't reveal my identity… but since you guys will die soon by my hands, I guess I can take that as last request. I'm the heir of the greatest Konoha clan…" and with those words the man took of his mask revealing medium-length, black hair and red eyes. "… Uchiha Sasuke."

* * *

And with that the 21st chapter is done. Hope you enjoyed it, especially since another can take a while before I'll write it. Please tell me what you think of it. 

**PLEASE READ THIS:** Actually, I just got a bit curious. You offen ask me things in your reviews so treat this as my question to you. You don't really need to answer, but I was wondering which character from the new team number seven (not counting Naruto) you like the best. If you feel like it, please answer this. You may even choose more then one (practically saying 'I like all the same' goes as well). And, if you like, I can post the result in the next chappie. That's all.

Now for the jutsu encyklopedia (sorry if this time it'll be a little unclear, but it's pretty late over here):

_Suiton: Mizu Kekkai_ (Water Element: Water Barrier) - jutsu used by Ryu. Hard to perform as the user must first release chakra from many parts of the body and then, with the use of right hand seals, release some more, only this time in the form of water. As the second 'charge' of chakra enters the air, it begans spinning on the routes created by the previous 'charge', thus creating a persistant, water sphere that surrounds the user. Even though it's hard to perform, it stops practically EVERY, fire-based attack.

_Gougi Insei Tooriame_ (Great Meteor Shower) - a higher level of Insei Tooriame (I guess I should note that Takaru was the one who invented it). At first it works as a typical Meteor Shower: the user gathers chakra in his hands and releases it in the form of flames, forming a huge fireball. However, the user also places a small charge of chakra inside the ball. The charge explodes after a short time, thus separating the fireball into tens (sometimes even hundreds), small fireballs.

_Mizu no Yaiba_ (Water Sword) - a jutsu by mist-nins. The user first gathers chakra in one of his hands and then, with the use of right hand seals, he releases it in the form of water. Once the chakra leaves the body in the form of liquid, it shapes into a blade, thus creating a blade of water. It's not very powerful, but it works perfectly if the users intends to counter fire attacks.

_Kasai Funka_ (Fire Eruption) - another jutsu invented by Takaru. Can only be used after Gougi Insei Tooriame. If some of the meteors from that attack dig into the ground, the user may 'order' them to raise up and once more attack the opponent. This is possible only thanks to the fact that the charge of chakra, which made the fireball separate into small meteors, remains in the smaller fireballs. The user keeps control over those, tiny bits of his chakra and thus it is possible for him/her to use the meteors that weren't destroyed.

_Mokudon: Ibara Niwa_ (Tree Element: Thorn Garden) - the jutsu invented by Kouba. The user sends his chakra into the ground, which then searches for thorns. Once it finds them, it circles around them, thus allowing the user to manipulate the thorns. After the thorns appear near the user (they're still surrounded with chakra), he/she can higher the pressure, thus making the thorns shoot out of the thorns straight into the opponent.

Okay, I think this covers this chapter. Please, leave me a review once you're done.

Best wishes and hopefully till the next chapter.


	22. Enter the ANBU

**Kai:** I'm BACK!

**Shang:** Yeah, my heart overwhelms with joy... just tell me what the readers want to know, will ya?

**Kai:** Chill... okay, to start of: Fic Slayr want to know is Naruto-sensei stronger then Sasuke... who ever he is...

**Shang:** Well, I'm not favorizing any of those two (though I won't hide that I like Naruto waaaaaaaaaay more) and in the spirit of this fic they're thought to be equal. Sure, some of you guys will say "But Sasuke's an ANBU"... true, but as you'll find out from a later part of the story, Naruto was an ANBU too (he became one way before Sasuke did). He got back to being a jounin due to... well, you'll see.

**Kai:** And why doesn't Naruto-sensei use the Kyuubi?

**Shang:** I have many reasons... for example proving that he can do fine without the help of that damn fox. But, since so many of you guys wish to see him use it, and readers satisfaction is my top priority, I promise he'll use Kyuubi's power before the mission ends. Not in this chapter, but in the next. Hope that suits you.

**Kai:** Okay, so this concludes the questions I believe... but before we start there's one, last thing that needs to be said... and it's the result of the POPULARITY CONTEST!...

**Shang:** What are you talking about? That wasn't a popularity contest. I just wanted to find out which one of you guys does the readers like best. The real, popularity contest is planned, but it'll take place when more characters are going to appear... it'll have different rules and the readers will be allowed to chose ANY character they want... that will happen in a rather distant future, so...

**Kai:** Blah, blah, blah... skip the crap! Here are the results! Fifth place goes to Kumiko... but she's still cute...

**Shang:** ... Poor girl...

**Kai:** Fourth place goes to... (dramatic pause)... Kusari. Seems that there are two characters that got the same score, so second place goes to share: Ibuki and... me! That's not possible! How come such an awesome shinobi like me only got second?

**Shang:** I have a better one: how come such a lame guy as you got that high?

**Kai:** ... So I guess first place goes to Takaru-teme... What a disapointment... lets just get on with the show...

Lastly, before we start, I just want to say that my access to the internet may disappear at anytime (for few days) so I decided to submit this chapter as soon as I finished it. Please forgive me any grammar mistakes I missed, coz I didn't had time to double check it. Still I hope you'll enjoy it and leave a review with your opinion once you're done.

**Chapter #22: Enter the Anbu**

**_Chapter Cover:_** Naruto and Sasuke are proped on each others back and the whisker-marks is giving a thumbs up**  
**

"Uchiha, eh?" repeated Ryu as he looked at the anbu member. "Well, this could be interesting. It's been a while since I killed one of your clan…"

"Yeah, too bad you won't increase your record" replied Sasuke calmly. "Takaru, take care of your teammates and leave those two to me…"

"_Huh? He knows me?_" Takaru thought to himself surprised but after a moment he got together and started dragging his teammates out of the battlefield. Recca and Deji assisted him in doing so.

"Now…" with those words the red eyes turned to his opponents. "… lets begin" and not waiting for a reply he began performing a set of hand seals.

----------

"_That does it!_" Naruto thought to himself as another thorn cut his skin.

The blonde jounin released chakra from his body and began spinning around as the thorns stopped in the chakra sphere he created. In an instant the thorns were blasted away, hitting the incoming ones. That gave Naruto enough time for a short chain of hand seals.

"Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu!" he called out as fire came out of his mouth and burnt the wall of thorns behind which Kouba and Fugou were hiding.

Before the two could react, five Naruto's came out of the smoke and with a fury launched the storm of punches and kicks at them. As the clones finished and disappeared in the cloud of white smoke, the original Naruto charged in, carrying a ball of spinning chakra (one in every hand). Second after that the balls landed on the two, tree-nins stomachs and send them flying back (of course spinning wildly).

Naruto stood in one place, checking his outfit for damage. After a little while he called out:

"I can sense your chakra, so there's not point in hiding. Come out and lets continue…"

At those words both Kouba and Fugou went through the hole in the wall they made few moments earlier: the kunoichi with a lot of blood on her stomach and the tree-nin breathing deeply.

"I suppose you just collected the chakra in your abdomen and thanks to that lower the damage…" the blonde jounin said to Fugou. "… but how in the world did you survived without any, visual wound?"

"Have you ever heard of the Lizard Flower?" asked Kouba.

"A little" replied Naruto. "Some rare plant that grows only in the North West. I've heard it has some regeneration powers…"

"That flower can regenerate the lost cells in the matter of minutes" interrupted the tree-nin. "The leader of our village figure such ability could be useful to shinobies."

"Genetic engineering!" the blonde jounin's eyes widen at the thought. "What have they done to you?"

"The DNA of the Lizard Flower was combined with mine…" explained Kouba. "My body regenerates itself the moment the damage is done. You see, Fugou and I… we were… created as a perfect, killing weapons…"

"_Those guys… they're the same as Gaara!_" Naruto thought to himself. "Wait a minute! Both of you were created?"

"Didn't it surprised you that my power charms aren't visible all the time as they should?" asked Fugou. "The answer is simple: the leader of our village sealed the charms on my bones. That's why they're only visible when I use them. That way the opponent usually have no idea of my true strength and isn't prepared to battle a shinobi way faster and stronger then it'd seem at first. Just like it happened to you."

"Creating warriors…" whispered Naruto, lowering his sight. "I thought that when Gaara's father died no-one would even think about creating shinobies. What they've done to you is inhuman…"

"No point in regretting anyway" replied Kouba. "We are not human anymore… nothing can change that" and with those words both of the tree-nins charged at the leaf-nin.

----------

"What's going on?" asked Kai as he was shaking his head in order to make his sight clearer. "Did we won?"

"Well… not exactly…" replied Takaru, not looking at the blonde. "But for the time being we're free from fighting…" and with that he pointed at the anbu that stood between them and the two missing-nins.

Kai looked in the direction he pointed and with a confused look, asked: "Who's that guy?"

"I don't know…" responded Deji. "But it looks like he's on our side."

"Katon: Housenka no Jutsu!" called out Sasuke as he finished the chain of hand seals and tens of small fireballs came out of his mouth right at the two, tree-nins.

"See, that's way better then that pitiful meteor shower of yours…" announced Kai, trying to piss Takaru off, but Tsunade's son didn't paid any attention to the blonde. He was just observing the battle closely.

Ryu rather easily dodged all the bullets, but Karuto jumped back in order to avoid the attack. That was a mistake, for before he knew it, Sasuke appeared right behind him and after biting his finger, he perform a quick set of hand seals. Once he was done, he slammed his hand to the ground, yelling: 'Kuchiyose no Jutsu! Come forward… Manda!" and before anyone knew it a large anaconda with brown skin appear from the huge cloud of white smoke.

Being in mid-air, Karuto couldn't do anything more then just pick out his cards and threw them right at the gigantic snake. That attack didn't stopped the anaconda, which simply opened it's mouth and swallowed the card user in an instant.

"_This guy…_" thought Takaru, as his eyes widen. "_We had problems in even laying a finger on that red head and he just finished him off in less then a minute!_"

"_I see…_" Ryu looked at the snake. "_Well, he's better then I first thought…guess I'll have to use Mugenda…_"

"Your pal is gone…" announced Sasuke and he dispelled Manda and landed safely on the ground. "But I'll act merciful and spare your life, if you surrender that is…"

"You made a bad choice…" replied the swordsman calmly. "You should have killed me first. Now you'll witness what it means to fight with one of the seven swordsmen…" and with those words he raised his blade up.

----------

Naruto was backing away as Fugou unleashed a storm of punches and kicks at him. He saw many openings, but didn't counterattack.

"What, you heard about our secret and already you decided to surrender?" asked the kunoichi as she tried to break through the leaf-nin's defense. "This is only fun when you're fighting back! Prove yourself and defeat us, just like you intended to just a moment ago! Don't tell me that you lost the will to fight because of something so meaningless like our 'birth'!" and with that she finally landed a punch on Naruto's face, sending him flying at the wall.

Kouba instantly threw his shurikens at the blonde but the Leaf shinobi was able to catch them all with his hands. In stead of throwing them back though, he just dropped them to the floor.

"Why?" asked the blonde jounin, lowering his sight. "I won't believe you really wanted this… so why?"

"Boy, you're weird…" responded Kouba. "But fine, if that will make you fight back, I'll tell how we were created… then we'll finish this…"

"Kouba, this…" Fugou tried to argue, but was immediately silenced by her partner:

"He can do it… this is our chance… and that's the only way to make him fight back, it seems" and with that he turned to the blonde: "Listen carefully, whisker-marks. It all began the moment we became gennins…"

----------

Ryu aimed the top of his sword at the raven-haired ANBU. The leaf-nin just stood there, his face shown no emotions. Meanwhile Ibuki, Kumiko and Kusari became conscious and began asking Kai and Takaru questions about their savior.

"We don't know, okay?" replied the blonde gennin. "For now let's just say that he is on our side… though he has an unpleasant look…"

"He's kinda cute though…" began Kumiko.

"You realize he's at least twice as old as you, don't you Kumiko-chan?" asked Kusari with a little sadness in his voice. "Better stick to your age…" and with that he made some kind of a macho pose.

"_Uchiha…_" Ibuki repeated in her head. "_So he's the head of that famous clan? I thought the whole clan was wiped out years ago and the only, two survivals abandoned Konoha… so why is he here?_"

"You're quite annoying" announced Ryu, not even paying attention to the rookie gennins. "Forgive me, but I have to finish my assignment, so I won't play with you… especially after what you shown…" and before anyone knew it, the blade of the swordsman weapon increased its length.

In a fracture of a second, Sasuke drew a kunai from his porch and tried to block the blade. He manage to do that, but the impact tossed him at the wall behind him. As he smashed into it, dust went into the air. Everybody froze, looking at the dust disappearing and revealing the Konoha ANBU breathing deeply, but unharmed (_A/N: at least on the outside, coz the hit did some physical damage that wasn't visible_).

"How the hell…?" began Uchiha prodigy, but Ryu instantly interrupted him:

"I'm one of the Seven Swordsmen… our swords aren't simple blades… as far as I know you fought Kisame, so you should know. His blade consumed chakra… mine can lengthen as I desire…"

"I see…" replied Sasuke, as a smirk appeared on his face. "Seems you'll be a little harder to defeat then that red head..."

"No…' responded Ryu. "You won't defeat me, coz I'll end your life…" and once more the blade of his sword launched itself at the leaf-nin.

* * *

And this concludes this chappie. Please leave a review once you're done. 

Only jutsus used in this one are known from the manga/anime, so I'll skip the jutsu encyklopedia this time.

Before I finish however, there's one thing I'd like to wish you all:

_HAPPY HALLOWEEN!_

And now the best of luck and hopefully I'll see you with the next update.


	23. Final Move

**Shang:** Well, I had some connection problems lately, but it seems I made it for that one-week deadline I made myself, so... why are all of you guys here?

**Kai:** Well, we know that usually it's only one of us that make the interview, but since your birthday was just yesterday, we decided to stop by and wish you all the best! Kumiko-chan even made you a cake...

**Shang:** Oh... you guys shouldn't have... thanks... of course, this has nothing to do with the fact that the mission is at an end and more characters are going to appear soon, so you're scared about losing your 'main character' status, does it?

**Kusari:** NO!

**Kumiko:** Of course not!

**Ibuki:** What ever made you think that?

**Shang:** ... Thanks anyway. So, what do the reviewers want to know?

**Takaru:** Actually, I can't really see any questions... these are just 'good work' notes really... unless I'm missing something...

**Shang:** Well, the chapters should soon become longer... old crew is coming... Naruto's about to use the Kyuubi... with that I covered the issues that were haunting the readers of this fic from the beginning... so, at this point, I just hope you'll have fun reading this chapter and hope you'll leave me your opinion.

**NOTE TO 'Love, Demons and Bloodlines' READERS:** this one time I won't be able to upload newest chapters of all my fics together. But fear not, the work on fourth chapter has already began and next time I should be able to submit it.

**Chapter #23: Final Move**

**_Chapter Cover:_** this one would simply represent Sasuke with his arms crossed and an ANBU mask on the left side of his head.**  
**

"Listen carefully, whisker-marks" demanded Kouba. "It all began the moment we become gennins… and when the head of Fugou's clan went into conflict with the Kigakure leader…"

_**Flashback**_

"Father, why are we doing this?" asked eight-year-old Fugou. "You said that the leader of our village do not wish for our clan to be a part of the council…"

"Fugou…" began a man in his late thirties with long, blonde hair, falling freely on his back, dressing black. "There are things in shinobi world you'll have to know about if you wish to survive… the village leader can't find a use for our clan anymore… we were once the Hidden Tree top taijutsu users… but as the village grows bigger, our abilities are becoming useless… more over, your grandfather disobeyed the order… we must do anything that is in our power to keep the clan's good name… do you understand?"

"I think I do…" replied the young kunoichi.

Her father smiled at this as they both entered the Tree leader's office.

----------

"So your father became the member of the council?" asked young Kouba as he was laying on a tree branch near the Kigakure's administration building. "That's great news… your clan will remain one of the most important in the Hidden Tree…"

"I'm not so sure about that…" responded Fugou. "He doesn't trust the village's leader. He thinks your father still wants us out of the way… and he wants me to do it…"

"He was just kidding… I'm sure of that…" assured Kouba. "I mean… he's your father… he certainly wouldn't want you to take part in that experiment…"

"Yeah…" replied the young kunoichi with her head down. After a little while she raised her head and smiled at the brunette. "You're right…"

_**Flashback ends**_

"But unfortunately I was wrong…" concluded Kouba. "In the end Fugou's father forced her to be a laboratory rat… that's how she gotten power charms sealed in her bones… of course my father, the current Kigakure leader, seeing that the clan of his rivals gained a powerful weapon, couldn't allow himself to stay behind… that's how I was made…"

Naruto lowered his sight and stared at the floor.

"Soon after, still seeing my clan as a threat, Kouba's father ordered the ANBU to kill us all… except me…" Fugou continued the story. "Guess he didn't want to destroy a good weapon…"

"This is unacceptable…" announced the blonde jounin. "To do something like this…"

"We don't care" stated Kouba with an emotionless tone. "We made a deal… now let's finish this fight…"

"It was hard, wasn't it?" Naruto didn't even seem to pay attention to what the tree-nin just said. "Everyone looking with hate in their eyes… not accepting your existence… I know that pain… and I wouldn't wish it to my greatest enemy…"

"What the hell are you talking about?" asked Fugou as she activated her charms again.

"You guys…" replied the blonde jounin while raising his head. It was only then that the former tree-nins noticed his eyes turned red and the whisker-marks on his face seemed to become larger. "… are not the only ones that were 'created'…"

"You…" began Kouba. "Now I see… you're a Jinchuuriki, aren't you?"

"I carry a demon fox inside" responded Naruto simply. "I'm not like other humans… but I still am a human-being… just like you are…"

"You're too optimistic…" announced the black-hair. "We may look like humans, but we are not! We're monsters! And if we die, no-one will pity us! That's how it is… and that's how it'll always be… humans will never accept anyone that's different from them… so let's just do what we were created for… let's fight!"

----------

Sasuke jumped over the lengthen blade, which cut the tree behind him in two. He took a quick look at the falling oak and then performed a short chain of hands seals, ending it with a yell: "Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu!"

As a powerful, fireball headed right at the former, shinobi swordsman, Ryu stick his katana into the ground and performed a set of hand seals of his own. As he finishes, he stumped his foot to the ground and called out: "Suiton: Mizu Haretsu no Jutsu!"

Suddenly a huge water wave came from under the ground in the place Ryu's swords was stabbed. The tidal wave completely stopped Sasuke's fire attack.

"_So many seals…_" Kusari thought to himself after seeing Ryu's technique. "_And he performed them all in a fracture of a second… Can you even defeat a guy like that?_"

"Who's winning?" asked Kai, not even turning away from the fight.

"Hard to say…" replied Takaru. "It'd seem they're eventually matched… however, that sword guy always has his blade, where as that Sasuke fellow can rely only on his jutsus…"

"That sword is the biggest problem…" nodded Ibuki. "If there was something we could do about it, that ANBU guy could win…"

"Unfortunately I don't think we can…" responded Kumiko. "If we'll interfere, we'll only make things worst… my advice is to stay away… at least for now…"

----------

"_His speed increased multiply times…_" Fugou admitted to herself as she jumped away from the place where Naruto aimed his fist. As his punch connected with the floor, it lifted up tons of dust. "_That much chakra… there's no way we can withstand that!_"

The blonde jounin, surrounded with red chakra that shaped itself around him, adding him tails and long claws, looked with madness in his eyes at the former tree-nins, causing shivers to run down Kouba's spine.

The black hair began a new set of hand seals and when he finished, he slammed his hands to the ground, calling out: "Nekko Gyuujiru no Jutsu!"

Instantly roots shot out from the ground and began surrounding Naruto. Before he knew it, he was forced to the floor with the weight of the plants.

Kouba smiled under his nose but his smirk instantly disappeared as the leaf-nin's chakra exploded, thus freeing the blonde from the roots. Before he even noticed, Naruto appeared right behind him and gave him a strong hit in the back, sending him flying at the wall and crushing hard into it.

"_Damn it!_" cursed Fugou as she landed a powerful punch on Naruto's face. The blonde however seemed not to be effected by it. The only thing that proved the attack connected was the fact that the leaf-nin's head turned a bit due to the impact. "_This is bad…_"

Before she knew it, she was pushed away by Naruto's chakra hand and forced against the wall. As the chakra palm hold her tight, the blonde's real hands performed a quick chain of hand seals and with the final symbol electricity began surrounding the leaf-nins hands.

In a fracture of a second Naruto jumped to her and slammed his hands at her, calling out: "Raiton: Ikazuchi Dageki".

Fugou screamed in pain as electricity shot through her body. Soon after she lost consciousness due to the pain. Naruto then turned to his other adversary, who was just getting up from the hit against the wall he received few moments ago.

"_We underestimated him…_" he thought to himself as he looked at his fallen comrade with sorrow in his eyes. "_But at least your wish will be granted, Fugou… chan…_ " and with that he raised his gaze upon Naruto. "Finish this…"

The blonde jounin stared at the former tree-nin for a moment and then held out his hand. Instantly a huge orb of red chakra appeared in it and the leaf-nin charged at the black hair with a wild yell: "Kitsune Rasengan!"

----------

Sasuke dodged another cut lunched by Ryu, but the blade was coming at him once more, this time directly. The ANBU jumped into the air, thus avoiding the attack and landed on the lengthen blade.

Before the swordsman could react, the leaf-nin charged at him, running on the blade of his sword. As he was half-way through, he performed a quick chain of hand seals and when he was finished, he called out: "Katon: Ryuuka no Jutsu!"

Ryu's eyes widen as a powerful, fire breath was coming right at him. He instantly jumped to the left, thus dodging the attack and taking the 'ground' from under Sasuke's feet.

The ANBU however had no problems landing. He wasn't ready to dodge any attack though and thus another cut lunched by Ryu cut his torso. Sasuke jumped back just in time to avoid a fatal wound.

The leaf-nin forced his hand to his torso, trying to stop the blood that started to escape his body. He gave the swordsman an evil glare but his opponent didn't seem to be scared by that:

"Looks like Konoha ANBU's are overrated…" announced Ryu.

"Well, I guess I let this child's play for to long…" replied Sasuke. "I even got wounded… the dope activated his power… I can sense his chakra even here… so he'll be finishing soon… I should do the same…" and with that he performed another set of hand seals.

Instantly chakra began forming in his palm, surrounding it and creating sharp edges. Everyone who saw this, including Ryu, were totally stunted.

"_What the hell?_" Kusari's eyes widen. "_His chakra became visible all of a sudden! That's just like Naruto-sensei's Rasengan!_"

"This is the end…" announced Sasuke as he charged at the former mist-nin at an unbelievable speed, yelling: "Chidori!"

* * *

And with that the 23 chapter ends! To be honest, I was scared it wouldn't get that far with people still reading it. Great to know that you still like the story and hope you'll like what's in store for you.

I hope you'll leave me a review once you're done, coz I'd really like to know your opinion.

Now for the quick, jutsu encyklopedia:

_Suiton: Mizu Haretsu no Jutsu_ (Water Element: Water Explosion Skill) - a simple, water technique. The user first must make a whole in the ground. Then he has to send his chakra to the ground, which looks for any, underground water. Lastly, with the use of right seals, the chakra send to the ground pulls up tons of water in the form of a tidal wave. This jutsu can only be performed near a large, underground water source.

_Raiton: Ikazuchi Dageki_ (Thunder Element: Thunder Blow) - the user must first concentrate chakra into his hands and then, with the use of right seals, release it in the form of electricity. Thanks to that, the user can give anyone a powerful, electric shock by just touching the opponent with his hands.

_Kitsune Rasengan_ (Fox Rasengan) - the same as normal Rasengan, only much more powerful. Can only be performed with the use of Kyuubi's chakra.

_Katon: Ryuuka no Jutsu_ (Fire Element: Dragon Fire Skill) - a jutsu invented by Sasuke. A technique that sends a stream of fire towards the opponent, originating from the users mouth.

_Chidori_ (Thousand Birds) - This jutsu is Kakashi's sole original technique, originally formed for the use of assassination. The user, gathers such a large concentration of chakra in the hand, that it becomes visible. Pushing the limits of the body, the user charges forward, the chakra amount growing, as does the incredible speed. The chakra becomes so powerful, that it becomes similar to a blade, and is able to cut through nearly anything. The attack creates a constant 'chi' noise, sounding like a thousand birds advancing towards you. The jutsu gained its name from this sound. This jutsu gained the nickname 'Lightning Edge' or, Raikiri - When Kakashi cut a bolt of lightning in half using it. It is kinda surprising for me thought, that for this one, even though the usage should be similar, you need to perform seals (at least in the manga).

And that's that. Hope you enjoyed it and take care.

See ya on the next upload (hopefully).


	24. Human Being

**Shang:** Wow, I got over 200 reviews! I'm so happy! Thank you!

**Kai:** Well, don't think this leaves you of the hook! Shut up and listen... firstly, there's a question about who Naruto-sensei and that Sasuke guys acts around each other now... wanna comment that?

**Shang:** Well, you'll see. That's all I can say right now... sorry.

**Kai:** Okay, there's also a complain that nothing really happened in the previous chapter...

**Shang:** So you didn't saw Naruto using the Kyuubi and Kouba talking about his and Fugou's past as important, eh? Sorry then... I wonder if you'll be more satisfied with this one.

THANKS to everyone who review. I'm glad to know you like the story. Your advice were really useful and I hope you'll enjoy what's in stored... this is only the beginning.

Well, not much action in this one I'm afraid, but still this chappie is somewhat curtial for the whole mission part... plus, if you read carefully, you'll find out some details that can be useful in the coming part of the story.

Now, without further to do:

**Chapter #24: Human Being**

**_Chapter Cover:_** this one would show a frog fighting with a snake and a little in the background Naruto and Sasuke are the audiance**  
**

Naruto pushed forward his hand that was carrying the huge, red chakra orb with a wild yell: "Kitsune Rasengan!"

Kouba, not being able to dodge or block the attack just narrowed his eyes, waiting for the hit. However, to his surprise, Naruto's hand went right next to him and hit the wall, breaking it into million pieces.

The former tree-nin gave the blonde a puzzled look and only then did he noticed that his eyes returned to normal, sky-blue. "You missed on purpose…" he stated.

"Why…?" asked the blonde jounin, lowering his head.

"Are you asking why are we trying to kill that girl…" began Kouba. "Or why we search for death?" and with that last phrase his face become emotionless.

"Both, I guess…" replied Naruto with sadness in his voice.

"For the first one, I'm afraid I cannot tell…" responded the former tree-nin. "And when it comes to second… well, you should know very well why… The hatred… The loneliness… The pain… Humans are always divided by many things, but they can easily unite against someone that's different from them… they fight with each other, but they unite, to fight with other humans… an irony…"

"I still don't understand… knowing all that… why did they did this to you? I mean, your father… that girl's father… that's…"

"Humans are born to fight…" interrupted Kouba. "Guess it's just part of our nature… and since we're all warriors, it's only natural we wish to be good warriors… that's why people like us are created… humans want to created the perfect soldier, but when they achieve it, they realize that that soldier isn't human anymore… and so they make a decision to kill him or her… kinda pointless, isn't it?"

"Ninja's strength is measured by the fact he can kill someone…" Naruto recalled one of the shinobi believes. "Taking away life is supposed to be strength? Saving lives is way more difficult…"

"Humans always prefer to go on short-cuts…" announced Kouba. "That's also the reason we were created… you can gain strength by working hard… but receiving it in the way we did is so much easier… is it not?"

Naruto just lowered his head even more.

----------

"Seems that this battle is at it's end..." announced a male voice. The person who spoken was standing on a tree branch in the way the crown of the oak covered his figure with shadows. The only thing you could say about him because of that was the fact that he was rather short, had messy hair and that there was something shining red on his forehead. "What do you think?" and with that he turned to the other person that was with him.

The other figure was sitting with his legs crossed under the big oak. Shadow of the tree's crown was falling on him as well, but you could tell he was full of muscles from his posture. From the shape of his head you could assume he was bold, but the thing that was the strangest about him was the fact that there were ball flying around him.

"It is…" he replied shortly with a cold, metallic voice.

"I hate when you do that…" announced the one on the branch. "There's no conversation with you… you should stop being such an anti-social person, you know…"

"I didn't came here to chat…" responded the bold one. "I'm here due to our master's order and I don't feel like talking to you is needed to complete this mission… we stopped by just because you wanted to see the result of this fight… that's all…"

"Being partner with you is the major pain in the butt…" stated the shorter one. "But let's stick around until this battle ends for good…"

----------

"I was counting on you…" announced Kouba as Naruto backed away few steps. "With that demon's chakra you surpass us both… can't you fight like a shinobi?"

"Yeah, I know…" responded the blonde. "Shinobies fight to the death…"

"Then why won't you finish your battle?"

"Coz I'm not just a shinobi…" replied Naruto. "Above that I'm a human being… just like you are… just like that girl is… and humans deserve to live…"

"Humans, maybe…" nodded Kouba. "But, as I said, we're not…"

"YOU ARE!" yelled the blonde with his eyes turning red for a split second again. "Because being human doesn't have anything to do with your looks or abilities… to be worthy of the human title you just have to respect live… yours and others…" he got silent for a while and then continued: "Human or monster… who can decide that? Those who call other monsters just based on the first impression deserve that title as well… you are different, but we all are… that also makes us humans…"

"Respect for life?" repeated Kouba. "Both me and Fugou lost that long ago… we were created to fight… and that's what we did… guess that's also the reason why we followed Ryu: he accepted us for our abilities… we were needed…"

"Than all he saw in you were killing machines…" announced Naruto. "Fighting… it just can't be the only purpose to live…" he lowered his head once more. "I knew a person who thought like that… he fought only for himself… he thought he was alone… that even if he dies no-one would care… but it's not true… there's no such thing as unwanted life… when someone dies, his death will surely bring sorrow on somebody…"

"And who'd care about my life?"

"That girl, for example…" with that the blonde pointed Fugou who was still laying on the floor. "You are not alone… I know your pain… I suffered the same… and I do carry a demon inside… but that doesn't make me one… You aren't made a monster… you become one out of your own, free will…"

"Heh…" Kouba smirked as he walked towards Fugou. "Maybe there's some truth in what you say… guess we did became those by our own choices… every decision has it's consequences, doesn't it?" with that he lift Fugou up. "And once you make a choice you can never change your mind…"

"Yes you can…" interrupted Naruto. "People can change… all that is required is the will to do so… and it's never too late to change…"

"Uzumaki… Naruto…" recalled the former tree-nin as he turned to face the blonde. "You're an interesting guy… even though you seem dumb, you carry great wisdom with you… guess that carrying a demon inside can have a good side… But what now?"

"Leave…" said the leaf-nin with a little ordering tone. "You see that you cannot defeat me.. and I don't feel like taking away your life… especially since it's only just began…"

"I see…" Kouba smiled slightly. "I suggest you go save your students then… perhaps they're still alive…"

"No rush…" replied the blonde. "They should be fine… Besides I'll never forget this feeling… he's using THAT jutsu so his fight should be finishing soon as well…"

----------

"This is the end…" announced Sasuke as he charged at the swordsman with an incredible speed. "Chidori!"

"_Such speed…_" was the only thing Kumiko could think about at the sight of the ANBU running straight at Ryu.

"_I can hardly catch up with my eyes!_" Ibuki said to herself. "_Is he even human?_"

"_So this is ANBU level…_" Takaru stated in his mind.

Sasuke's hand went right through the swordsman chest, making his blood cover the area around them. Ryu began breathing heavily as a small smirk appeared on the leaf-nin's face.

"He got him!" announced Kai.

"_We couldn't defeat even one of them…_" Kusari reminded himself. "_And this guy finished them both in such a short time… all this… my training..._" his fist clenched. "_At this rate, I'll never… be able to find you… brother…_"

"Well, you're better then all the ANBU's I killed so far…" announced Ryu as he grabbed Sasuke's hand that pierced his chest with his left hand. "I'll die… however, I'm taking you with me…" and with that he aimed at the leaf-nins head with his huge sword.

* * *

And so the chpater ends... I know, kidna of a cliff-hanger... sorry... my exams are coming and before Monday I won't be able to update, but I believe that the 25th chapter should be submitted soon after. 

Hope you enjoyed this one and that you'll tell me your opinion about it.

No jutsus this time around, so the jutsu encyklopedia can be left out.

There's not much more for me to do then to just wish you a great week and hopefully till the next update.


	25. Happily Ever After?

**Kai:** Here we are to bring you another chapter of "Naruto: Next Generation"! With such a cliff-hanger I guess you really couldn't wait for this one (at least I hope so)… to bug you a bit more I planned the interview super long, but… there are no questions this time really!

**Shang:** Good, we can get straight to the story. Hope you'll like it, since this one closes the mission part. Enjoy and I do hope you'll let me know what you think of it.

**Chapter #25: Happily Ever After?**

**_Chapter cover:_** This time around it'll be simply Naruto feeding a baby fox with some meat

"Well, you're better then all the ANBU's I killed so far…" announced Ryu as he grabbed Sasuke's hand that pierced his chest with his left hand. "I'll die… however, I'm taking you with me…" and with that he aimed at the leaf-nins head with his huge sword.

Sasuke's eyes widen at the sight of the blade coming right at him. Due to the fact that his right hand was blocked, he couldn't dodge. Having no, other alternative, he reached for his hostel to pick out a kunai, hoping to block the katana with it.

The plan worked, however the knife was blow out of his hand (_A/N: to those who may see this as strange, do keep in mind that Sasuke used his left hand to block and he's right-handed… plus, Ryu's blade if freakin huge!_). The swordsman instantly aimed for the second cut, but once he lifted his katana up, it seemed to froze in place.

Sasuke instantly understood what happened when he saw the blade surrounded by a chain. Without wasting another moment he prepared his free hand and performed a quick set of hand seals.

"_What?_" Kumiko eyes widen. "_Single-handed…!_"

Instantly the same chakra that just few moments ago surrounded his right hand now appeared in his left palm. As soon as it did so, Sasuke launched another attack, this time aimed at the swordsman. It was instant death.

As Ryu's body felt to the ground, the ANBU left out a sign of relief. He gave Kusari a small smirk which the chain master returned.

"You actually needed my subordinates help to defeat your foes?" came a familiar voice. As the raven-haired ANBU look to the tops of the building he noticed a certain blonde standing on top of it. "You're getting old…"

----------

The next day Naruto woke up in an apartment with a wide window on the east side, from which he could see the mountain tops. The fight with the two, tree-nins tired him. Of course using the Kyuubi and opening celestial gates had their effects as well.

He took a shower and changed clothes. As he exited the room he found himself in the hallway of the royal palace. It was empty… then again, the hour was still rather early. He slowly walked towards the gardens where the battle took place. From what he saw, everyone was on their feet already.

"So what are you doing here?" asked Naruto, as he walked closer to his former teammate, looking at the sky.

"Kakashi send me to help you out" replied Sasuke. "And good thing I shown up… I see you're not even able to handle small fries like these…" he added with a grin.

"I was about to thank you, but now I feel like kicking your ass!"

"You think you have any chances?" asked the Uchiha prodigy with a smile.

"Aren't you forgetting that I was an ANBU too?" responded Naruto, returning the smile.

They both looked at each other and after a moment they shook each others hand.

"Good to see you, old friend…" announced the raven-hair ANBU.

"Indeed… it's been a while" nodded the blonde jounin. "How are Homura and Gouka doing?"

"Well, Gouka's starting the Academy this year… Sakura's delighted with it…"

"Excuse me, Sasuke-san, but there's one thing I'd like to ask you…" interrupted Takaru, walking closer to the adult shinobies. "How did you knew my name?"

Sasuke turned around to Naruto and whispered a bit surprised: "He doesn't know?"

"No, he doesn't" replied silently the blonde jounin. "And I think it's better if you wouldn't tell him… at least for now…"

"We'll have it your way" nodded the ANBU. "He's your student after all… but sooner or later you'll be forced to tell him…" and with that he turned to Takaru, saying: "Thanks to the Mangekyou Sharingan I'm able to read your mind… that's how I learned your name…"

"I… see" replied the son of Tsunade, lowering his head. "_Naruto-sensei still refuses to tell me anything… why is he keeping that to himself?_"

"Anyways, our job here is done…" announced Naruto. "Takaru, would you mind getting your teammates to pack their stuff? We're heading home…"

"I'm on my way, Naruto-sensei…" responded the scar-face as he slowly walked away.

"Well, I'll go ahead…" stated Sasuke. "I still have to talk to Kakashi-sama… plus new orders should be arriving soon… Guess I'll see you later…" and with that he disappeared.

"_You can be sure of that…_" replied the blonde jounin with a smile across his face.

----------

"Hope you'll pay us a visit from time to time, Kai-kun" announced Deji, smiling to the blonde gennin who was already carrying his backpack. "Little Kai should learn from whom he got his name…"

"I'll be sure to check on you…" replied Kai. "That's a promise!"

"_Seems that I made my first step to find you… brother_" Kusari thought to himself while holding a necklace with a small, silver kunai on it in his hands. Then he turned to his teammates. "_Why not? Maybe today's my lucky day?_" and with that thought he hid the necklace behind his short once more, walked over to his teammate and asked: "Kumiko-chan, how about we go on a date once we return to Konoha?"

"No way in hell…" replied the young genius coldly and then moved away from him.

"Give it a rest…" advised Ibuki. "You can tell she's not interested."

"Guess you're right…" sighed Kusari, but instantly a smile returned to his face: "How about you, Ibuki-chan?" and with that he made huge puppy-eyes to her.

"First of all: never call me 'chan'…" warned the weapon mistress. "Second: I'd rather die…"

Kusari lowered his head. A moment later, as he raised it, his sight stop, accidentally, on Kai. The blonde noticed that however and without even thinking, he yelled:

"Are you nuts? Stay away!"

"I'm not gay, pinhead!" yelled back the chain master and so the two of them gotten into another argument.

Naruto only sighed. Then again, he was a bit surprise: Kai was arguing with someone besides Takaru after all. He then looked at the son of Tsunade who was sitting on the side, awaiting for them to head back home. A worried expression crossed his face.

However it soon faded away as Takashi came closer to him. The blonde gave the Stone lord a quick bow, Deji's father nodded slightly and then said:

"Naruto-san, I thank you for the protection… not only my daughter's, but also my own. Recca and Deji are officially married. True that the ceremony didn't ended properly, but that was still enough…"

"Glad we could help…" replied the whisker-marks. "Now that Deji-sama and Recca-dono are husband and wife I do not think their lifes will be in danger… besides, I'm sure Tsuchikage will gladly organize proper security if it'll be needed… Well, we should get going… it's at least three days journey to Konoha from here… Best of luck to you, Takashi-sama…" with that he bowed and signaled his subordinates that they're leaving.

As they walked Kai and Kusari were talking about something. It seemed that their argument already ended. Takaru walked in front, not paying much attention to others and Kumiko was trying to fill-in crosswords during her marsh. Ibuki was walking next to Naruto, not saying anything.

Finally the young, weapon mistress decided to break the silence: "Are you worried, Naruto-sensei? You look troubled…"

He gave her a surprised look, but then remembered that she was from the Tanken clan after all. For assassins it was curtail to learn as much as they could about emotions, even though they hardly show it.

"One thing seems out of place…" he replied finally. "Those guys were hired. That's simple to figure out, because if they'd work on their own the whole masquerade wouldn't be needed. Since they putted on both Iwa and Ki forehead protectors we can assume that their goal was to keep the war between the Stone and the Tree going…"

"How's that?"

"Think about it: in order to stop the war, the children of the lords were obligated to marry each other. So what would happen if the Stone princess would be killed by a tree-nin? Her father would make suspicions that the Tree Country lord send assassins after his daughter. Same thing goes the other way around. But who, except the Iwa and Ki ninjas, would have any use of that war?"

"Maybe they were hired by Tsuchikage or Ki Gakure leader?" proposed Ibuki.

"Hardly possible…" Naruto disagreed. "Kataki was a missing-nin from the Stone and Kouba with Fugou were renegades from the Tree. No leader of a shinobi village would hire ninjas that left his or hers village. Besides, missing-nins aren't welcome in any, hidden village…"

At this point the weapon mistress run out of ideas.

"No point in thinking about it now…" announced the blonde jounin. "Our mission is over and now we can get our well-deserted rest…" and with that he smiled to the girl. But deep down he still couldn't shake the felling that trouble was coming.

----------

"So they failed…" said the figure with shinning red forehead.

"Told you they won't manage…" replied the bold giant.

"Well, this will make our job a little more difficult…" announced the short figure and soon after a smile appeared on his face. "But we'll get to have some fun that way…"

"Do hold yourself back this time, Rubiku…" asked the other person. "The slaughter you pulled up last time drew unneeded attention to us… if this repeats, the master won't be pleased…"

"We're just suppose to get the scroll…" reminded the short one. "And that's what we'll do…"

* * *

**_Coming up:_** strong shinobies appear in Konoha. Who are they? What's their objective? As Naruto's team prepares itself to face their greatest challenge yet, enemies gather forces. Chuunin Exam is about to begin! The real battle is only starting!

And with that the 25th chapter of this fic is done! Hope you enjoyed it and that you'll leave a review with your opinion.

Sorry to those who wanted Sasuke to die… couldn't kill him, coz he has a part to play here yet.

I think I'll be able to update this in a week or so, so until then:

Best wishes and till the next update.

Take care.


	26. Silence before the Storm

**Shang:** So it's me… again… So, before we start, it's time to find out what you asked and answer your questions (if it won't be too much of a spoiler). So, here goes… any minute now… just a moment… WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU?

**Naruto:** Oh yeah, Kai asked me to tell you he won't be able to make it… I'll do this… for once… but there weren't that many questions… practically all what the reviewers want to know is who were those two characters that appeared at the end of the mission…

**Shang:** I'd like to tell it to you, but… well, if I'd do so, it may spoil a surprise a bit… let me just tell you it wasn't the last time they appeared… there rest I'd like to keep to myself for now…

**Naruto:** Okay, last one is: what's Sasuke's relation with Takaru…

**Shang:** That's also something I planned to reveal later on… I can just tell you that a little bit of Takaru's past will be revealed during the exam… and all of it much later on (I'll just say that this fic is planned for many chapters)… those who think they can't wait that long (once more, Takaru's story is told MUCH later) say it and I'll think what to do… though I still would prefer to keep his story until Chuunin Exam ends…

**Naruto:** Yeah, some answers… you didn't really answer any of those questions, you know…

**Shang:** Sorry… I just don't want to spoil anything… besides, I can promise everything will be revealed in the right time…

**IMPORTANT NOTE:** Sorry to say this, but 27th chapter might take longer then a week to appear (actually, I'm almost positive about that). That's due to many tests I'll have during the coming month and the fact that I really have to update two of my other fics (at this point I'd like to invite you all to give them a shoot… the climate is similar to the one in this fic)… but I'll definitely release AT LEAST on more chappie before Christmas (unless something REALLY unexpected happens)… until then hope you'll enjoy this one:

**Chapter #26: Silence before the Storm**

**_Chapter Cover:_** Kakashi is sleeping under the tree with an "Icha Icha" book on his face and the Hokage headgear laying next to him

The sun started to look down at Konoha, as Naruto woke up from the most wonderful dream he had for years: he was the ruler of the Ramen Country! All the taxes were paid in ramen and went straight into his treasury. But the dream was over (just like in that old song) and it was high to time to get back to reality.

The jounin stretched himself and looked at the window. Surprisingly he saw a small, brown-feathered bird sitting on it. A little confused, he looked at the calendar. There was no doubt about it.

"How time flies" he told himself and got dressed.

---------

Naruto arrived at the Hokage office. He seemed to be the last one there. Most of the chuunins and jounins gathered there already.

"Finally you're here" said Kakashi, sitting on a throne-like chair with Konoha symbol on the prop. "I guess we can proceed to what you all were called here for. You all know the drill, so without further delays, may the leaders of the three, gennin rookie teams step forward?"

After hearing those words, Naruto walked forward. On his right walked a girl in his age with short, black hair. She worn a yellow shirt under which she had, in Naruto's opinion, a nice wreck (_A/N: not important for the story, but I guess male readers wanted to know about that_). She was wearing her headband around her neck On the sleeve of her shirt he spotted the symbol of her clan, but the thing that really drawn his attention were her eyes, which were completely white.

More to his right walked a man, a little taller then he was. His black hair was clipped in a ponytail (_A/N: pineapple like_), but a short one. He wore green fishnet shirt and a black t-shirt under it. In his left ear Naruto spotted three, golden earrings. The jounin had a toothpick in his mouth had his hitae-ate was on his left arm.

"A, yes" said Kakashi. "Well, you all know why you're here. Since your students became gennins only recently, I want to ask you if there are any shinobies in your cells that you'd like to recommend to participate in the coming Chuunin Selection Exam? Let's start from the right."

Naruto took a step forward, saying:

"I, Uzumaki Naruto, leader of the team consisting of: Tanken Ibuki, Murasakki Kumiko, Hagane Kusari, Gekido Takaru and Haisha Kai, taking full responsibility for my decision, I would like to recommend all five to participate in the Chuunin Selection Exam."

Then the girl stepped forward:

"I, Hyuuga Hinata, leading the team of: Inuzuka Tsume, Igaku Mikka, Benda Kokoro, Kobushi Galu and Hatake Senkou, taking full responsibility for my decision, I too would like to recommend all five to participate in the Chuunin Selection Exam."

Lastly, the toothpick guy walked in front, to say:

"The team lead by me, Nara Shikamaru, is formed from: Konpaku Rei, Rikoteki Kogane, Amagasa Toku, Gusoku Hanamaru and Debano Kitsune. Also I, taking full responsibility for my decision, would like to recommend all five to participate in the Chuunin Selection Exam."

"Interesting" announced Kakashi. "That sort of thing didn't happen since the time you three attended the exam for the first time. I hope you do keep in mind that the Chuunin Exam has changed a lot? It's not as easy as when you guys passed it."

"Hokage-sama…" replied Naruto. "I've completed many missions with my team. I ensure you that they're ready."

"This is troublesome…" added Shikamaru. "But we're the ones taking responsibility here. We certainly thought it over, before making the decision. Well, at least me and Hinata did for sure" at this point he stared at Uzumaki.

"Are you assuming something?" asked the demon vessel, staring back at Nara prodigy as a smirk appeared on his face. "You don't have to be worrying about my subordinates. I ensure you that they won't lose to yours."

"Guess we'll see about that" replied Shikamaru calmly, but also smiled under his nose.

"Well then, that covers this issue" announced Kakashi. "You three can go to give your student fill-in forms on which the details about the exams are mentioned. Just for your information, the exams will start a week from today. Now, may the jounin leaders of other, gennin teams step forward?"

The three jounins left the Hokage office.

----------

Hinata propped on the balcony and stared at the village. The sun was shining above it and the sunlight was deflected by many windows. She smiled as a light breeze hit her face. Then she looked to her right, as Naruto shown up.

"Long time, no see, eh Hinata-chan?"

"Yeah" she nodded. "It's been more then a year, hasn't it? But you don't seem to changed much. You're the same as always."

"Well you're, on the other hand, changing all the time" announced the blonde jounin. "I thought that the head of the Hyuuga have more important things to do then watch over a group of shinobi wannabes. Though those brats are pretty lucky to have you as a teacher…"

"Are you assuming that I'm going soft on them? If you are, then you can get in for a big surprise during the exams. Tell your subordinates, that they should watch out for Konoha team number four" she replied with a smile.

"You know that's not what I meant" Naruto defended himself. "After all, you're the one who combined the main and the branch families. Something like that required you to be tough."

"Tougher then you?"

"Don't push it" replied Naruto and a moment later they both burst out laughing.

"It's good to see you again, Naruto-kun" announced the white-eyed girl.

"Good to be seen" responded the blonde jounin. "I see that you even changed the way you dress. Good for you. Cheerful yellow suits you better then that depressive grey jacket you used to wear. Plus it's easier to see that you turned into a woman."

At those words the head of the Hyuuga blushed slightly. But immediately her expression changed into a suspicious one: "You mean it wasn't visible before?" she asked as a smirk appeared on her face.

"So here are the two love birds?" they suddenly heard a voice coming from behind. "In stead of flirting you guys should think about giving those fill-in forms to your subordinates. After all, they only have a week for preparation… all the training that's coming… how troublesome…"

"Since when you started to worry so much about other people business, Shikamaru?" asked Naruto without even turning around. "We haven't seen each other for such a long time and you start the conversation with a lecture? You're becoming like Shino…"

"Not a lecture" replied the lazy shinobi. "More like an advice. Once the exam will start, we'll have plenty of time to talk… unless you guys don't believe in your students…"

"Well, I guess you have a point" nodded the blonde jounin. "I see you guys in a week. I'd love to hear what you've been up since the last time I saw you!" and with that ramen-eating ninja was gone.

There was a short silence before Shikamaru decided to speak up:

"Still haven't told him, have you?"

"No…" replied Hinata. "Guess I still haven't gathered enough courage. That didn't change."

"Some things never change" announced the lazy shinobi. "Even when they should. It's kinda funny though: a kunoichi who successfully completed hundreds of S-rank mission can't find courage to say three words…"

"Maybe it's funny to you…"

"I know, I know…" replied Shikamaru. "But you really should dare to do it. Even a lazy bump who doesn't like interfering in other people's business like me can't stand the fact that you two aren't together. Naruto's too dumb to figure out so you must do the first step" with those words he looked at Hinata who lowered her sight. "Anyways…" he started, putting his hand on her shoulder. "… good luck… I guess I'll see you later. Take care…" and with those words he left.

"_Maybe someday I'll find enough courage…_" Hinata thought to herself as she sighed and went on her way to give her students application forms.

----------

Meanwhile on the outskirts of the Konoha two, mysterious figures observed the Leaf village from a nearby mountain.

"We haven't been here for a while, have we, sis?" asked the first person.

"Yeah…" replied the other figure with a female voice. "But this place wasn't changed that much… how long has it's been…?"

"Lets see… over three years I guess" announced the first voice.

"A long time" nodded the female. "Well, I believe it's high time to remind the leaf-nins that we're still alive. What'd say, bro?"

"You read my mind…" replied the man as they both head towards the Hidden Leaf.

* * *

And this concludes this chapter. Hope you liked it. Please, leave a review once you're done... it'd really make my day. 

Best wishes and hopefully till the next update.

Bye.


	27. The Arrival part I

Okay, to get myself going this time around: I heard that we're not allowed to answer reviews directly. That's why I invented the interview thing, but right now I'm still a bit scared to answer them even in this way, so as a result, I'll be answering your reviews via e-mail or in any, other way possible (still the idea of interview isn't dropped and perhaps I'll continue it despite to what I wrote above, but wanted to warn you just in case).

There weren't many questions last time around, so I'll just announce that many OC's will be appearing during the coming chapters and most of them will play a part in the story... however I promise to make a list of all of them soon (around chapter 29 or 30 when all, new shinobies will make their appearance)... for now (coz I don't want to spoil too much) I hope you'll be able to get used to them.

**IMPORTANT NOTE:** being busy at collage right before Xmas there's a possibility that this chappie will be the last one publish this year (still have two, other fics to update before Christmas too). It's not official but be prepared that you may have to wait for the 28th chapter till January. Sorry for that.

Now, let's get to the story:

**Chapter #27: The Arrival – part I**

**_Chapter Cover:_** Shikamaru and Naruto are playing chess in the park and the lazy jounin owes the blonde... naturally**  
**

The five shinobies stood on a cliff near the village gates. They had Kusa Gakure forehead protectors and they were looking at their destination with interest.

"So this is the famous Konoha?" asked the blonde guy with a black and white bird mask on his face. He was wearing a black suit with green waistcoat. You could easily spot a long chain ended with a huge blade tied to his belt, where also his forehead protector was placed. "To be honest, it's not very impressive. Moreover, those faces on that mountain are so cliché…"

"We didn't came here to admire the village, Taka…" reminded a young girl with short, blonde hair, wearing a small, blue shirt. "We're here to test their ninjas. Besides, whether you're impressed or not, you shouldn't forget our true reason for being here…"

"I know, I know…" ensured the bird mask. "But are you sure you want to do this, Hizoku?"

The one asked was a medium-height boy with long, spiky, red hair, clipped in a ponytail that was falling on his back. He was wearing a black shirt with short sleeves and a grey waistcoat on it. You could also spot a strange-looking spear on his back. He wore his hitae-ate on his left arm.

"Whether I want to or not… I have no choice in this matter…" replied the red head.

A small rat climbed on top of his female comrade who had medium-length, brown hair and green eyes. She was wearing a white shirt with a black, kanji symbol for 'pest' on the back and had her headband on her forehead. The girl looked at the rat on her head and then spoken:

"Hamaru's right… it's risky… we should do this before the final exam…"

"Well then…" the last of the five, a boy who's face as well as the whole body, was hidden under a black jet robe with a hood, cut in. "… this exam may be interesting then…" and with that the five grass-nin headed towards the Hidden Leaf.

----------

"So, the exam starts in six days…" reminded Naruto as he walked with his hands behind his head. "You gave your students fill-in forms yet?" he asked his companion.

"I've planned to do it today…" replied Hinata. "If I'd do it too soon, Senkou will keep on pushing to train all day long… as well as Galu…"

"Yeah, I heard about those two a bit…" nodded the blonde. "Senkou was the third best in the Academy, right? But if I recall he got beaten by one of your other students, wasn't he…?"

"Yes…" nodded the girl. "Kokoro was the second. But it surprises me that he didn't made it as the best… he is of the Benda clan after all… they always finished the Academy as best…"

"Things change…" reminded the loud mouth. "You should know that by now… well, I'm off to give my students the fill-in forms, I advice you do the same…" and with that he started to walk away but stopped after making a few steps and turned to her once more: "Em… Hinata… since when our students will enter the exam we'll have some free time… what'd you say if we… well, um… you know… go somewhere… together? We could recall old times…"

"_Did he just… asked me out?_" the head of the Hyuuga was both happy and surprised. After a longer while she was able to reply with a slight blush: "I'd love to…" and with that she gave the blonde a warm smile.

"See you in six days then…" he responded and with that he was gone.

The white-eyed girl smiled widely as she slowly walked to the meeting spot where her students already waited for her.

----------

Shikamaru was slowly walking through the town with an old friend. The man to his left was a chubby fellow long, a little spiky, brown hair and round, shell-looking tattoos on his cheeks, wearing a black shirt and a samurai-like armor on it (_A/N: sorry, but describing this guy was always hard for me…you should know who it is already, so I can say that his design it practically the same as in the newest, manga chapters… if you wanna see how he looks, you should read chapter 283_). The man was carrying a bag of potato chips from which both of them ate.

"So, you decided to enter your subordinates into this years exam, eh?" asked the chubby man. "How do you think they'll do?"

"You're mostly interested in Hanamaru, aren't you?" replied the lazy jounin with a question.

But before the other man could answer, they both stopped walking and Shikamaru performed a quick set of hand seals, extending his shadow towards the nearby corner. "_Kagemane no Jutsu…_" he thought to himself as a figure jumped from the corner and onto the street.

But it was the thing the chubby man needed. Enlarging his right hand he aimed a powerful blow at the figures head but stopped just a before the fist connected with it's face as he realized who it was.

The figure turned out to be a girl around their age, only a bit older. She had long, blonde hair, clipped into four ponytails. She was wearing a violet dress with an armor on, similar to the one the chubby jounin had. What caught the most attention in her was a huge fan attached to her back. She had a Sand forehead protector around her neck.

The kunoichi smiled slyly as Shikamaru walked towards them. "So, you're here already?" he asked the sand-nin. "So I guess you're leading a gennin team too…"

"Coz…" replied the girl. "And since I finally got a chance to visit the town, I've decided to pay you a visit… how's it's been, lazy ass?" she asked with a smile.

"I'll leave you two, love birds to yourselves…" announced the chubby jounin. "See you during the exams, Shikamaru…" and raising his hand in a goodbye, he walked away.

"Well, that guy didn't changed much… Chouji, wasn't it?" asked the kunoichi.

"Yeah…" nodded the lazy jounin. "Glad to see you again, Temari… Is your brother here as well?"

"He is… but I have no idea where… he's probably training with his students…"

"Shouldn't you train with yours? The exam is only six days away…"

"I'm not worried about them… they're strong… probably stronger then Gaara and us were their age… and guess what, I've got Torune on my team… she grew quite a bit since the last time you saw her…"

"So she's here?" Shikamaru tried to hide his happiness, but was failing at it. "But I won't bother her right now, she's got more, important things to do… I'll surely like to talk to her though…will you guys be staying for a longer while?"

----------

Another kunai hit the bulls-eye of a target places on a straw dummy. The one who was throwing appeared to be a boy around fourteen years of age. He had medium-length, spiky, brown hair, clipped in a short ponytail. He was wearing a tide, black dress with a brown waistcoat on it, which was filled with hostels for weapons. He was carrying a long stick on his back and had a Konoha hitae-ate on his forehead. He was exercising since early morning and not once had he missed the bulls eye.

"Why are you even practicing throwing, Funbo-kun?" asked a girl with really long, black hair, clipped in a ponytail, who was sitting on a branch of a nearby tree. She was wearing a red and black dress. She had big, blue eyes, a boomerang attached to her back and a headband with a leaf symbol on her forehead. "You never miss unless the target moves and even if so, it's still likely for you not to hit it…"

"You know that in his clan using weapons is the most basic ability…" reminded a girl with long, brown hair who was meditating with her eyes closed. The girl had bandages on both her hands and was hearing an orange shirt with short sleeves (_A/N: kinda like the one Neji used to wear_) and she had her hitae-ate on her forehead. "He must came to perfection in it… especially since the rules of succession in his clan are like they are…"

Right next to the girl laid a boy, propped under the tree. His eyes were closed as well, but he wasn't meditating. He had short, spiky, black hair and was wearing a red dress with a black kanji symbol for 'eye' placed in a yellow circle on its back. He had his forehead protector in the same place his teammates did.

"Akira-kun, wake up!" ordered the girl on the branch. "We're supposed to be training! The exams will soon start and…"

"Give it a rest, Taki…" came a voice from a branch of another tree. There, propped with one hand on the tree, stood another boy with short, light blue hair. He was wearing a long, white dress with blue decorations on it. He had his headband on his forehead as well. 'You should know him by now…" but he suddenly stopped talking.

"Few meters to the north from our location…" announced the one called Akira. The one who was looking like he was sleeping. "They're either very bad at covering their presence or so confident they don't bother trying… Hitomi, would you mind checking them out?"

The girl that was meditating instantly opened her eyes, which were completely white. After performing a short set of hands seals, veins appeared around her eyes as she looked in the direction her teammate told her to. "Five people… seem around our age, but they're not from the Leaf… two girls and three guys… there's something unnatural about those three, but…" she paused, not sure what to say about what she saw. "They're sand-nins and will show up about… now…"

And then , as on queue, five sand-nins came into view. The one who led the way was a boy about a year younger then them. He had short, spiky, black hair. He was wearing black and had his hitae-ate on his left arm. What seemed strange about him was the fact that he carried a wide backpack and a big scythe. His eyes were bloody red.

The second boy was completely covered in bandages and only his big, green, left eye was visible from under them. He was bending over a bit and was wearing a violet top with wide sleeves. Funbo noticed some shurikens and kunais wrapped here and there under the bandages.

The third boy had long, white hair and purple eyes. He was wearing a jet white robe with wide sleeves and his skin was extremely pale. The leaf-nins didn't spot any weapon hostels on his dress or body.

The shorter of the girls had long, red hair and was wearing black with no sleeves. She wore her forehead protector as a belt, but what drew the attention in her was a big, wavy blade attached to her back.

The last of the sand-nins was a girl with long, blonde hair, wearing purple and orange dress. She had her headband around her neck.

"What do you want?" asked Funbo coldly as he got back to his throwing practice. "I suppose you're here for the exam… coz if not, we'll be forced to imprison you…"

"Interesting…" replied the one in bandages. "And you think you'd manage?"

"Tarakudo… don't start…" asked the blonde kunoichi. "We aren't looking for trouble…"

"To speak more clearly, we wanted to train a bit as well…" finished the black-haired boy. "And you seemed like a worthy, sparring partners… and a good, measuring stick… give me your best shot…" he said while grabbing his scythe. "And maybe you'll have the honor to join my 'collection'…"

"Not again…" sighed the red-head. "Takai, don't you remember what the sensei said?"

"I care not…" replied the boy. "I wish to test my life… again…" and with that he came at the leaf-nins.

* * *

And this concludes this chapter. Hope you liked it. Please leave a review with your opinion once you're done. In the spirit of Christmas. 

The only jutsu used this time was Kagemane and I believe you know about it just as much as I do... just to make sure I'll remind that it should be translated as "Shadow Bind Skill" and it allows the user to force the opponent to copy his moves as long as their shadows are together.

Now, in case I won't be able to update before this year ends:

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!

Till the next update, hopefully.


	28. The Arrival part II

Okay, before I start I just want to assure you that there won't be too much trouble with the Chuunin Exam and the fact that teams are now five-maned. When I finished making team 7 and noticed it consisted out of five gennins, I made changes in other teams as well. That resulted in the fact that you should prepare yourselves for many (and I mean MANY) OC's appearing in the coming chapters, but the Chuunin Exam was changed in the way it'll be suitable for five member teams.

ANNOUNCEMENT: okay, so one of the readers decided to draw few chapter covers as well. If you wanna see it, then here's the deal: I placed the link on my profile page (along with the link to the previous one) so all you need to do is go there. It's also the place were I'll place the links to all the chapter covers that'll be drawn (but I'll inform you if new one appeared). Go check it out and if you're an MT member, do leave a comment under it.

**IMPORTANT NOTE:** my exams are coming and I REALLY need to sit down and study, so I don't know when chapter 29 will be release (it probably will take longer then a week, sorry), especially since it'll be longer then those you read so far. Sorry for that, but I'll do my best to submit AT LEAST one more chapter before Febuary.

Now, lets go to the show:

**Chapter #28: The Arrival – part II**

**_Chapter Cover:_** simply Hinata eating ramen at the Ichiraku

"There's no way we're gonna believe that excuse, Naruto-sensei!" yelled Kusari, as he pointed a finger at his teacher. "You're late!"

"I'm telling the truth…" assured the blonde jounin. "I've decided to sign you guys for the coming Chuunin Selection Exam… here are your application forms…" and with that he handed them five sheets of paper.

"You think we're ready, Naruto-sensei?" asked Kumiko a bit troubled. "I heard that this exam is really hard… you may even lose your life…"

"Both from the above are true…" nodded the whisker-marks. "But I'm confident in your abilities… I'm sure you'll do fine… however, you won't be the only, talented shinobies at the exams, so keep your guard up…"

"We're so gonna rock!" announced Kai as he raised his hands to the sky.

"You're too confident…" reminded Ibuki. "Did you already forget what Naruto-sensei just said? Many, skilled leaf-nins are gonna take part too…"

"Not only shinobies from Konoha are gonna participate" informed the blonde. "Gennins from allied countries will come to take the exam as well. You can expect teams from the Sand, Grass, Rain, Waterfall, Moon… well, I could count few more…"

"This sounds interesting…" announced Takaru as he took his fill-in form.

----------

Takai aimed his scythe at Funbo's head; the leaf-nin however instantly picked out his stick and blocked the attack with it. The sand-nin backed away his weapon and attacked again, just to find his assault blocked once more.

Their weapon clashed few more time, before Funbo counter attack. Takai was able to block it, but the impact was so great that it send his scythe back. That was all the leaf-nin needed.

He immediately propped the top of his stick in the ground and jumped into the air. He then launched a kick at Takai's face which connected and send the sand-nin flying back.

The black-hair used the blade of the scythe to stop and safely landed on the ground few meters away. He gave the leaf-nin both a death and happy glare as he slowly stood up again. "Yes… you'll be a good add-on to my collection…" he announced.

"_What's with that freak?_" Taki asked herself as she stared at the black-haired sand-nin.

As Takai charged at Funbo once more, Hitomi appeared between them and going into her fighting stance, she called out: "Jyuken po Hakke. Rokujuyonsho!" and with that she launched two attacks on the sand-nin, both aimed at his tanketsu points.

"Hakke Nisho!" called out Hitomi as her attack connected and her speed increased. "Yonsho! Hassho! Jurokusho! Sanjunisho!" her attacks kept getting faster and more painful. "Rokujuyonsho!" and with that last call Takai felt back and rolled on the ground for few meters.

All of the four sand-nins stood there in shock, seeing their teammate being defeated rather easily.

"I just closed all of your tanketsu points…" announced the white-eyed girl. "You won't be able to use your chakra for a while, not to mention that you'll have trouble moving…" but her words froze in her throat as everyone observed Takai getting back to his feet with easy. "_How is this possible? He doesn't seem to be hurt at all!_"

The black haired boy started laughing as the leaf-nins noticed white chakra coming from every part of his body. Once the sand-nin raised his head, Konoha shinobies saw his eyes, which were now shinning red.

"_That's impossible…_" the one with light, blue hair said to himself. "_Did Hitomi miss his points? And what's with that chakra? It's like…it isn't human!_"

"Dammit!" yelled Taki as she grabbed her boomerang and ran right at the scythe user. But then she felt her arm being grabbed from behind.

"It's not nice to interfere is someone's battle…" came a voice and as she spun around to hit the one who grabbed her arm with her boomerang, she noticed it was the sand-nin, the one in bandages.

Taki's eyes widen as she saw how the sand-nin avoided her attack. He bended back in the way his body from his belt to the top of his head were now parallel to the ground.

"_In most cases your spine would broke after performing something like that…_" figured the light blue-haired leaf-nin. "_Who are those guys?_"

Just then the bandaged one bended back even more, propping his hands on the ground. A moment later his feet left the surface and kicked the boomerang that Taki was still holding, out of her hand. The weapon flew into the sky.

"You guys are pathetic…" announced the one in bandages. "I was hoping for something more… guess we'll just finish this…" but then he felt a kunai being placed near his throat. It was the one called Akira.

"How do you like it, when someone attacks you from behind?" asked the leaf-nin, his eyes still closed. "You come all the way from the Suna and start a fight with us… do you really want us to get serious?" and with that he nodded in Taki's direction.

The girl just held out her hand to the sky and surprisingly to everyone, her boomerang just flew right back to her hand. She aimed her weapon at the sand-nin's head and threw it, but it never reached its target.

Both the Leaf and Sand shinobies turned their head in the direction of a nearby tree, under which stood a man that intercepted Taki's boomerang. He had black hair in an afro-like haircut and his eyes were hidden behind round sunglasses. He was wearing light green overcoat and had a huge scroll attached to his back. He had the headband with the Leaf symbol on his forehead.

"Since you're from the Hidden Sand, I figure you're here for the exam…" announced the man, looking at the sand-nins. "That makes you Konoha's guests… shouldn't you play nicely then? Those kids you picked a fight with are going to participate in the exam as well, so why not wait with the fun until the exam begins?"

"And why should we listen to you?" asked Takai, giving the man a death glare.

"Because if you won't listen to me, I'll be forced to knock you out… and you'll be banned from the exam… the Kazekage won't be happy if that happens, would he?"

The black-haired stared at the man for a while and then placed his scythe on his back once more. "Tarakudo, let's go!" he called the bandaged one.

As the sand-nins walked away, Takai turned around to the leaf-nins and announced: "This was just a warm up… I'll see you during the exams…" and with that he was gone.

Once the sand-nins were out of sight, Funbo's eyes turned to the man who was still holding Taki's boomerang. "Why did you interfere… Shino-sensei?"

"Funbo, the exams will start in few days…" replied the one called Shino. "You should save your strength for then… besides, it's not wise to reveal your secrets to the enemy. Now those sand-nins know about Hitomi's abilities and can think off a way to withstand it…"

"That black-haired seemed to be immunite to it anyway…" reminded the white-eyed girl.

"Yes, that is strange…" nodded the jounin. "But don't worry about it now… let's begin your training…"

----------

Kakashi was walking through Konoha streets along with Iruka. The Leaf leader observed many, foreign shinobies that already reached his village.

"So, how many teams will participate this year?" asked the Rokudaime and the chuunin instantly reached for his notebook.

"Let's see…" he began. "Along with the three, rookie teams, there'll be twenty five teams from Konoha, fifteen from the Sand, ten from the Rain, six from the Hidden Metal…" the scar face kept going but at that moment the Hokage stopped listening.

Kakashi turned around after the six, hooded man who just walked pass them. He sensed that their chakra was unnatural. And surprisingly strong.

"Kakashi-sama, is everything alright?" asked Iruka, noticing that the Leaf leader wasn't listening.

"It's… fine" replied the Sharingan user still not turning to his chuunin companion. "_That chakra just now… what was it?_"

Just then the tallest one of the six, hooded man raised his head, thus revealing his yellow, cat-like eyes. He didn't bother to look back at the Rokudaime. He just smiled under his nose and whispered to himself: "So, you'rrrrrre expecting something, arrrrren't you, Kakashi? Too bad you can't do anything just yet… and once the exams will starrrrrrt, it'll be too late…"

* * *

And that ends chapter 28. Hope you liked it. Please leave a review once you're done. It'd mean a lot. 

Now for a quick, jutsu encyklopedia:

_Hakke Rokujuu Yonsho_ (Sixty-four Points Hands) – jutsu used by the Hyuuga clan. Using a highly advanced form of Byakugan, the user is able to see the Chakra Holes on a person's body, and using the Gentle Fist - closes the Chakra Holes with quick blows, stopping the flow of chakra through one's body.

And that's that I believe.

Hope that this year that came will be better then the previous one for you all.

Keep warm and hopefully till the next update.


	29. Encounter

**IMPARTANT TO ME:** usually I don't do things like that but I just read an e-mail from a friend and decided to break my habits. I'd like to dedicate this chapter to a friend who's grandmother is in bad health (she'll know who I mean). Hang in there and hope that your grandma's pain is only temporary.

**QUITE IMPORTANT SO I THINK YOU SHOULD READ THIS:** being a bit depressed with the number of reviews I've been receiving lately, I've decided to slow things down. To put it simply my exams are killing me and trying to keep up with four fics (not to mention that I'm helping some of my friends to write theirs) I've decided that unless the interest in the fic is satisfactory, I won't update. To put it simply: you wanna know what happens next, then let me know you do. Also, due to the exams, I probably won't be able to update until February… but it's not official (I won't be able to update before Monday, that's for sure and after that it depends of how much free time I'll be able to dig out). So if you want me to spend my free time writing next chapters of this fic, let me know.

Also I've decided to answer some of your questions here, coz they're not such a big secret and the answers might be interesting to all the readers. To do that I've borrowed the idea of RaineJoybringer (whose stories I highly recommend). Hope you don't mind.

**Question:** Is Takai a Jinchuuriki?

**Answer:** Nope. I've decided that the new generation of shinobies won't have them (if you want to read my fic with a lot of Jinchuuriki you should check out "Shinobi Showdown"). Takai's case is a bit different, but it'll be revealed in the proper time.

**Question:** Will there be a flashback about how Sasuke was brought back or is it starting from a different point?

**Answer:** Actually every event that happened before Kakashi's Gaiden (and few afterwards) are those that happened, so Sasuke DID go to the Sound. And yes, an explanation how he got back to Konoha is planned (as well as few, other events that were pointed out or mentioned during the story… almost everything has it's reason in this fic).

A bit of a warning for all you readers: MANY OC's will be appearing in this chappie. At first it was supposed to be two parts, but then I've decided to put it together so you'll know all the characters that will play some part later on. To make it easier I placed a list of the teams and the names of the characters (who you learned already, because those who names weren't revealed are staying anonymous, sorry), so if you get confused, you can always check the bottom. Of and for the record, I didn't based my snow-nins on the movie (they were invented before I even saw it).

Last thing before I start: new chapter cover was drawn by Hana Ku, so if you wanna know the link, it's on my profile page.

Now, without further to do:

**Chapter #29: Encounter**

**_Chapter Cover:_** Kusari is dressed like a cowboy and he's using his chain like it is a lasso

"Wow, it's like the whole Konoha's here…" noticed Kusari when he and his team arrived at the big square where the first Chuunin Exam was supposed to begin. "Only most of the people gathered aren't leaf-nins…"

The crowd around them was huge. People of all ages seemed to came. Ibuki looked around slowly and noticed few shinobies from Hidden Sand, Grass, Rain, Waterfall and even less famous villages, as Hidden Snow or Hidden Metal..

"And they all seem rather strong…" added Kumiko quietly.

"Chill, Kumiko-chan!" yelled Kai. "We'll kick everyone's butt and become chuunin faster then you could say 'shinobi'!"

"Funny you're the one saying that, loser" they all heard a voice. As they turned in the direction the voice came and saw a team of five, leaf-nins, that seemed their age. The one who spoken was a boy with silver hair, wearing a violet, ninja outfit (_A/N: kinda like the one Kakashi wears_). His mask covered his mouth and his eyes were brown. The hitae-ate with the Leaf symbol was on his forehead. "Especially since you're probably one of the weakest around here…"

"And you seem too confident for me… Senkou" replied Takaru, who came in front of his group. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but you shouldn't take Kai lightly…"

Kai looked at the new arrivals, trying to recall what he knew about them:

_Hatake Senkou…_ he thought when his gaze stopped at the silver-haired boy. _The son of the current Hokage, one of the best students in the Academy. He thinks that he's undefeated and looks down on everybody. I hate that guy._

_Igaku Mikka…_ now he looked at a girl with medium-length, black hair, clipped in a short ponytail and green eyes, wearing a light violet shirt with short sleeves and a yellow sun on the back. She wore her forehead protector around her neck. _A silent girl who rarely speaks. When I look at her, she turns around. I don't know much about her._

_Kobushi Galu…_ with that he glared at a boy with spiky, black hair and blue eyes, wearing a green, sleeveless shirt and black pants. You could also spot metal protectors on both his arms. He carried his headband on his left arm. _This guy is a loner. He seems confident in his abilities, but that's everything I know._

_Inuzuka Tsume…_ this time his eyes stopped at a girl with short, messy, brown hair, two, red, fang-like tattoos on her cheeks, hazel eyes, wearing a blue shirt and grey pants. Her hitae-ate was located on her forehead. Kai also noticed a small, brown-furred dog around her feet. _The heiress of the famous Inuzuka clan. She's awfully loud and always carries her mutt, Uramaru, with her. Talking bout your everyday weirdo._

_Benda Kokoro…_ finally his sight stopped at a blonde with short, straight hair and blue eyes, wearing a black and white outfit with no sleeves on top. He was using his headband as a belt. _A rather quiet guy, who always seems to know what you wanna say. He seems to be a good guy, but I don't know him that much._

"Seems that this year all Konoha rookies will take part in the exam then…" announced Galu, as he pointed in a certain direction.

Takaru started to turn around, but before he was able to complete that task, a girl with short, blonde hair and hazel eyes, dressed in blue and yellow dress jumped on his neck, cheering: "Takaru-kun, I'm so glad to see you! We've been so long apart!"

"Kogane, you should keep it down…" advised a boy with medium-length, black hair, clipped in a ponytail, wearing a fishnet and a blue waistcoat on it. He wore short, black pants and his hitae-ate, with the Leaf symbol, was on his left arm. "They are our potential opponents, you know…"

"So, you guys too, eh?" asked Tsume.

"It's a free world and anyone who's gennin can participate in this exam…" announced a boy with spiky, blonde hair and hazel eyes, wearing an orange and white outfit with short sleeves. He was also carrying a wooden umbrella on his back and his hitae-ate was located on his left arm.

_Amagasa Toku…_ Kai said to himself as he glared at the blonde boy with the umbrella. _He's always carrying that umbrella! I don't know much about him. Not my type of guy._

_Rikoteki Kogane…_ this time he looked at the girl hanging around Takaru's neck who had her headband used as a belt. _Kumiko's arch rival when it comes to looks. She and her were the most popular girls at the Academy. She's a huge Takaru fan and likes arguing._

_Debano Kitsune…_ now his sight stopped at the boy wearing fishnet. _A guy who thinks he's the smartest of all. He has a sleepy voice and always carries his hands in his pockets._

_Konpaku Rei…_ his gaze went to a girl with long, brown hair, clipped in a ponytail, with many, colorful marking on her face. She was wearing a brown, Indian-like dress and seemed to be fighting with her sleep. Her hitae-ate was on her forehead. _Extremely lazy girl, who doesn't seem to have enough interest in anything! And her snoring can drive a guy crazy!_

_Gusoku Hanamaru…_ finally his eyes rested on a chubby boy with spiky, blonde hair, wearing a white and red outfit with a huge, golden shield attached to his back. His headband was also located on his forehead. _He's always eating something. Plus, he smells! So there!_

"H… hello…" Mikka bowed slightly at the new arrivals.

"So, we're all here, eh?" stated Senkou. "How interesting…"

"From what I've heard, we're the only rookies this year…" announced Kokoro. "I know you guys wouldn't want to hear about it, but you shouldn't be so happy… this will be way more difficult then you expect…"

"Whatever…" replied Rei, as she got back to looking at the ceiling. Kai had a strange impression that she was sleeping while she stood.

"Chill, Kokoro" added Tsume. "We trained hard and we're not your everyday weaklings..."

"Then why is your voice so unsure?" asked her blonde teammate.

"Hey, I didn't gave you permission to spy on my…" began the dog ninja, but she was instantly quiet down by Senkou:

"That's enough, Tsume… leave your energy for the exam…"

----------

"So, is that the brat?" asked a hooded figure, standing near the wall along with his teammates. Three of them were wearing a black robes with hoods, that covered their heads, just like him. The last one was wearing w straw headgear and a red and white, Chinese male outfit. His head was lowered, so you couldn't see his face.

"Looks like it…" nodded the other, hooded man, the tallest of them all.

"He doesn't look much, if you ask me…" announced the third figure with a rough voice.

"Looks can be deceiving, Fuma…" reminded the fourth, hooded figure, with a female voice.

"His skills play no part here…" stated the one wearing headgear. "Our mission is clear…"

----------

"Rookies…" sighed Funbo, who was observing the young leaf-nins with his team from one of the corners. "Guess it can't be helped…"

"Could your irritation have anything to do with the fact that your sister's standing with them?" asked Taki with a smirk.

"Give him a break…" Akira cut in. "And you, Funbo, should relax… so what if they're cheerful? I think it's a good way to prepare yourself for the hardships that awaits us…"

"Well, their yelling is getting on my nerves a bit…" announced the one with blue hair. "I just hope that they're stronger then they look. What do you think, Hitomi?" and with that he turned to the white-eyed girl.

She didn't answer. All she did was observing a certain group of sand-nins, lead by a black-haired boy, who was carrying a scythe. "_Who the hell is he?_" she kept wondering.

But what Hitomi did not know, was that Takai's team was observed not only by her, but also by another group of sand-nins. Well, mostly by a short girl with long, wavy, blonde hair, clipped in a ponytail, dressed in a white dress (_A/N: quite similar to the one Kurenai used to wear_). She had large, blue eyes and her hitae-ate was located on her forehead.

"Would you stop worrying about that freak Hari?" asked another sand-nin, all wrapped in bandages, thanks to which he looked like a mummy. His skin was tan (you could tell that because the bandages didn't covered the area around his eyes… but only that part of his body) and his eyes were bright red.

"Don't take Takai lightly, Karame…" replied the one called Hari. "You know that he's…"

"We have Sabure on our team…" reminded a tall sand-nin with short, blonde hair. His face gave an impression of a snake. His eyes were yellow and snake-like and he was wearing a black and white outfit (_A/N: not so different from the those that samurais wore_). His fingers were surrounded with thin lines.

As he said so, he turned to a girl wearing a white, fox mask. The girl had long, red hair and was wearing a jet, black robe. She was also carrying a large gourd on her back. "He's strong, but not undefeated…" added the blonde boy.

The last member of the team, a boy with short, spiky, black hair and red eyes, wearing a grey, ninja outfit and carrying a huge sword with spiky blade on his back, said nothing. He just observed a team of waterfall-nins that seemed to argue with a group of rain-nins.

----------

"Aaaa!" one tall rain-nin yelled in pain as his entire body suddenly got filled with senbons. Before him stood a waterfall-nin with long, wavy, black hair and red eyes. He was wearing a blue outfit with wide sleeves and was smiling widely.

"Kasui, we were supposed to not draw attention to ourselves…" reminded him another waterfall-nin, who was quite wide. He had spiky, brown hair and green eyes. He was wearing a red outfit with two, pipe's attached to his back. He also carried a heavy looking hammer. "What was it this time?"

"He stepped on my foot and didn't apologize…" replied the one called Kasui simply.

"Leave it, Tetsu-dono…" asked a voice and suddenly a small boy, wearing an orange, ninja-dress with a long tongue sticking out of his mouth jumped on the hammerman's shoulder. "You know he has short temper…"

"Shita's right…" nodded another waterfall-nin, this time a girl, with medium-length, black hair, wearing a brown shirt and white pants. You could also spot a huge, white tiger walking beside her. "Still revealing your abilities before the exam begins is pure stupidity…" with that she turned to the one called Kasui.

The last member of the team, a girl with medium-length, brown hair, clipped in two bons, wearing a light blue dress and carrying few bottles with water around her belt just left out a sigh.

----------

"What do you think, Tsuino?" asked a Rain shinobi, who observed the whole scene from far away. He wore square glasses and had medium-length, straight, black hair. He was wearing white and was carrying a large bow.

"That was fast…" replied another rain-nin. His face was full of scars. He had long, black hair, blue eyes and was dressed in a green robe. He also had a beard around his mouth. "Even though Ameru isn't the strongest, defeating him with that much ease is to be respected. Those waterfall-nin's can be dangerous…"

"I think you're giving that senbon guy too much credit, Tsuino-kun…" announced a girl with short, spiky, blue hair, wearing a blue shirt with short sleeves and grey pants. She also carried three umbrella's on her back. "That was a simple trick…"

"Still he managed to surprise a rain-nin with the speed of his senbons…" reminded another rain-nin, a boy with medium-length, red hair, pulled up. He had sleeveless, white shirt and baggy, blue pants. "And we're though to be experts in those sort of techniques…"

"You're thinking too much…" stated the last member of the team, a girl with short, brown hair, wearing a black shirt with black pants. She had a long chain ended with a round saw around her left arm. "We'll see what those waterfall-nins are capable of during the exam…"

---------

"He launched so many senbons in a fracture of a second…" noticed Takaru. "I couldn't even see him do it. How about you, Ibuki?"

"Hard to say…" replied the young assassin. "His throwing speed is incredible… the best thing you could do is dodge…"

"Your eyes are just too slow…" Senkou cut in. "He picked out most of the senbons from a hostel on his leg… still to aim and fire at that rate…"

"Hey, are you gonna share those?" Kai didn't pay much attention to the whole conversation and walked over to Hanamaru, who just started a bag of potato chips.

"This is starting to get interesting, doesn't it, Mikka-chan?" Kogane came closer to the shy girl and gave her a thumbs up.

"I… I guess so…" replied the shy girl as she backed away. But while she was walking back, she bumped into someone. "I'm sorry…" she said quietly with a bow.

To everyone's surprise though, the snow-nin she bumped into, a huge man wearing red and blue outfit, with a square, wooden helmet, which covered his face, on his head, raised up a huge mace, prepared to attack the leaf-nin. But then another snow-nin appeared between them. This one had spiky, black hair and was wearing violet with wolf's skin placed on his back in a way the wlf's head was located above his. He had a long spear attached to his back and Mikka also noticed three, monkey statues attached to his belt.

"Take it easy, Yamazaru…" the spearman tried to calm the huge man down. "It's not the proper time yet…"

The one called Yamazaru slowly began to lower his mace, but still said nothing.

"You're no fun, Yari…" announced another snow-nin, a girl with long, blue hair, wearing blue and white dress with wide sleeves. "It was just starting to get interesting…"

"Don't worry, Aisu…" cut in a tall man with long, messy, brown hair and a bandage going across his nose. He was wearing brown and white fur all over his body and carried a huge sword on his back. There was also an oversized bulldog walking beside him. "We'll have plenty of fun during the exam itself… you'll get to see Yamazaru smashing some brat's head yet…"

As they walked away, the last of the snow-nins, a girl with medium-length, light blue hair, wearing a light blue robe bended down to Mikka and whispered: "You better watch out from now on… my teammates aren't that nice and once they find someone not of their liking, they tend to get… creepy…"

"Mikka can take care of herself…" assured Kokoro as he walked closer to his teammate.

"I didn't say she couldn't… well, see you during exams…" and with that she ran after her team.

"Boy, the Chuunin Exam sure attracts weirdos…" announced Kusari but at the same moment he said that, he felt a cold blade coming at his neck. He jumped back in the last second, thus avoiding the attack.

The one who attacked turned out to be a shinobi from Kane Gakure. He had spiky, short, black hair and a black ninja mask was covering his mouth. His eyes were hazel and we was wearing black. His hitae-ate was on his forehead and he was holding two katanas in his hands.

"Long time no see, eh Kusari?" asked the metal-nin.

"Futatsu…" the chain master said quietly, looking at the swordsman.

"So, you remember… I'm flattered…" and with that he charged at the leaf-nin once more, only this time his attack was blocked with an axe.

"Futatsu, that is enough…" ordered another metal-nin. This one was bold and had a dragon tattoo on his forehead. His left eye was shining red and was placed in some sort of metal plate. He was wearing black and red. "We came here to pass the exam, not for fun. Besides, this isn't the one you're hunting…"

"And who the hell are you?" yelled Kai, pointing a finger at him. "And why did that freak attacked my teammate?"

"We're the team from Kane Gakure…" replied the boldy. "My name is Ono Reiji… that 'freak' as you called him is Futatsu… and these are Hogosha…" with that he pointed at the boy with spiky, blue hair and four, fang-like tattoos on his cheeks, wearing a dark blue outfit and carrying metal protectors on his hands. "… Naginata…" with that a girl with short, red hair, dressed in a white, sleeveless shirt and short, blue pants, carrying a long stick bowed. "… and Sentou…" here he motioned to a boy with spiky, black hair, wearing a violet, sleeveless shirt and blue pants. But what really drew attention in this one were his arms, which were completely covered with metal. "And the reason why he attacked your friend was because he, apparently, have some unfinished business with your teammate's brother…"

"_Kusari never said he had a brother…_" Kumiko said to herself, but kept quiet.

"So loud…" they all heard a voice and when they turned around to see who spoken, they noticed a team of moon-nins coming their way.

The one who spoken was a boy with spiky, light green hair, wearing dark violet, blue and brown outfit. He had red eyes and was carrying a strange-looking sword on his back. For a moment he glared at Rei, but then his sight got back to the rest of the group. "Try not to make all that rocket… everyone is excited about the exam, so the bomb might go off anytime…"

Kusari looked at the new arrivals and his gaze stopped at the youngest among the moon-nins, a girl with long, blue hair and blue eyes. She had a strange tattoo on her cheek and was wearing all white. "Teela, didn't expect to see you here…"

"Is Hasaki around?" replied the girl, not bothering to even say 'hello'.

"I'm afraid he won't be appearing during the exams…" responded the chain master.

A second later the rest of the moon team arrived. The first one was a girl with long, red hair, clipped in a strange way. She was wearing violet, Chinese dress with golden decorations here and there and had light green eyes.

The other two were boy in the same age. The were twins and the only difference between them was their hair. The first one had blonde and the other had green hair. They both wore green and brown dress and had a scar across their left cheeks.

"So this is the brat?" asked the light-green haired boy, bending down to Kusari's level. "I was expecting something more from the brother of the famous Hagane Hasaki… so tell me, do you have any, special skills or are you just counting on your teammates to…"

"Enough, Tasuki" Teela said without changing her voice nor her emotionless expression, yet you could sense something that made her teammate listen instantly. "We're not here to make friends. Kusari-kun, I wish you luck during the exams. Maybe we'll get to face each other… if not I'll find another way to settle the score…" and with that she took her leave with her team following her.

"You rookies are talented…" announced a certain, red-haired grass-nin as he propped himself on Takaru's and Senkou's shoulders. "The exam haven't started yet and you already found yourselves so many enemies…"

"And you are…?" asked Ibuki, looking at the Kusa shinobi suspiciously.

"Right, where are my manners?" the grass-nin hit himself on the head. "My name is Wanabi Hizoku and these are my teammates: Hokku Tobane, Kanraku Nezumi, Kyohaku Tokame and Kuchibashi Taka…" saying that he pointed at the grass-nin you guys should know a little (_A/N: they appeared at the beginning of the 27 chapter_). Tobane turned out to be the girl with blonde hair, Nezumi was the one with the rat, Tokame was the one with the hood and Taka was the one with the mask on.

"_Freak show continues…_" Kai sighed to himself.

"_That rat-girl seems pretty…_" thought Hanamaru as he swallowed another potato chip and kept staring at the one called Nezumi.

"_Pathetic…_" Takai thought to himself, looking at the Leaf rookies and the group of shinobies gathered around them. Just then he raised his sight at the nearby stone.

A second later a smoke bomb exploded on the stone and a woman with long, brown hair, clipped in two bons walked out of the cloud of white smoke. She was wearing an orange, Chinese dress and blue pants and seemed to be in her early thirties.

"Welcome all Chuunin Selection Exam participants!" she called out, drawing everyone's attention. "I see that some of you can't wait for the event to start, so I guess I'll skip the formalities… My name is Hyuuga Tenten and I'll be the examiner for the first test!"

* * *

And with that this chapter ends. Hope you liked it and that you'll drop me a review once you're done. 

Now, as promised, a list of the more important OC's:

**KONOHA TEAM #7 **(lead by Uzumaki Naruto) Murasakki Kumiko, Tanken Ibuki, Gekido Takaru, Hagane Kusari and Haisha Kai

**KONOHA TEAM #3 **(lead by Nara Shikamaru) Konpaku Rei, Rikoteki Kogane, Amagasa Toku, Debano Kitsune and Gusoku Hanamaru

**KONOHA TEAM #4 **(lead by Hyuuga Hinata) Igaku Mikka, Inuzuka Tsume, Benda Kokoro, Hatake Senkou and Kobushi Galu

**KONOHA **(lead by Aburame Shino) Hamano Taki, Hyuuga Hitomi, Manako Akira, Tanken Funbo and no info

**SUNA TEAM #5 **(lead by Temari) no info, no info, no info, Takai and Tarakudo

**SUNA TEAM #6 **(lead by Kankuro) Hari, Sabure, no info, no info and Karame

**KUSA **(grass-nins) Hokku Tobane, Kanraku Nezumi, Kyohaku Tokame, Kuchibashi Taka and Wanabi Hizoku

**TSUKI **(moon-nins) Junsei Teela, no info, no info, no info and Kihako Tasuki

**KANE **(metal-nins) Naginata, Ono Reiji, Futatsu, Hogosha and Sentou

**AME **(rain-nins) no info, no info, no info Furikuzu Tsuino and no info

**BAKUFU **(waterfall-nins) no info, no info, Abura Tetsu, Makko Shita and Rein Kasui

**YUKI **(snow-nins) Nadare Aisu (to those who read or will read my "Shinobi Showdown": she has nothing to do with Fukamaru), no info, Sarumaru Yari, no info and Yamazaru

**KUMORI **(shadow-nins) no info, no info, Fuma, no info and no info

And I think this is really the end of this chapter.

Hope you enjoyed it. Keep warm and till the next time.


	30. The First Exam

Okay, my exams are almost over and due to the miracle that I even got an A on my Administration Law I've decided to sit down to it and write the next chapter of the Next Generation even though I'm still quite tired after all the tests.

Without making this longer then it has to be, here's the 30 chappie of the story:

**Chapter #30: The First Exam**

**_Chapter Cover:_** Kai and Takaru are arm-wrestling with each other and Ibuki is the judge**  
**

"My name is Hyuuga Tenten…" announced the woman with her arms crossed. "And I'll be the examiner for the first test!"

"Should we feel lucky that your mother was chosen as the examiner?" Taki whispered to Hitomi, who just seemed to ignore her and kept staring at the black-haired sand-nin and his team that was standing just few meters away.

"I dislike repeating myself, so listen carefully when I'll explain the rules and objectives of the first exam!" said Tenten, looking around the square. "_Seems like there's something around a hundred and fifty teams… those new alliances sure gave the Chuunin Exam more participants… luckily the rules changed as well…_" she cleared her throat and then said out aloud: "To put the goal of the first test as simple as it can be: it is to check your skills in surviving on enemy territory! As chuunins you'll often be send to places even outside your countries. Sometimes to gather information about enemy villages, maybe even to make assassinations… however other ninjas won't be the only thing you'll have to watch out for during such missions! When you're on enemy territory, remember that traps might be spread all over the place! The ability to notice and avoid them are basics of survival in a shinobi world!"

"Trap is the basic of ninja tactics…" Kitsune said, mostly to himself. "Everyone knows that, so what's even the point in making an exam like that?"

"Whatever…" replied Rei as she turned away from her teammate. "Just wake me up when the talk is over and the exam will begin…" and with that her sight wondered to the sky.

"So how will this exam look like?" asked Tsuino, surrounded by his team.

"The rules are easy to explain, but that doesn't mean the test itself will be a walkover…" announced Tenten as she pointed to the nearby mountain with many caves in it. "There are preciously fifty two passages that lead to the other side of that mountain… each of them is almost equally long and hard, so the chances should be even… your mission will be to get through the tunnel you enter to the other side of the rock!"

"So what was that about this not being a walkover?" joked Reiji as his teammates laughed.

Tenten only smirked at his words: "If this was it, then indeed it'd be an easy test, however there are certain things you must be aware of, before the exam truly beginnings! First is the fact that your time to get through the tunnel is limited! You have one hour from the time you enter the cave! And the caves themselves aren't just simple tunnels! Each of them is filled with all sort o traps! Some are just meant to slow you down, but some can be deadly… to put it simply: you can die, even though this is just the first test!"

"_Die?_" Mikka's eyes widen at hearing that.

"Heh, usually they waited for the second exam to allow deaths…" Taka smirked behind his mask. "Seems that Konoha changed their exams after what happened in the Grass a year ago."

"You guys took the exam already?" Kusari got interested.

"No…" replied Hizoku. "This is our first time attending the exams. But we gathered some information about the whole thing… that's how we know some details about it…"

"What do you know?" asked Senkou after throwing Kokoro a questioning glare. "Like how many tests will there be or what they'll be about?"

"The tests are different every year…" answered the one called Tobane. "The only exam that stays the same every time is the last one… as for the number of exams it's also not stable… but usually the number of tests is between three to five…"

"But since you gathered some information, it's only natural you know what was the point of the tests last year…" noticed Kumiko. "It's practically the basic thing you'd look for…"

"The tests are known only to the examiners and those who participated…" replied Nezumi. "All we were able to find out that most important, shinobi skills are tested during those exams…"

"You can guess few things just from that…" stated Toku lazily.

"Now, every team that'll lose a member, even if the rest of it will make it through the tunnel in time, will be disqualified!" continued Tenten, once more drawing everyone's (_A/N: or at least most of the people's_) attention to herself. "Teams are not allow to separate at this moment, because we'll be giving each of the teams a number. When your number will be called, you'll have to join the chuunin you'll be told and he or she will guide you to the entrance of one of the tunnels… this tests shouldn't last longer then few hours, so I expect those of you, how actually have some skills to get through the caves in less then half an hour! We'll assign your numbers now!" and when she said so a group of chuunins appeared and walked through the crowd, giving some of the gennins number tags and writing down the team members in their notebooks.

"Running through some dirty, dark caves?" Karame's eyebrow went up. "This will be boring…"

"Don't worry…" replied his teammate, the one with blonde hair and strings around his fingers. "We'll just complete this test ASAP and wait for the real fun to begin…"

"Horamaru, thanks to talk like that, you're drawing attention to us" announced the other sand-nin, the one carrying the sword. "It might gives us problems later on, so do shut up…"

"So, team number 47…" began the chuunin as he started to write the names in his notebook. "Junsei Teela, Tenka…" with that he looked at the other girl. "Kihako Tasuki and Chishio Nobu and Kumo…" and with that he turned to the twins, who nodded. "Done, you can wait for your number to be called…" and saying so, he walked away.

"Teela, stop staring at that brat…" Tasuki asked his blue-haired teammate. "We have an exam to pass…" but to his irritation, the girl just ignored him.

"What are you worrying about, Tasuki?" asked the blonde twin, Nobu. "With your abilities getting through that tunnel shouldn't present any problem…"

"I'm not worrying…" replied the green-head. "I just hate it when she does that…"

"Murasakki Kumiko, Tanken Ibuki, Gekido Takaru, Hagane Kusari and Haisha Kai…" the son of Tsunade declared to the chuunin once he gave them their number. As the older shinobi left, Kai instantly began an argument with his 'arch-rival':

"Why did you mentioned my name last?"

"First the girls and then it was alphabetical, moron…" replied Takaru simply.

"So those are your teammates, sis?" came a question and as soon as everyone turned around, they noticed a group of leaf-nins, we already met, coming their way. "An interesting bunch…" announced Funbo, smiling widely.

"Like you're the one to talk…" replied Ibuki, not paying that much attention to her older brother. "You even gotten a Hyuuga…"

Tsume looked at her dog, which backed away a bit. "_What's the matter, Uramaru?_" she questioned. "_Are they that strong?__Though this guy with blue hair… there's something…different about him..._"

"And who the hell are you guys that you just come to us and start to provoke us?" asked Galu, who didn't really seemed to be interested in an answer.

"The name is Tanken Funbo…" announced Ibuki's brother. "And those are my teammates: Hamano Taki, Hyuuga Hitomi, Manako Akira and Horohoro (_A/N: I know, I know… but I liked the name_)" and with that he pointed at the blue-haired boy.

"_That girl with white-eyes…_" Mikka looked at Hitomi for a moment. "_She must be somehow related to Hinata-sensei…_"

"What's with that guy?" Kai whispered to Kusari as he pointed at Akira. "Does his eyes hurt that he keeps them shut or something?" the chain master only shrugged at the question, he was curious about it also though.

"_I guess this is Hasaki's younger brother…_" the one called Horohoro wondered as he took a quick look at Kusari. "_The resemblance in looks is easy to notice… I wonder is he's as talented as his brother…_"

"Ibuki, you remember what our father said, right?" asked Funbo, breaking the silence that felt between the leaf-nins. "I'm also curious how strong you became during that year so I hope you'll manage to the point we get to face each other…" and with that he and his team began to walk away.

"So, what do you think, Hizoku?" Tokame asked his teammate.

"They seem rather strong…" replied the red-head. "They should be watch-out for…"

"Ibuki, I have a question…" announced Kumiko, drawing their attention. "That Funbo guy is your older brother, right?" the young assassin only nodded. "But Naruto-sensei said you were the Tanken heir, so what's the deal?"

"Well, technically, both me and Funbo are the heirs of Tanken…" responded the weapon mistress. "You see, the succession in the Tanken is a bit different then in other clans. If the head of my clan has more then one child, it's not the birth date that matters in the decision of who'll inherit the leadership. The children has to fight with each other and the one who'll prove to be stronger then others, becomes the head of the clan. Age has nothing to do with anything…"

"Sounds kinda fair…" noticed Kogane.

"Yeah well, still those who are older usually have bigger chances in winning anyway…" replied the young assassin. "Besides, it's not like I really care whether I'll become the head of the clan or not…"

"What are you talking about?" yelled Kai, getting closer to his teammate. "If you'd won, you'd become the head of one of Konoha's greatest clans! That would be awesome!"

"Think of all the food you could get..." Hanamaru wondered off.

"Must those brats be so loud?" asked the bandaged sand-nin, the one called Tarakudo. "Keep it down, dammit!"

"Calm yourself, Tarakudo…" asked his teammate, the one with white hair and purple eyes. "Remember what that jounin said… we'll be thrown out of the exams if we start a fight outside the test…"

"Honemaru's right…" nodded one of the girls, the red-head. "The exams will begin soon enough anyway, you just have to hold on a bit more…"

"Leave it, Aoru…" the second girl with blonde hair cut in. "You know how he is…"

"Now that the teams have been listed, the first exam will begin!" announced Tenten, again getting most of the people's attention. "Just wait until your number is mentioned and then follow the assigned chuunin to the right entrance. I'll be waiting for you guys on the other side of the mountain! Good luck, coz you're certainly gonna need it!" and with that she disappeared in the cloud of white smoke.

"Miaka, don't forget that you're our thumb card for this test…" Tetsu reminded his teammate, a girl with the tiger. "You better do good…"

"That's us, that's us!" yelled Kai as he hear their team number called out.

"We know, bonehead…" assured Takaru as he and the rest of his team walked towards the right chuunin. "You're just annoying…"

"Good luck, Takaru-kun!" Kogane yelled after them, which made the son of Tsunade sweat drop a bit.

Few minutes later, Kai and his team stood in front of the small entrance to the tunnel. The inside was dark and they couldn't tell what exactly was in it.

"Your test begins now…" announced the chuunin and with those words the five rookies charged right into the shadows of the tunnel.

* * *

And with that this chapter ends. Hope you enjoyed it and that you'll leave a review once you're done reading. 

Also my exams are practically over, so I should be able to get back to updating once a week (that is if I'll ever catch up on sleeping from the time I studied) so hopefully you'll get to read a bit more (the Chuunin Exam is REALLY long in this fic... but also will allow you to know better the more important characters). Well, I'm still a bit tired, but at least I'm quite free.

**Something that might interest you:** Now, before I end this chapter for good, two extra things: starting soon I'll be making character profiles of the new OC's, so if you're interested in any, specific one let me know and you can expect his or hers profile to be one of the first I'll place. And the second thing:

**Bonus info:** I've already told you how team number seven was created, so why not reveal how the others were made? By random selection I'll give you the process of making team number four led by Hinata.

Since Hinata is practically my favorite character in the manga I made a decision she'll lead one of the teams almost immediately. However making her subordinates prove to be more problematic then I thought. In the beginning there was Kokoro and Galu. I can't really recall from where I get the idea of the first one, but I liked it so much I decided that this will be the one that will stay in the team for sure. Galu's situation was different.

Don't get me wrong, I grew to like him, but for quite some time I couldn't think of any, interesting skills for him nor did he stand out. I'm not gonna lie: when I started uploading this fic on this site, the main reason he stayed as the member of the team was because due to the fact that there were five-man teams I required three boys and I couldn't think of anyone better. As I developed the storyline he prove to be a character that can play a big part in it after all and now I'm satisfied with the fact I kept him in the team.

Creating the other three was one of the hardest things so far though. For the long time I couldn't think off the third member and then it turned out that the teams will be five-man it became even harder coz I had to make two, extra characters. The third one that became the member of this team was Tsume. I always liked Kiba's fighting style so I guess that's partly the reason for creating Tsume... plus I figure making a female Inuzuka can be fun.

Mikka at first was actually a member of team seven. It's her that I had in mind when I wrote that I was thinking about putting a Hinata-wannabe in team 7... she ended up here mostly due to the fact that Ibuki seemed a better choice as one of the main characters... and there's always the relationship Mikka and her sensei has now.

Even though some of you may not believe this, Senkou who seem to be an un-official leader of the five, was not only created last in the team but was also THE LAST of the Leaf gennins that came to my head! What's kinda unproffesional is that I started to submit this fic before he was even created! What inspired me to make the son of Hokage? I guess there were few reasons... one was that I didn't really saw any children of Kakashi in the future fics on this site... but as the storyline is right now I'm actually really happy I came up with him... and it's better to have two sons of the Hokage instead of one, right?

Well, with that I'd like to finish this.

Take care and hopefully till the next time!


	31. Dead End?

I really wanted to upload new chapters of all (well, most) of my fics at one time, so sorry for making you wait a day for this one… I hope you'll find it worth waiting for.

To answer the reviews I wasn't able so far:

**_Are we gonna met the other gennins better:_** you shouldn't worry about that… I can promise you that every gennin (that has a bigger part planned at least) will have his/hers five minutes... and you'll get to know them better in the right time…

**_Will Sasuke die:_** sorry to all, no-Sasuke fans, but even if I'll decide to kill him, it won't be too soon and that's mostly due to the fact that he has an IMPORTANT part to play after the exams…

**_What's up with that snow-nin (the one who Mikka bumped into):_** I'll only tell that he has his reasons for acting like that… and you'll probably be quite surprise when you find out about them…

**_Will there be an OC related to Hayate:_** most OC's that will appear in this fic are already planned out, so I don't think so… BUT if you wanna read a fic with someone related to Hayate you might wanna check out my newest fanfic: "Those Who Inherit the Will of Fire" (which should be uploaded shortly after this chapter)… you'll find a cousin of Hayate there… or if you're just looking for someone using his sword fighting style you could check out my "Shinobi Showdown"… there's a character in there who's using it…

With that done, without further delays, lets get on with the show:

**Chapter #31: Dead End?**

**_Chapter Cover:_** Kai is painting a kanji symbol for 'fire' on a wall with a spray

"Damn, this is boring…" complained Kai as he walked through the tunnel with hands behind his head. "I was hoping for some action… why do we have to complete this lame test anyway? It's not like it'll give us anything since we're aware that traps are set around…" and the moment he said so Kusari's chain surrounded his neck and pushed him back.

In gasp for air, the blonde's tongue left the mouth and his eyes almost went out of orbits as he landed loudly on the rocky ground with few, sharp stones piercing his butt.

The loud mouth instantly jumped up and grabbing his teammate by the collar he started to threaten him with his free hand: "What the hell is your problem, Kusari? You wanna kill me?"

"More like he saved your life…" Ibuki cut in calmly and kneeled down in the place Kai stood just a second ago. "Takaru, would you mind putting some light into the situation?"

The son of Tsunade quickly performed a set of hand seals and soon after his hand got surrounded with flames, clearing the darkness in the tunnel a bit. Once that was done the young assassin showed the blonde, who calmed down a little, a thin string going across the path.

"Step on that and most likely you'll end up pierced by thing more sharper then stones…" she turned to her teammate. "The fact that we are aware of the traps doesn't mean they will be easy to spot. This one is the most basic and you almost felt for it so just imagine your chances when we'll come across one that's really hard to notice…"

"Alright, so lets just jump over it and…" began Kai as he walked closer, but before he jumped, Ibuki stopped him by putting her hand on his chest.

"You shouldn't sleep in the Academy during trap classes…" she announced as she motioned to Takaru to walk a little out front. As the light his hand gave cleared the darkness, Kai spotted another string, just two or three steps behind the first.

"The string you almost stepped on was easy to spot…" explained the young assassin as she walked over the first trap. "That's why it was safe to assume it was merely a decoy. You were to avoid it easily and fell for the second string… however the one who set those traps might predicted that as well, so there is a possibility that a bit further there is a third string or maybe even fourth…"

"They don't teach that much in the Academy…" noticed Kumiko. "How do you know so much so that stuff?"

"I'm from the clan of assassins…" Ibuki reminded her. "And assassinations are usually done on enemy territory… traps are expected so my father gave me special training in that area… most of the traps are based on already known mechanism, rarely something new is invented, so you might say I'm rather talented in avoiding such things…"

"Cool, you can walk us right through this cave then…" noticed Kusari.

"I guess I could try…" agreed the young assassin. "With Takaru clearing the darkness I should be able to spot most of the traps, however I'm not promising I'll manage to notice them all, so either way you'll have to stay alert…"

"Still it's some plan…" announced the son of Tsunade. "Lets get going then… remember that there's a time limit to this…" and with that all five of them walked forward with Takaru and Ibuki out front.

----------

"Are you certain?" asked the ANBU with a tiger mask on his face. He had long, black hair and wore a brown, a little baggy shirt with short sleeves and white pants with short trouser legs. Both his hands were covered in bandages.

"I'm almost possitive…" replied Sasuke as his mask was now placed on top of his head. Both him and his companion where in the forest surrounding Konoha. They searched the place where a strange trail of broken trees and brushes led deeper into the jungle.

"But what business can he have with Konoha?" the other ANBU couldn't believe.

"I have a wild guess…" came a response. "However finding out what he wants isn't our priority right now, Neji… we should inform Hokage-sama about the situation…"

"Indeed…" nodded the other ANBU, Neji, and so they both headed back to the village.

----------

"Damn, this sucks!" complained Kai… again. "First that lame tunnel and how we have to wait for all the teams to finish the exam… I'll die of bore before those exams will end…"

"Will you just shut up?" Senkou gave him an evil glare as Mikka giggled softly.

"I knew you'll make it, Takaru-kun…" announced Kogane as she stared at her crush who didn't really seemed to care. "I've waited with beating heart…"

"_She's just sick…_" thought Kitsune as he looked at his teammate, sweat dropping. Then he turned to the other kunoichi in his team who now was sleeping and snoring loudly while she was at it. "_And Hanamaru went to get some food… just the fact that we got through that tunnel is a miracle…_"

"Uramaru's still acting weird?" Galu asked Tsume as he noticed the dog hiding behind her.

"Yeah…" replied the kunoichi. "_Who scares you so much, Uramaru?_"

"Funbo, take a look…" Taki called her teammate. "Looks like your little sister made it as well…" and with that she pointed at the rookie gennins.

"Good for her…" came a response as the older Tanken didn't even bother to look in the direction the boomerang user pointed.

"Whether you like it or not, she is your sister" reminded Akira. "You should show at least a little bit of interest… especially since she's your rival for the head of your clan…"

"You're still worried by those sand-nins?" Horohoro asked Hitomi as he noticed that she kept observing the black-haired boy and his team. The girl only nodded. "They intrigue me as well, however thinking about it won't do you any good… just loosen up…"

Meanwhile the sand-nins that Hitomi observed walked towards the other team from the Hidden Sand that stood in the crowd. "So you made it here too…" said Takai as a welcome.

"What the hell do you guys want?" asked Hari rudely. "We have no business with you guys."

"We just wanted to congratulate you…" said Tarakudo with a smirk appearing behind his bandages. "After all Kazekage-sama would be very disappointed if you wouldn't make it far into the exam… won't you agree?"

"Tarakudo, do shut up…" ordered the sword carrier.

"Or what, Dekai?" came a response. "You think I'm scare of that little katana of yours?"

"Guys, we're from the same village, remember?" the blonde kunoichi from Takai's team stood between the two. "We shouldn't be fighting each other…"

"You always were a boring one, Torune…" announced Horamaru with a smirk appearing on his face. "Let the guys play a bit…" but the moment he said so both Dekai and Tarakudo felt their feet getting stuck. As they look at the ground, they noticed sand slowly crawling up their legs.

"Sabure, we were only kidding…" the bandaged sand-nins assured the redhead girl with the gourd on her back. "Don't joke like that…"

The masked girl just glared at him for a moment and then, calling of her sand, he gazed upon a nearby rock where Tenten stood up in order to make an announcement:

"Congratulations to all of you that are standing here right now!" she said, drawing everyone's attention. "You just passed the first test in this year's Chuunin Selection Exam! You are to wait here a bit longer for the second examiner to appear! I'll take my leave now, however before I do that I'd like to give you a little advice: don't get too sure of yourselves. This test was nothing compared to what's still in front of you! And I don't mean just the exams. Remember that in the shinobi world traps are not just set on the battlefield, but sometimes even in your own mind and heart! Those are the most dangerous! I wish you luck during the next tests!" and with that she was gone.

----------

"The first exam should be finished by now…" announced Naruto as he sat on a couch. "You think our students manage to get through?"

"Possibly…" replied Shikamaru. "Still Tenten's test was nearly an introduction to get rid of those who are bellow average… the second exam will be a real killer…"

"What do you mean, Shikamaru-kun?" asked Hinata a little worried.

"I guess you haven't heard who's the second examiner then…" the lazy jounin looked at the head of the Hyuuga with a tiny smirk appearing on his face.

----------

"Finally!" Kai yelled in joy as Tenten disappeared from view. "I hope the next test will be more challenging then this was… I wanna kick some butt!"

"One wins when he knows when to fight and when not to…" said Kokoro emotionless, which earned him a weird glare from the loud mouth.

"Did I miss anything?" asked Hanamaru as we walked closer to the rest of the rookies with a brand new bag of potato chips.

"Actually you're just in time…" replied Toku as everyone's eyes stopped at the same rock on which Tenten stood just few minutes ago.

A woman around thirty walked right on top of it. She had long, blonde hair that were falling on the right side of her face a bit and blue eyes. Her suit was mostly violet: a sleeveless top with a big break between the top and the short skirt which was surrounded with a black leg guards. On both her elbows and knees you could spot a black fishnet.

"Who's the babe?" asked Kusari already drifting away.

The woman looked around and the said loud enough for everyone gathered to hear her: "My name is Yamanaka Ino and I was chosen to be the examiner for the second Chuunin Selection Exam test! Follow me to where the second exam will take place!"

* * *

Well, another chappie is done. Hope you liked it and that you'll leave a review once you're done reading.

Now, before I end this up, I've already done team seven and team four, so it's only fair to do team three now (Shino students will be next). So:

**BONUS INFO:** choosing a jounin for those guys wasn't so hard. Since all three of them (Naruto, Hinata and Shikamaru) were members of different, rookie cells in the past, I've decided it'd be better to make new gennin cells be led by them (Ino was supposed to be the examiner from the start and Chouji, no offense to him, didn't seemed like an instructor material). Gennins themselves were a bit more problematic.

From the very start I only had Toku. The idea of him just appeared in my head and I liked it so much that I've decided to keep him. Then it was quite some time before I came up with another one.

Rei was second on the list. She was actually inspired by a character from different manga, but I've changed her personality and skills… and I'm happy with how she turned out. I've decided to keep her for a trial version, but ended with liking her so much, she stayed.

The other three were harder to think off. The first two created were Kogane and Hanamaru. I liked the chubby fellow the moment he was created and thus he became the third member of the team. When it comes to Kogane, even though she was made before Kitsune, she ended up being the last member added to the team. That's mostly due to the fact that her abilities weren't exactly of my likings and I hesitated if it is a good idea to put her in the story. Why I finally decided to do so? I can't really tell, but as the story is planned, I'm glad that she ended up being a part of it.

Last one created was Kitsune. Of all the Konoha gennins this one is probably the one who I'm the least proud of. I did put him in the team in the end, but I'm still not sure if I did right really. However, it's not like I don't like the guy, I guess I just think I could've done better.

Well, that's that. Hope you enjoyed it.

Take care and hopefully till the next time!


	32. Second Exam

**Shang:** First off, I'd like to thank everyone who reviewed… it means a lot… secondly…

**Kai:** TADAM! I'm back!

**Shang:** What the hell are you doing here? I told you I won't be making the interview for the time being! And more then that I have no intention to talk to you so get out of my sight!

**Kai:** You can't make me…

**Shang:** I created you, so I commend you, dammit!

**Kai:** Whatever… but anyways, is that true what you said? I mean, are you seriously thinking about slowing this fic down? You can't do that! All my fans will be crushed!

**Shang:** I'm pretty sure they'll both get over it… besides, with writing five fics at one time, helping few friends with other and being a part of two, big projects, I need to be selective and since lately this fic doesn't seem to be as popular as it used to, it seems not too many readers will care rather they'll read the next chapter sooner or later… and I can do a better job on more popular stories…

**Kai:** But I'll have to look for work! Who'd hire me as a character in their story?

**Shang:** Not my problem… anyways, I guess we should get started, coz this isn't leading anywhere… so here is another chapter of "Naruto: Next Generation":

**Chapter #32: Second Exam**

**_Chapter Cover:_** Kumiko is hiding her face behind a Chinese fan

"Oh, this is nice…" announce Kusari as all the gennins arrived at a large area. In the middle of it, on top of a small mountain, stood a huge dojo, surrounded by forest on both the mountain and below. "Of course the place is cool too…" he then added and Ibuki only sweat dropped.

"Does he realize that this blonde examiner is like over twice his age?" she whispered to Kumiko, who hardly keep back her anger.

"That dojo which you all probably noticed by now and the surrounding area will be the place of the second exam…" announced Ino, turning around to chuunin wannabes. "In the dojo there are guards, all are chuunin level. Your task will be to collect a scroll that's hidden somewhere inside the dojo without getting caught or even spotted…"

"There you go, Tokame, this is your department…" Hizoku whispered to his hooded teammate. "Should be a piece of cake for you…"

"Can't be spotted means no trouble…" complained Tarakudo. "Where's the fun in that?"

"Excuse me, but how are we suppose to find out where the scroll we seek is?" asked Mikka shyly.

"Well, this is for you to worry about" replied Ino. "This exam is to test your information gathering skills, so you'll have to look for it yourself. That's also the reason why just being noticed disqualifies you… keep in mind that the information usually becomes useless if the enemy is aware of the fact you collected it. To make your life harder, you'll be entering the place with three other teams, so you'll have to watch out for scroll rubbers as well… each time you enter there will be four scrolls, so it's possible to all four teams that'll enter the area to advance to the third test… but there's also a possibility none of those who entered will pass, coz you'll have only an hour to complete your task. When the time's up, you'll be taken outside the area… teams who collected the scrolls are given the information about the third exam then… those who have no scrolls can go home and wait for the next year…"

"Sounds fun…" announced Senkou. "And with Kokoro on our team, finding the scroll shouldn't take too long…" and with that he placed his hands on the blonde's shoulders. The blonde just looked at him, but said nothing. "What?"

"So, I guess finding the scroll will be up to you, Rei" said Kogane as she turned around to her teammate just to noticed she was asleep, again. "_Why the hell she keeps doing that?_" she thought with a sweat dropping.

"Hope you'll take your eyes of those sand-nins…" Horohoro whispered to Hitomi. "We'll need them for other things in a while…"

Teela glared as Tasuki for a moment. The instant he caught her gaze, he said: "I know…"

"Seems that you'll finally get a chance to show off a bit, Shita…" Tetsu said to his teammate who once more was sitting on his shoulder.

"I hope you all remember your team numbers from the previous test, coz teams that are to enter the area will be called by them!" announced Ino so that everyone would hear her.

"That's unfair!" yelled Futatsu. "No-one told us we have to memorize them! Why do you think we even bother to remember something like that? And what if we didn't?"

"Then you can consider yourself a failure already" replied Ino coldly. "That is also the first part of this test, which wasn't mentioned at the beginning. Since you never know what information may come in handy, you should remember as much as possible… you should also learn that…"

"Err… what was our number then?" asked Hanamaru, swallowing another potato chip.

"33…" replied Kitsune lazily. "It's easy to remember, so keep it in mind next time…"

"Give him a break…" Toku cut in. "We all knew you'd remember it anyway…"

"Dammit, another boring exam…" complained Kai as he put his hands behind his head. "So much for excitement I guess…"

"What's the matter?" asked Senkou with a smirk under his mask. "Acting quietly doesn't suit mister loud and noisy?" but just then he noticed Kokoro wanted to speak up so he instantly added: "I know, I know… sheesh, you can't even make a joke…"

"Uramaru's still acting weird?" Galu asked Tsume, who stood a little further from other rookies. The girl only nodded. "Why?"

"It seems it has something to do with those sand-nins and that guy with a scythe…" replied the dog ninja. "But Uramaru doesn't say exactly what's so special about them…"

"So that pup can sense that too?" they both heard a voice and as they turned around, they noticed a familiar grass-nin and his team. "I must say that they were worrying me for a while now… their chakra is… unnatural…"

"Oh, you made it too… Hizoku-kun, was it?" noticed Kumiko as she turned to the redhead.

"Great memory…" nodded the Grass shinobi. "I guess you guys didn't forget your numbers."

"Neither did you…" stated Kokoro simply. "But this test seems way more difficult then the previous one… of course it's also dependable on which teams we'll end up with…"

"Well, those two Sand teams seem to be the worst, possible scenario at this point…" with that Nezumi motioned her head towards Takai and Hari teams.

"_Her hair flows so charmingly…_" Hanamaru drifted off a bit. Kogane however noticed that and gave him an elbow, thus returning him to the real world.

"Alright, there's the first, four teams that will enter the area: 4, 17, 35 and 48!" announced Ino. "Move forward and then follow the chuunins to the entrances! The rest may rest for a while…" and with that she was gone.

"No, don't leave us!" yelled Kusari, ready to jump right after her, but he was stopped by a sudden punch in the face from Kumiko: "Have some self respect, dammit!"

Ibuki didn't paid much attention to her teammates. She was now more interested in one of the teams that was entering the area: the team of her brother. Her eyes stopped at the older Tanken and after a while Funbo noticed her staring as well. He turned to face his sister and then, with a smirk appearing on his face, the caught up to his teammates, who were about to enter the area.

"_He seems quite confident… could he have…?_" she began, but never finished that thought. A little she did not know was the fact that a certain, black-haired Sand shinobi observed the same team as well.

"What are you staring at?" asked Takaru as he walked closer to her.

"Nothing…" she replied, turning away.

----------

"Are you positive?" asked Kakashi as he put away the report he was just going through.

"Without a doubt…" replied Sasuke as he and Neji stood before the Rokudaime in their ANBU uniforms. "We didn't see him with our own eyes, but I know his way… he was near and most likely he's still somewhere in the forests outside the village…"

"Is he alone?"

"Hard to say, Hokage-sama…" responded the Hyuuga genius. "There was only a trance that allowed to identify him, but shinobies don't tend to leave any trails…"

"Yes, that was a stupid question indeed…" nodded Kakashi as he walked away from his desk and looked out the window.

"Should we interrupt the exams?" asked Neji.

"No…" replied the Rokudaime shortly. "We're still not sure if he is planning anything nor if his plans got anything to do with us… do however send four, ANBU patrols to the forest in search for him or any trance that he might have left… also, Naruto must be informed of the situation…"

"Understood, Hokage-sama…" Sasuke bowed and both him and Neji disappeared.

"_So, he returned after all…_" Kakashi thought to himself when the two were gone.

----------

"They could at least pick us first, dammit!" yelled Kai, quite pissed by waiting. "How long is it gonna take? I wanna get this over with as soon as possible!"

"Will you just chill?" Kumiko threatened him with her fist. "We'll get chosen eventually…"

"Okay, next four teams: 5, 8, 19 and 59, step forward and follow the chuunin to your entrance!" announced Ino as she got back to her spot.

"Finally!" yelled Kai, jumping back on his feet.

His teammates only sighed and followed the enthusiastic blonde to their entrance. But unknown to them, they were observed by another team. A team consisting of four, hooded figures and one with a headgear.

"We landed in the same group as them" said the first one. "How lucky, isn't it, Saiken-san?"

"Indeed, Fuma…" replied the one wearing headgear. "This makes it way easier…" and with that he looked at the five, rookie gennins and walked with his team towards one of the chuunins.

As they walked through the participants, a certain rain-nin looked after them the moment they passed the place his team was standing.

"Is something wrong, Tsuino?" asked the one with glasses, wearing a bow, noticing his teammate turned around to look after the passers by.

"Nothing, Ryo…" replied the scar-face as he turned to face his teammate. "_That guy with a headgear… what was with his chakra?_"

Unaware of it all, Kai and his team entered the area. The second exam has just began for them.

* * *

And that's it. Hope you enjoyed.

Now, before I go, here's the last bonus info I've planned:

**BONUS INFO:** okay, done with all the rookie gennins, I guess the only one left is Shino's team. First I should explain why I choose the head of Aburame to be this cell's leader. Well at first I was thinking of putting one of Gai students in that role, but since Hitomi is the child of Neji and Tenten I figure it'd be weird for a parent to led a team with his kid. Lee was the only option and as much as I liked that idea, I figure it'd be too much of a deja-vu with him (he's practically a smaller version of Gai)… so why from all the people I choose Shino? I had some ideas for his fighting style, which was the main factor… and from all the other rookies left, he was the best fitting (Ino was supposed to be an examiner from the start and others had their parts planned too then).

The first, two characters created for this team were Akira and Horohoro… both were one of the first charas created for the whole story… I can't remember what inspired me to make Akira, but I have to say I'm glad I did, coz he turned out to be one of my favorites so far… as for Horohoro, well I'm not gonna say much, but most of you are probably aware of it anyways… but the reason I really wanted him to stay in the story is his background, which you'll learn later on.

Before it turned out that teams will be five-manned, Taki was added to the team… at first she was kinda like Tenten for Lee and Neji – a filler-up… however I've developed her abilities since the time she was created (at first she was only a boomerang user, now her skills are much bigger then that) and in the end she may not be crucial to the story, but I find her a good character that can do good for the story.

After it turned out that teams will be five-manned, Hitomi got added… at first it was because I didn't had too much of the 'old crew' kids in the story… besides, I always liked the Hyuugas. In the end she's somewhat half-Neji, half-Hinata… but you'll see what I mean by that a bit later.

Last one was Funbo… he got added as one of the last Leaf shinobies (only Senkou got created later). I decided to place him in the team for two reasons: first one was the fact that he plays a quite important part in Ibuki's development, second is that I had some idea for him.

And that's that for the time being. Don't know when I'll update, but for the time being I'm not dropping for putting on hold this fic… if it's popularity will fall even more, then I'll consider that.

Best wishes and see ya around.


	33. On Enemy Territory

Well, due to many reviews telling me NOT to put this fic on hold, I've decided to listen to you guys and so here's another chapter of this fic (finished it just today)… it may get you confused, but everything in it has it's reasons, trust me on that… and an encounter to a fight is here as well (this is action/adventure and there wasn't that much action lately, was there?).

Thanks for all the encouraging reviews! It gives me the power to try even harder on making this fic enjoyable for you all!

Not too many questions in the last list of reviews, but I caught one concerning Sasuke and his Mangekyou Sharingan… well, to start of: yes, Naruto is still Sasuke's friend (the best one for that matter) and yes, Sasuke does have the higher level of Sharingan already… how did he achieve it? Well, there is an explanation planned for that, however I'd prefer to keep it a secret till that time (the explanation itself will take place WAAAAAAAAAAAAY later on though)… if some of you REALLY want to know, I can send you an e-mail or something explaining it, but some surprises in later parts of the story will be ruined for you that way.

I think that clears everything up this time around. I still have a lot of work (I've even started helping my friend out with writing a "One Piece" fic… if you want, I can give you details about it) so I'll still continue only popular fics… to put it simple: you want this fic to keep rolling, tell it to me… also, if you think some things can be improve, tell me as well, readers satisfaction is my top priority.

Now without further delays:

**Chapter #33: On Enemy Territory**

**_Title Page (yeah, finally remember what's it called):_** Kai is laying exhausted on his stomach on a tree branch, smiling, with a kunai stuck in the tree right next to him

"Well, they're guarding it pretty well…" announced Ibuki as she got back from scouting the area. "Each wing has about five guards and they're patrolling the dojo in a way that there are only ten-second holes during which we have to get pass them, otherwise we'll have to wait for another chance… not to mention that we still have no idea how to find the scrolls…"

"Simple…" replied Kai with a smile and all his teammates looked at him surprised. "We'll just bust in there, kick the guard's asses and look for them…" and at the same moment Kumiko hit him on the head:

"And here I was thinking that you might have thought of something… How stupid are you? Didn't you hear the rules? We're not even allowed to get spotted!"

"So what do you purpose?" asked Takaru.

"I don't know…" admitted Kumiko. "I was hoping Ibuki will spot some clues when I asked her to go on a scout, but now things got complicated… the scroll is probably quite small, thus can be hidden almost anywhere… without any idea where to look, we'll be only wasting time… Ibuki should be able to move unspotted, however she alone won't be able to cover the whole dojo in search for clues… we need to figure out where would be a good place to hid the scroll or at least to leave a clue where it is…"

"Look, Saiken-san, isn't that Konoha brats?" they all heard a voice coming from above and as they looked up, they noticed a team from Kumori Gakure: four wearing hoods and one with a headgear on his head. "It seems we carelessly ran into them…"

"How regrettable…" sighed another, hooded member with a female voice. "Guess it can't be helped… I'll take care of them…" and with that she held her right hand from under her cloak. The leaf-nins eyes widen as they saw a metal glove on it, with claws in stead of fingers and small spikes all over it.

"No, let me, let me…" begged another hooded figure with a psychopathic tune in his voice. "It's been a while since I get to had any fun… my bones are starting to get rusty…"

"_They forgot about the orders completely…_" the third, hooded figure, who was standing on the tree branch upside down (_A/N: holding to it with his feet that is_) sighed as something moved under his cloak. "_I knew those two will only make the mission more problematic…_"

"Raina, Fuma, stop it…" ordered the one wearing a headgear, Saiken. "There's no point in fighting them… we should conserve our strength for the coming exams… listen brats, we'll make you a deal: let us through without a fight and we'll give you one of the scrolls that we collected…" and with that the one hanging upside down held out his hand, which was holding four scrolls.

"_What?_" Takaru's eyes widen. "_But the exam started about fifteen minutes ago! How did they collected ALL the scrolls already? That's not possible!_" and with that thought he looked at Saiken. "_And this guy… there's something strange about him…_"

The one standing upside down threw the scroll at the rookie gennin. Kai caught it and the moment he raised his head to look at the shadow-nins, he noticed they weren't there anymore. "Huh? Where did they go?"

"I have a bad feeling about this…" announced Kusari as he kept staring at the place Kumori shinobies were just a moment ago. "I mean, why did they gave us the scroll just like that?"

"Coz we're stronger, of course" replied Kai, proud of himself.

"That's not it…" Kumiko disagreed. "Even though they said they do not wish you waste their strength before the next exam, why did they even show themselves to us? They could just go right pass us unnoticed… since Ibuki didn't sensed them, I doubt any of us did…"

"So you're saying that they drew our attention to them on purpose?" asked Takaru.

"That's my guess…" nodded the tactician.

"But why would they do that?" demanded Kusari. "And why did they let us by? Since they collected all the scrolls in such a short time, defeating us would most likely present no problem to them…"

"That's what I'd like to know…" responded Kumiko. "I may be wrong, but with all that, I believe that their intension, from the very beginning, was to give one scroll to us…"

"You gotta be joking!" yelled Kai. "They're not even from the Leaf! Why would they care whether we pass this exam or not?"

"They most likely have their reasons…" announced Ibuki calmly. "But whatever they may be, we should use this chance and get straight to the exit… since they collected all the scroll, it means stealing one is the only way for the two, other teams that entered the area with us to pass this test. As soon as they find out about that, they'll go after us since we're physically weaker then those shadow-nins. Unless we hurry and get out of here, we risk getting attacked by them…"

"Right, lets get out of here first, then we'll think why they did this…" Takaru agreed and a second later they all headed towards the gate, unaware of the fact that they were watched from the nearby bushes.

----------

Hinata and Naruto were both eating ramen at the Ichiraku when Neji quietly walked inside the restaurant. The moment he reached the both jounin backs, the whisker-marks greeted him: "Nice that you dropped by… it's been a while, Neji…"

"Naruto… Hinata-sama…" the ANBU member bowed to the kunoichi.

"Neji-niisan, I told you not to address me like that…" reminded the girl as she turned around with noodles still in her mouth. "But why did you came? An ANBU leader surely have more important things to do then chat with jounins…"

"Yes, I did came here for a reason…" nodded the white-eyed man. "Naruto, I have a message from Hokage-sama… it seems that it involves one of your subordinates…"

"He's back then…" said the blonde, lowering his head a bit.

"That is what we think…" confirmed the ANBU.

"Neji, I have a request then…" announced the whisker-marks. "I know this is much to ask, but can you make your team have a lookout on the exams? Tell them to not effect its results only take action if something unusual happens…"

"I'll take care of it personally…" replied the white-eyed man.

"Thanks… Hinata-chan, forgive me, but I need to cut this short… I have to see Kakashi-sama right away…"

"I understand…" responded the kunoichi. "But you owe me a dinner…" the blonde only smiled and went on his way to the Hokage Tower.

----------

Kai and his teams were jumping from one tree to the other, heading towards the exit when suddenly tree branches started to block their way just like they were alive. Before anyone knew it, they heard Kai's yell, who was the most behind: "What the hell? Those branches are trying to imprison me!"

Everyone turned around and saw their teammate being capture by lianas and thinner tree branches. "_What's happening? The forest is attacking us?_" thought Takaru as he performed a quick set of hand seals and with the last symbol called out: "Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu!"

Instantly a huge fireball left his mouth and burnt some of the branches in front of him. "Hurry, while the path is cleared!" he called to his teammates as all of them, except Kai who was still trapped, escaped the trap.

"Impressive…" announced Kusari. "When did you learned the jutsu used by Naruto-sensei and that ANBU guy from the Stone Country?" the son of Tsunade only smirked.

"This is no time to be impressed!" yelled Kai. "Get me down from here dammit!"

"Okay, okay…" replied Ibuki as she prepared her shurikens. "Just hold still…"

"I can't move an inch, even if I wanted too…" responded the blonde.

The young assassin aimed her weapons, but before she could throw them, roots shoot from under the ground and started to circle around her, imprisoning her hands and then her entire body. "What is this?" yelled Kumiko surprised as she jumped into the air along with Kusari and Takaru in order to avoid roots that were coming after them too.

"Most likely we're being attacked by grass-nins…" announced the chain user. "Those shinobies are known for mastering those sort of jutsus… however, it is surprising that someone on the gennin level is able to use such skills…"

"Thanks for flattering me, but this won't help you…" they all heard a voice and before they knew it, a large branch 'grabbed' Takaru in a way he couldn't perform any hand seals. As both Kumiko and Kusari jumped off the trees, the chain user flew carelessly right at lianas that started to circle around him, making him trapped just like Kai was.

Kumiko landed on the ground safely and looked at her teammates. None was able to move in any way. "Though luck…" she heard the voice again and just then a group of five grass-nins walked out of the bushes. The one who spoken and seemed to be the leader, was a boy only few years older then her. He had messy, brown hair and green eyes. He wore a black t-shirt with green waistcoat on that, along with a large scroll attached to his back. "Looks like you're on your own, mermaid…"

The other, four Grass shinobies laughed loudly at their leader's words. "Give us the scroll and we won't kill you…" announced the Grass team leader calmly as he walked closer to the kunoichi.

Kumiko backed away a few steps and reached to her hostel for a kunai. "_What to do? What to do?_" she panicked. "_I'm not a warrior type and it's five against one… by the looks of things, if I fight, I'm as good as dead! But the scroll that Takaru has is the last one that's left in the area… if we give it back, we'll fail the test… what… what should I do?_"

"I can tell just by looking at you…" announced the Grass team leader as he kept getting closer to the girl. "That you're not the fighter… you even seem to be the weakest in your team… you see the odds, I trapped all your friends, so what chances do you have against me… and keep in mind that my four teammates will join the battle the moment I'll start loosing if that were to happen… you can't do anything…"

"Of course she can!" yelled Kai as all eyes turned to him. "You pinheads picked the wrong team to mess with! Kumiko, usually I'd say 'free me and I'll kick their butts' but this time… just wipe the floor with them and then get us out of those branches, will ya?"

"_Kai…_" the Leaf kunoichi stared at her teammate in shock. "_I'm supposed to…_"

"The idiot does have a point…" Takaru agreed with the blonde. "There is no 'weakest' in this team… Kumiko, you're as strong as anyone of us… just finish this quick and get us out of here so we can advance to the next exam…" Kusari and Ibuki and smiled and slightly nodded (_A/N: as much as the roots and lianas allowed them too_).

"_You… you all…_" Kumiko hold back tears that were gathering in her eyes, before lowering her head. "_I will fight!_"

"Boy you guys are loud…" sighed the Grass team leader. "But reality bites…" with that he turned to the free leaf-nin and saw her smiling.

"You know, that jutsu you sued on my teammates…" began Kumiko as her smile widen. "It's very impressive… guess it's some sort of Mokuton… but that's not important… use the enemies strength for your profits… that's one of the basic ninjutsu rules… and guess what, I've found your weak spot… better get ready, coz your ass is grass…"

* * *

And for the time being that's it. Hope you enjoyed it. 

No jutsu encyclopedia this time, coz there weren't any jutsus really (at least none that you wouldn't know anything about), however there is a bonus… I was asked (a chapter ago if I recall) to make character profile of two characters so I'm doing the first one of the two NOW! If you want any, specific of my OC's to be described, tell me and it'll be posted ASAP… anyways, here we go:

_Name:_ Hyuuga Hitomi

_Name Origins:_ I never really found any meaning behind her clan's name, but 'hitomi' means 'pupils' which is allusion to her bloodline limit… and also it's somewhat a bow to a character created by a friend of mine to her story (you won't find it on this site however)… also, she has nothing to do with the character of the same name in my "Those Who Inherit the Will of Fire"

_Age:_ currently 14 years old (just for the record, Kai and other rookies are 13 now)

_Birth Date:_ 9th of May

_Blood Type:_ 0

_Height:_ 154,7 cm

_Weight:_ 46,3 kg

_Favorite Food:_ no data

_Village:_ Konoha (Hidden Leaf)

_Current Rank:_ gennin… duh

_Bloodline Limit:_ Byakugan, Jyuken (then again, Gentle Fist isn't really a bloodline limit)

_Family:_ parents: Hyuuga Neji and Hyuuga Tenten, cousin Hyuuga Hinata

_Techniques (used so far):_ Hakke Rokujuu Yonsho (Sixty-four Point Hands)

_First Appearance:_ 27th chapter

And that's really that for this time.

Best wishes and till the next time, hopefully.


	34. Kumiko's Strength

Okay, before we start: thank you all for the encouraging reviews. I believe I answered all the reviews I could already, however there was a question concerning Sasuke's Mangekyou Sharingan: yes, Sasuke did use a Sharingan in the fight against Karuto and Ryu, however I never said it was the higher level one… and still Sasuke grew a lot stronger then he was (it's been around fifteen years since the current events in the manga)… however all the aspects of Sasuke's Sharingan will be properly answered later on.

Before we start, I just want to encourage you to review, coz your opinions means a lot to me.

And now on with the show:

**Chapter #34: Kumiko's Strength  
**

**_Title Page:_** Kai is walking with screws in his neck, pretending to be Frankenstein's monster

"Use the enemy's strength for your profits… that's one of the basic ninjutsu rules…" announced Kumiko as she picked out a kunai and wrapped it with an explosive tag. "And guess what, I've just found your weak spot… better get ready, coz your ass is grass…" and with that she threw the knife right at the Kusa shinobi.

The Grass leader jumped back, easily avoiding both the kunai and explosion, but the dust that was lifted at the same moment blocked his view for a moment. As the dust cleared, the grass-nins noticed a bunch of knifes all with tags on them coming right at them. Some jumped into the air just to be attacked by more throwing knifes, also with explosive tags.

Kusari also go a heart attack as one of Kumiko's knifes flew right pass his right cheek and stuck in the tree only a meter behind him. He turned around and noticing a tag attached to that knife too his eyes widen.

"And I thought you were the smart one…" sighed the Grass leader as he, along with two of his teammates, landed on the ground. The other two stayed on top of the trees, having tied up Kusari and Takaru right behind them. "Attacking blindly… how stupid… most likely you already used all of your explosive tags along with all the knifes… you didn't even used the dust you created to free one of your teammates… I guess I'll just end your stupidity here and now…" and with that he bite his finger while taking the scroll of his back.

"Is Kiro-kun really gonna use that technique on just one opponent?" asked one of the other Grass shinobies. "And such a weak one too…"

"Kuchiyose no Jutsu!"" called out the one called Kiro. "Come forward Zassouku!" and in an instant a huge cloud of white smoke covered the scroll. As it cleared, it revealed a large sundew with leaves used as legs and a huge jaw: "Eat her…" commanded the grass-nin and immediately the living plant charged at the Leaf kunoichi.

Kumiko tried to jump out of the way, to her surprise however her legs were grabbed by tiny roots that came from under the ground: "That's why I said you were pathetic!" laughed Kiro. "When you lifted tons of dust I performed a quick set of hand seals to control the roots! I made them wait under the ground for the right moment to come up and grab you! You didn't expect that, coz you never saw me performing hand seals! And now you're death!"

But to everyone's surprise the plant just ran through the leaf kunoichi, leaving the Grass shinobies eyes widen. "Who said that you're the only one who performed the seals while dust lifted?" came Kumiko's voice and instantly tens of her jumped from every part of the bush surrounding the battle ground.

"_A simple bushin?_" Kiro looked around a bit nervous. "_What is she trying to do by confusing us for a second? That won't help her at all…_" and with that he performed another set of hand seals: "Jump up!" he commanded his teammates and the second they did so, he called out: "Mokuton: Ibara Niwa!"

In an instant tens of thorns grew from under the ground and fire their spikes at all Kumiko's bushins, yet they flew right through every one of them: "_The original's no here?_" Kiro's eyes widen again at the discovery.

"Boy you're dumb…" he heard Kumiko's voice again and before he knew it his teammates fell from the tree and hit the ground hard, falling into unconsciousness. "What the…?"

"Let me explain…" asked the real Kumiko, who just walked out from behind a nearby tree. "When you thought that at the beginning I did nothing then throw kunais blindly, you made the biggest mistake: all off that was just a simple cover… heck, you didn't even noticed that not all of the tags attached to the kunais were explosive ones… if you'd look around closely, you'll see many of my knives laying around not blown to bits…"

Kiro looked around and noticed that what she said was true and a moment later the Leaf kunoichi continued: "I'm a genjutsu specialist and being such requires good chakra knowledge… I'm not an expert like Kusari, however I can tell when chakra is expelled in most of the times… that's how I noticed that in order to keep those lianas and roots imprisoning my friends you needed to keep releasing chakra into them… that requires concentration, so I figure that if I disturb it, you won't notice when they're cut. I also forced your teammates to jump into the air so I'd have an explanation to throw kunais into the tree tops as well… one of the knifes had a tag attached to it. I threw it close to Kusari, so that he could read it…"

At hearing that the Grass shinobi looked up and noticed all four of Kumiko's teammates standing on the branches. Soon after he turned to the genjutsu specialist who kept explaining: "Kusari's abilities don't require hand seals to work, so as long as his chain is free, he can act… since he's using his chain by filling it with chakra, I figure he will be able to cut through the lianas. In the note attached to the kunai I threw next to him I asked him to do that, free the others and told them to hide in the tree tops. When they were doing that, I performed bushin while dust was still covering the area. With so many phantoms you didn't realize that I also cast another genjutsu…"

"What do you mean?" asked Kiro.

"Didn't it surprised you?" Kumiko seemed surprised. "You ordered you teammates to escape into the tree tops when you performed that thorn technique, coz the spikes fired at every place near the surface. Ibuki was trapped by the roots so she was tied to the ground. Basically she should be killed by all the thorns and yet she's fine… that's because she, as well as all my other teammates from the moment the dust cleared were just the genjutsu that I cast after performing the bushin…" and the moment she said so the pictures of Konoha rookies being trapped by lianas, tree branches and roots faded away, leaving the real ones that stood on the tree branches.

"The instant your team jumped onto the branches, we took care of them…" announced Takaru with his arms crossed. "How the tables have turned, now you're the one who's outnumbered… however Kumiko's fight is still not over…"

"What do you mean?" asked Kiro confused.

"Simple…" replied Ibuki. "It's still one on one… she'll kick you butt anyway…"

"Of course…" nodded the other Leaf kunoichi. "Come on, the chances are even, lets check how good you are without your friends to help you and no hostages…" and with that she reached for her shurikens. "_With all that I have only one kunai left and seven shurikens… should be just enough…_" and with that she threw the shinobi stars right at the grass-nin.

Kiro easily dodged by jumping to his right and threw shurikens of his own. As they came closer to Kumiko, she rolled on the ground, making them flew right above her. The Leaf kunoichi reached to her hostel once more and picking out three shinobi stars this time, she threw one right before the grass-nin's face.

As Kiro came to a stop, he turned his face to his opponent and a large smirk appeared on it. Kumiko instantly jumped to the left as Zassouku missed grabbing her with his jaws just by few inches. The kunoichi threw another one of her shurikens at the living plant and as the star reached the target, the 'creature' hissed and some green liquid escaped it's mouth.

Meanwhile Kumiko threw another shuriken at the grass-nin, but this one missed him by a mile (_A/N: not literally, but you know…_) and stuck in a tree. "_Two left… damn, I miscalculated! I need one more…_" and with that she picked out her last, two shinobi stars throwing them above surprised Kiro.

"_She's up to something…_" he concluded as he began a new set of hand seals. "_She may be weak, but her aim can't be THAT bad… she was good with throwing those kunai's before…_" and with that he finished his chain of seals and called out: "Mokuton: Hongen Hitoya!"

Before anyone knew it, roots shoot from under the ground in order to trap the kunoichi. "_Not good…_" Kumiko cursed in her mind as she jumped into the air and reached for her last kunai: "_This will have to do then…_"

As soon as she was above the ground she threw the knife with a rope tied to it into a large tree branch few meters above her. The moment she began to fall down back to the surface, she grabbed the rope and stopped right out of the roots reach.

Only then did Kiro noticed thin string attached to every shuriken Kumiko threw at him and his eyes widen as he realized that the strings were all around him: "_Shi…_" was all he managed to say before trying to avoid the trap. It was too late however.

In an instant Kumiko started spinning, using the rope tied to the kunai and all the shurikens with strings got ripped of from the places they were stuck in and started to tie the grass-nin.

Seeing that the strings were practically everywhere, Kiro figured that the only way to avoid the trap was to cut them. He reached out for his pocket, picked out a kunai and aimed to cut the string that was the closest to his body, however just then Zassouku flew right into him, making him lose his balance as well as the kunai.

A second or two later, the grass-nin was completely tied up by the strings and Zassouku got dispelled by the hit against him. Kumiko landed softly on the ground and walked closer to the Kusa shinobi and only then did Kiro noticed that all the strings were attached to the kunoichi's belt: "You…" he began, but shut up almost instantly.

"Kumiko-chan, that was so awesome!" yelled Kusari as he jumped down from the tree along with the rest of the team. "You really beat him! That's what I call choosing the right girl for being your future wife! Come on, a hug to celebrate the victory!" and with that he jumped at the kunoichi with his arms opened, the genjutsu specialist however managed to land a kick on his face before he was able to close the embrace.

"You dumbass, just when I was about to praise you for a job well-done too…" Kumiko sweat dropped as her foot was stuck in the chain master's face.

"I knew you can make it…" announced Kai as he gave the girl a pat on the back. "Now lets get out of this place before more people will get a desire to steal our scroll…"

"Wow, you actually made a good point…" joked Takaru and with that all, five Leaf gennins headed towards the exit.

----------

Shikamaru was laying on one of the roof tops and stared at the starry, night sky when Temari joined him and sat next to the lazy jounin. They both stayed silent for a while before the Sand kunoichi decided to speak: "It seems that both our teams made it through the second test…"

"I know, Ino already told me…" replied Shikamaru. "To be honest I was a little worried that they may end up failing that one… but from now on it's only going to be harder and harder… the next test will require a lot of skills…"

"Ah yes…" the Sand kunoichi smiled a bit under her nose. "It's that exam next, is it?"

"Yeah…" nodded the lazy jounin. "Next is the Forest of Death…"

* * *

And for the time being that's that. Hope you enjoyed it and that you'll leave a review once you're done, coz I won't update until you do. 

And now for another part of jutsu encyclopedia:

_Mokuton: Ibara Niwa_ (Tree Element: Thorn Garden) – it was already described in chapter 21, this is just a reminder.

_Mokuton: Hongen Hitoya no Jutsu _(Tree Element: Root Prison Skill) – quite similar to Root Control Skill used by Kouba (check chapter 19), the only difference is that this jutsu can be used only when near plants with roots and that once the roots pop up from the ground, they automatically imprison the target without the will of the user.

As for the character profile, most of you wanted some details about "the sand kunoichi that uses the same techniques as Gaara"… well, since you asked, here you are:

_Name:_ Sabaku no Sabure

_Name origins:_ the whole name is translated Sabure of the Sand (duh) and 'sabure' itself means simply 'sand'

_Age:_ currently 14 years old

_Birth Date:_ 5th of June

_Blood Type:_ B

_Height:_ 151,3 cm

_Weight:_ 46,9 kg

_Favorite Food:_ ramen (surprise… and I'm not joking!)

_Village:_ Suna (Hidden Sand)

_Current rank:_ gennin

_Bloodline limit:_ none

_Family:_ her father is Sabaku no Gaara, current Kazekage… when it comes to her mother… well, that's a secret for the time being

_Techniques (used so far):_ none

_First appearance:_ 29th chapter

And I think that's all for the time being. Hope you enjoyed it and that you'll drop by another time.

Best wishes and have a great day.


	35. Third Exam

To start off I want to thank everyone who sacrificed their time and reviewed! Thanks for all the encouraging words, that really gets me going! And I didn't even realized, but it seem that this fic approaches 500 reviews! Cool!

Well, this one turned out longer then usual, but I really didn't see any point in making this into two chapters… especially since some parts are similar to those in the manga… however with this chapter you might find it easier to remember "WHO'S WHO"… and there also will be few hints as to character plots… but to find out more, you'll have to read.

Not that many questions this time around (at least which I could answer without spoiling too much)… I can only promise that you'll learn everything in the right time. As for the length of this fic, well I haven't calculated the number of chapters (since there are changes… like this one was supposed to be a bit longer, but split in two) but I can promise this one will the LONG… and I mean LONG… and I hope you'll enjoy it enough to make it to the end (which is far away at the time being).

**ANNOUNCEMENT:** just wanted to inform you about something… well, for some time now I've being writing my original story that is influenced by manga… and I finally decided to place it on the web… you can find the link on my profile page… as for the details, it's a fantasy story with a lot of action and quite a lot of humor and drama… plus romance later on. If you feel like it, do try it out and leave a review if you can. Thanks in advance.

Now, without further to do, here's another chapter of N:NG!

**Chapter #35: Third Exam**

**_Title Page:_** all the rookie, Leaf kunoichi are dressed as cheerleaders! Tsume is smiling widely, wrapping her hand around Mikka, who has her head lowered. Kumiko and Kogane are having the time of their lives cheering, Rei is sleeping on the floor and Ibuki is doing her best to succeed at performing split

"Wow, thing place is huge…" announced Kai as he looked at the forest surrounded with wire-net with a sigh "Restricted Area' on it. The trees were colossal and seemed to be blocking any way through.. "Is this really the right place?" and with that he turned to his teammates.

"That's what the scroll says…" replied Kumiko as she read the scroll they got during the second exam. "Training area 44… but what's with that 'restricted area' sign?"

"That's for people's safety, of course…" all the gathered chuunin wanabies heard a voice and as they turned around in the direction it came from, they noticed a man around thirty years old with spiky, brown hair and two, red, fang-like tattoos on his cheeks. He wore a blue t-shirt and metal protectors on his arms. A moment later a huge, white-furred dog came running after him. The man smiled at the kids and announced: "My name is Inuzuka Kiba and this is Akamaru…" with that he pointed at the dog. "And we were chosen to be the examiners of the third test this year…"

"Looks like your dad's the examiner, Tsume…" announced Senkou as he turned to his teammate. "Think he'll give us some handicap?" he joked but the dog kunoichi didn't paid too much attention to him.

"The place you're all staring at is training area 44, but most of the higher rank shinobies in this village call it The Forest of Death…" continued Kiba. "But that's besides the point… I was never good at patience, so I won't force you to learn it either. Please listen carefully as I explain the rules of the third exam!" and with that he gained everyone's attention. "You all signed the agreement forms before the exams even started, however before you decided whether you wish to participate in this one or not, I advice you hear me out first… those who'll decide to keep going are to go with their teammates to that booth behind me… now to explain what's this exam is all about… putting it as simple as I can, it's an ultimate survival test…"

"_Survival?_" repeated Kitsune. "_Damn, this sucks… wasn't the previous one enough?_" and with that he turned to Rei who was, as usual, sleeping while she stood. "_And with her on the team it'll be troublesome to pass something like this…_"

"For starters, let me give you some detail about your battleground…" asked Kiba as he held out a small map that shown the area they were standing before. "There are exactly 44 located gates that led into the forest through which you'll enter the area… look closely at the tower that's located in the middle of the forest… from every gate to the tower the distance is about 10 kilometers and that tower is your destination…"

"So far this sounds like a simple walk through the park…" announced Reiji with a smirk.

"It would be, however reaching the tower is not the only task you must fulfill to advance to the next exam…" replied the dog jounin. "You are allowed to use any weapons or techniques, just like in the previous exam, in a thing called 'Scroll Battle'…"

"Man, another scroll gathering…" complained Kai. "What the hell is with this boring stuff?"

"The rules are different from before though…" Kiba just ignored the blonde. "Whereas in the previous test you just needed to sneak in, fighting will be unavoidable here… unless you wish to fail… now, let me explain it properly…" with that he held out two scrolls: one white with the kanji symbol for 'heaven' on it and the other black with 'earth'. "There are currently thirty six teams left, so half of you will get the 'heaven scroll'… and the other eighteen teams will get the 'earth scroll'… in order to pass this test, a team must bring both scrolls to the tower."

"So the eighteen teams that will bring the scrolls will pass…" noticed Taki. "And the other half will be failed…"

"It's not as simple…" interrupted the jounin. "To start let me tell you that there's a time limit… the test will last exactly a hundred and twenty hours, so five days… to pass, you must bring the scrolls to the tower before the time expires…"

"Five days?" yelled Hanamaru. "I don't have enough chips! I need food!"

"Then look in the forest…" replied Kiba. "Of course keep in mind that some plants are poisonous… also you should watch out not only for enemies but also wild beasts and poisonous insects… I'll tell you right now that never, throughout the whole history of this exam, there was a case when half of the teams that entered the forest made it successfully to the next test… Once you'll enter, you'll realize that as the days go by, the tower will seem more distant, you'll have less time to rest and enemies will be everywhere… in this test you may fail by not only losing your scroll but also by not being able to stand the harshness…"

"Already I love this…" announced Funbo with a smirk.

"Now please listen while I explain what disqualifies you…" asked the dog jounin. "First, those who won't manage to bring both scrolls to the tower within the time limit… also those who'll lose a teammate or get one of their comrades die… just so you know, there is no such thing as quitting in the middle… if you decide to enter the forest, you'll have to spend there five days no matter what… and finally: you're not allowed to look inside the scrolls before you reach the tower…"

"And what if you'd take a peek?" wondered Kusari.

"That is for those who'd dare to do that to find out…" replied Kiba. "Chuunins are often trusted with classified information so this exam is also to test your trustworthiness… I believe that covers all the aspects of this test so unless there are any question, the teams may go into the booth to receive their scroll and then follow the chuunin to their starting gate… once all of you will get their scrolls, the test will begin… before you all decide, just one, last piece of advice from me: don't die…"

"_So this is how it'll work…_" noticed Ibuki as she observed the covered booth. "_We won't know which team got what scroll and who's carrying it…it's just like Ino-san said, information is crucial here! Attacking blindly is the worst thing you can do… everyone's the enemy!_"

"What's with the worried look, Ibuki?" she heard a voice and without even turning around, she replied coldly to the boy: "Not worried… more like excited, Senkou…"

"Is it…" Kokoro cut in, yet said nothing more. The young assassin looked at the blonde boy a little angry: "_I hate when he does that…_"

"Excited, you say?" came a voice and a moment later Hizoku walked over to the leaf-nin. "You do realize that fighting will be unavoidable this time, right? And with the rules as they are now, you must choose your opponents wisely…"

"There's no need…" replied Kogane as she moved closer to Tsunade's son. "Takaru-kun will beat everyone… coz the power of my love will aid him…" and then she sweat dropped as Rei's snoring was heard by everyone.

"_With those two, troublesome females on our team…_" Kitsune thought to himself. "_How can we not worry?_" and with that he turned to Hanamaru and Toku, who were both eating the last bag of the chubby ninja's potato chips. "_And those two ain't making it any better…_"

"Your turn, I believe…" announced Toku to Hizoku as he pointed at the booth from which the team standing before them just left.

"So I guess I'll wish you luck…" announced Hizoku to Leaf gennin. "If everything goes well, we'll face each other during the next test… see ya…" and with that he returned to his teammates and entered the booth.

**GATE #2: metal-nins – Ono Reiji (the bald one with an axe), Futatsu (the one with two katanas), Naginata (the girl with the stick), Hogosha (the guy with metal protectors) and Sentou (the one with metal arms)**

"_Finally a chance for payback…_" Futatsu smiled under his mask as he looked at Kusari.

"Our main objective is to pass this test…" reminded Reiji without even looking at his teammate. "Do not forget that…"

**GATE #7: rain-nins – Furikuzu Tsuino (the guy with scars on his face), Kasano Youji (the girl with umbrellas on the back), Hebereke Nazaa (the redhead guy), Nokogiri Karei (the girl with a chain) and Eshaku Ryu (the bow guy)**

"So, are we sticking to the original plan?" asked Ryu as he fixed his glasses.

"Of course…" replied Tsuino simply as he kept looking at the gate in front of them.

**GATE #9: snow-nins – Nadare Aisu (the blue-haired girl wearing all blue), Sarumaru Yari (the spearman), Urufu Kato (the one with the sword and bulldog), Yamazaru (the one with the wooden helmet) and Sutaru Kuri (the light blue-haired girl)**

"This test shouldn't be a problem…" announced Aisu. "Just keep Yamazaru on the leash…" with that she turned to Yari and then gave a quick glare to the giant.

**GATE #13: sand-nins – Takai (the scythe user), Aoru (the redhead girl), Tarakudo (the psychotic one with bandages), Torune (the blonde girl) and Honemaru (the boy with white hair)**

"_An enemy's an enemy…_" thought Aoru as she looked at her teammate. "_But spending five days with Takai… now that's a challenge…_"

**GATE #16: moon-nins – Junsei Teela (the girl with blue hair), Kihako Tasuki (the green-haired boy with a sword), Tenka (redhead girl wearing violet), Chishio Nobu (the blonde of the twins) and Chishio Kumo (the green-haired of the twins)**

"Hey, Teela, I know what you're thinking about, but lets concentrate on passing this exam first, okay?" Tasuki asked the blue-haired girl, yet she didn't answer. "_She's ignoring me again… dammit, she never listens…_"

**GATE #19: Galu, Tsume, Kokoro, Mikka and Senkou**

"Heh, survival is our specialty, right Uramaru?" Tsume asked her dog with a wide smile appearing on her face. The dog only barked loudly as a 'yes'.

"Mikka, are you sure you're gonna be alright?" Galu turned to his teammate, who only replied with a slight nodded, yet still had a worried expression on her face.

"_Kai-kun, I hope you'll be okay…_" she thought to herself.

**GATE #21: Toku, Rei, Kitsune, Kogane and Hanamaru**

"_No chips for five days…_" Hanamaru cried in his mind as Kogane did her best to wake up Rei.

**GATE #26: Kai, Ibuki, Takaru, Kumiko and Kusari**

"Alright, lets kick ass!" yelled Kai as he raised his hands to the sky.

**GATE #28: shadow-nins – Tenma Saiken (the one with the headgear), Fuma (the loud one), Raina (the girl with the metal glove), Kyuu (the one the stood up-side-down) and Bakara (the last one, not described in any way yet)**

"So, we're going after the brats?" asked Fuma with a chuckle.

"No…" replied Saiken. "For the time being we'll not interfere… unless it'll be required…"

**GATE #32: waterfall-nins – Abura Tetsu (fatso with a hammer and two pipes on his back), Tora Miaka (the girl with a white tiger), Makko Shita (the pipsqueak wearing orange), Azarashi Kawa (the girl with bottles) and Rein Kasui (senbon user)**

"Finally something for us, right Torabaku?" Miaka said to her tiger as the wild cat only exposed his sharp fangs in something like a smile.

**GATE #35: sand-nins – Hari (the short, blonde girl), Dekai (the swordsman), Karame (the mummy), Horamaru (the snake-like face boy) and Sabaku no Sabure (the girl with a gourd)**

"This should be a walkover…" announced Horamaru with a smirk. "We'll get to have some fun, right Sabure?" and with that he turned to the masked girl.

The red-haired girl didn't answer. She just stood motionless with her arms crossed.

**GATE #39: leaf-nins – Manako Akira (the one with closed eyes), Hyuuga Hitomi (the peril eyes girl… duh), Horohoro (the boy wearing light blue), Hamano Taki (the girl with the boomerang) and Tanken Funbo (Ibuki's brother… also duh)**

"Just stick close to me, Akira…" Horohoro said to his teammate, who merely nodded.

**GATE #42: grass-nins – Wanabi Hizoku (the redhead with a strange-looking spear), Hokku Tobane (the blonde girl), Kuchibashi Taka (the guy with the bird mask and a chain), Kanraku Nezumi (the girl with the rat) and Kyohaku Tokame (the one wearing jet black robe)**

"You know, Hizoku, there is something I wanted to ask you for a while now…" announced Taka as he looked at the redhead. "Why do you socialize with those Leaf brats even though you still plan on doing… well, you know…"

"I'm not sure really…" came a response. "But there's something about them… can't really place a finger, but… well, it doesn't matter anyway… it changes nothing…"

"If you say so…" replied the masked boy as he gave his teammate the last stare.

Time went by and finally all the gennin heard Kiba's voice coming from the loud speakers at every gate: "The third test of the Chuunin Selection Exam starts… NOW! Good luck everyone…" and with that the dog jounin added to himself: "_You'll need it…_"

"Lets do this then!" yelled Kai as the chuunin that guided them opened the gate and they walked into the forest.

----------

A man wearing black walked through the Leaf village. He carried six scrolls on his back and had purple markings all over his face. But what should drew the most attention in that man was his hitae-ate, which he wore on his forehead: it had a sandglass symbol on it.

"_Where the heck is that Temari?_" he thought to himself a little pissed. "_Sure, I can understand that they haven't seen one another for few years, but that doesn't mean she can just ignore me, dammit! I'll kick her ass when she'll finally show up!_" and just then his eyes widen as a strange sensation hit him. The sand-nin turned around where a mysterious, hooded man walked down the street.

The hooded figure didn't even bother to look the man's way, but that didn't help the sand-nin to shake off the strange feeling: "_Am I just getting old?_" he thought to himself. "_That hooded guy just now…_" but with that he turned around and slowly walked away: "_Nah, this can't be… but just in case, maybe I should warn that blonde pinhead and Gaara?_"

----------

"So, you guys remember what I told you before?" asked Kumiko as they all jumped from one branch to another.

"Just relax…" replied Takaru. "Sure, we have Kai on our team, but besides that we're not stupid… I suggest for Ibuki to be the one to hunt us some food… Kai and Kusari should take care of the camp and Kumiko and I will go into the forest in search for some enemies… among the five of us, in case we ran into some enemies, the two of us have the biggest chances of getting away safely…"

"If you say so…" responded Kusari. "But for a while now I have a strange feeling… like we're being followed… I can't tell who it is or how many, but…"

"You're probably just imagining things…" assured Kai. "The exam started just few minutes ago, how could anyone be on our trail already?"

However the blonde didn't even knew how wrong he was as high in the tree tops a certain team of leaf-nins did follow the young shinobi.

"Your eyes are irreplaceable as always, Hitomi…" announced Funbo with a smirk as he observed his sister. "_Ibuki, hope you'll show me how much you have growth…_"

"So, what's the plan?" asked Akira.

"Well, the one carrying the scroll is that scar-face guy…" replied the peril-eye girl. "He also seems to be the strongest among the five… it would be pointless to fight all five of them, so I say we separate them and then attack… Taki, I guess this is your department…"

"Okay…" responded the boomerang user with a smile. "Shouldn't be a problem…"

* * *

And that's that for the time being. Hope you enjoyed it. PLEASE leave a review once you're finished.

No jutsus used this time, but as for character profile this time around, since I did mostly kunoichis and there was someone who wanted to know more about Funbo, this time I'll go with presenting Ibuki's older brother. Here goes:

_Name:_ Tanken Funbo

_Name origins:_ as I already wrote, tanken means 'dagger' which is somewhat an assassins tool… his first name, Funbo, can be translated as 'grave' or 'tomb'… he's from the assassin clan, so he has a lot to do with death, right?

_Age:_ currently 14 years old

_Birth Date:_ 15th of March

_Blood Type:_ AB

_Height:_ 155,2 cm

_Weight:_ 46,9 kg

_Favorite Food:_ sushi (any type)

_Village:_ Konoha (Hidden Leaf)

_Current rank:_ gennin

_Team:_ cell led by Aburame Shino; his teammates are – Hyuuga Hitomi, Hamano Taki, Manako Akira and Horohoro

_Bloodline Limit:_ none really, but he's an expert in all sort of weapons

_Family:_ he's the son of Tanken Satsu and has a year younger sister – Ibuki… his mother died giving birth to his sister

_Techniques used so far:_ none… but it's not a secret his skills are similar to Ibuki's

_First Appearance:_ 27th chapter

And that is that. I'll do my best to finish the next chapter before Easter, however in case I won't manage, I'd like to wish you all _HAPPY EASTER and COLORFUL EGGS!_

Until next time, hopefully.


	36. Separation

TADAM! I made it! A chapter before Easter! (okay, not exactly, but still)… and the third exam officially begins! This one will take longer then the two, previous ones. And some things will be straighten during it.

As usual, thanks to everyone who reviewed! It means a lot.

Not many questions this time around, so the only one I can really answer is if there will be Sasuke's kids in here. Well, that's a yes, however the older one has only eight years old at the moment the story is now, so none of them will play a really important part I'm afraid. If you want to read my fic with Sasuke's kids, you might wanna check "Those Who Inherit the Will of fire".

**ANNOUNCEMENT:** just wanted to inform you about something… well, for some time now I've being writing my original story that is influenced by manga… and I finally decided to place it on the web… you can find the link on my profile page… as for the details, it's a fantasy story with a lot of action and quite a lot of humor and drama… plus romance later on. If you feel like it, do try it out and leave a review if you can. Thanks in advance.

Now, without further delays:

**Chapter #36: Separation**

**_Title Page:_** Takaru is playing the flute and in front of him a small snake is raising from the poaceous basket

Kiba just finished his sandwich as he laid under the tree. With the last swallow he turned to his canine companion and with a smirk asked: "What do you think, Akamaru? Should we get going to the tower already?"

"You haven't changed much… Kiba…" he heard a voice coming from behind.

Without even turning around, the dog jounin's smirk widen as he replied: "Like you're the one to talk… Shino" and with that the bug user came to stand beside him. "I guess you're curious about your subordinates, aren't you?" the sunglasses wearing jounin didn't move. Kiba only sighed internally as he continued: "Well, they just entered the forest, so I don't think you should be expecting them finishing this test sooner then in few hours… from what I heard, they got the earth scroll… so did Hinata's students…"

"At least there's no need to worry they'll be facing each other in this test then…" announced Shino. "But I was asked to give you an important report… you should keep an eye out on the examinees… there is suspicion Konoha might get attacked soon…"

"Not again…" dog jounin left out another sigh. "Is there any information about who the attackers might be?" and a second later the bug user gave him a small stack of papers. "I see… okay, I'll stay alert… and I guess I can send for you when your students will reach the tower, if you want…" Shino only nodded and then disappeared. "He's really not a talkative guy…" the dog jounin sweat dropped as he prepared to go to finishing line of the third exam.

----------

"Well, as planned, we took care of the supplies first…" began Kumiko. "Now we should think off a good strategy to get the scroll we need… since everyone's heading for the same place, the best thing to do would be setting traps around the tower…"

"Possibly…" nodded Takaru as he took a bite on an apple. "But there's also a treat that there will be more people thinking like that… what's more, by setting traps before the opponents arrive, you get a handicap even when fighting a stronger enemy… it's a good opportunity to eliminate people who present a treat in later exams…"

"Did you heard that?" Ibuki asked suddenly as she turned around towards the trees behind them. "I could've sworn I heard some weird noise…"

"You're imagining things, Ibuki…" assured Kai with a smile. "I didn't hear…" he began, but didn't finish as a huge tidal wave came right towards them. "What the…? Where did that came from, dammit!" yelled the blonde as he began to ran away, trying to get to the tree tops in time.

In an instant the place they were standing got covered by water, which ripped some of the trees from the ground: "_Shit, that speed and power…_" Kusari cursed as the water close in on him. "_We won't escape this!_" and with that thought he got hit by the wave and disappeared under the water.

Takaru coughed out water as the wave finally went through. "_Where are the others?_" he thought to himself while looking around for his teammates. A moment later the bushes to his left moved and the son of Tsunade instantly reached out for his kunai. He let a sigh of relief as the one who came out to the open was Kumiko.

"Takaru, boy am I glad to see you…" announced the kunoichi as she walked closer to her teammate. "Have you seen Ibuki and the guys? I already looked around a bit, but I didn't found them…" and then she froze as the boy pointed his kunai at her.

"You know the drill, Kumiko…" he said calmly, ready to throw the knife.

"What is your problem?" responded the girl. "You think anyone could copy my beauty?"

The scar-face put away his kunai: "Well, at least you're the real thing… we should go look for others… Ibuki and Kusari are most likely alright, I don't know about the dope though…" and with that they went into the forest. After a little while they manage to find another member of their team: "Ibuki, is that you?" asked the son of Tsunade with his kunai ready.

"What, you do believe your eyes?" replied the young assassin. "You think anyone could copy my beauty?" at hearing that the scar-face smiled and lowered his knife… just to throw it right at the surprised girl a second later.

The kunoichi bended over in the last second, avoiding the weapon, which flew right above her. A moment later the genjutsu got dispelled and right before Takaru's and Kumiko's eyes stood Akira, the boy with his eyes closed: "So that wasn't the code phrase?" he asked simply.

"It was…" replied the kunoichi. "Mine… Ibuki got a different one… you think that we're as stupid as to give everyone the same code phrase? With five members on the team, if all of us gets separated, we'd have to repeat the phrase several times… the possibility of someone hearing and using it increases that way, so I purposed to give everyone different entries…"

"I see…" replied Akira. "So not only you choose a code phrase that seemed like a typical reply, but you even thought of making a double security… clever…"

"If I recall, you're a teammate of Ibuki's brother, right?" noticed Takaru.

"Your memory serves you well…" nodded the older boy. "Guess sneak attack didn't work, so you guys can come out anyway…" and instantly his four teammates appeared before the rookie gennin.

"Heaven's scroll…" stated Hitomi simply. "You got just what we need…"

"_Huh?_" Takaru's eyes widen. "_How the hell did she know what scroll I have?_" and with that thought he reached out for several kunai. "Look, I don't care if you're older then us or not… get away or I'll be forced to kick your butts… crap, I'm starting to sound like Kai…"

"Well, isn't that cute?" asked Funbo with a smirk. "The brat actually thinks he stand a chance against us… tell you what, shrimp, I'll take you and your girlfriend or whatever, by myself… I'd prefer to go against Ibuki, but since she's not around, you'll have to do…"

"Funbo, this is not the time to fool around…" reminded Horohoro. "Even if they are just kids, they still manage to reach this point, so they must know few tricks… Keep in mind that underestimating your opponent is the worst thing a shinobi can do…"

"Horohoro-kun is right…" agreed Taki.

"After creating that tidal wave you don't have much strength left anyway, Taki…" replied the assassin. "Leave those two to me… this shouldn't take longer then five minutes…" and with that he charged right at the two rookies.

Takaru instantly unleashed the kunai he held at the incoming opponent and began forming hand seals. Funbo however reached out for his stick and deflected all the knives coming his way with it. Before Kumiko even noticed he was aiming his stick at the son of Tsunade.

As he attacked the scar-face, Takaru jumped into the air, avoiding a direct hit and finished his technique: "Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu!" In a instant a huge fireball left his mouth and came right at the older Tanken.

"_Even though he had to avoid the attack the way he did, he didn't got distracted and still finished the technique?_" Hitomi thought to herself with a smirk. "_Quite impressive for a brat…_"

Funbo jumped away just in time to avoid being burnt to a crisp. However his eyes widen as he moved his stick to the right in order to block the incoming kick with it. As he gave the new opponent a quick glare, he noticed a boy with spiky, blonde hair.

A second later another flash of blonde appeared before his eyes as the exact replica of the boy who still had his foot on his stick was charging at him with his fist ready. As the boy launched the punch, Funbo instantly used his left hand to grab the hand of the blonde and tossed the boy away. He wasn't prepared to block nor dodge the third blonde however, who landed a powerful kick in his stomach, sending him flying back a little, before he landed on his feet safely.

The two blondes, whose attacks failed to reach Funbo disappeared in a cloud of white smoke, leaving only one boy standing. "_Kage Bushin?_" the older Tanken's eye brow went up. "_That's a jounin level technique… how did this brat master it?_"

"Sorry for being late…" the blonde apologized, turning around to Takaru and Kumiko. "That wave took me further away, I guess… I don't have to bother with the code phrase, do I?"

"Well, took you long enough, dope…" replied the son of Tsunade. "But don't get too happy, this guy is pretty good… we have to take him down fast…"

"Consider it done…" responded Kai with a smirk.

"Brats will always be brats…" stated Funbo as a smile appeared under his nose. "Three against one… this might be interesting…"

----------

Kusari walked through the forest, looking around. "_Where are they? Did something happened after that damn wave pushed me that far?_" just then he sensed someone on the tree top and without a second wasted lunched his chain at the spot. To his surprise, Ibuki jumped down, avoiding his attack: "Oh, it's you…"

"Oh, it's you?" repeated the young assassin. "You fired your chain at me! You want me to kill you?" and with that she made an angry face, reaching out for her knives.

"Chill, I see the code phrase is right, so this must mean you're the real one…" the chain user tried to calm down his teammate. "Do you have any idea where Kumiko-chan is? Or the other two?"

"No, I lost track of them…" replied Ibuki. "It seems however that we got carried the furthest away… what was with that tidal wave anyway? Something like this had no right to appear here! You think it was an attack?"

"Most likely…" nodded Kusari. "But we shouldn't worry about that now… let's just find the rest and then we'll think what it was…"

"Sounds like a plan…" they both heard a voice and as they turned around to see where it came from, they was Futatsu stepping from behind the tree with his teammates following him. "However it's realization can prove difficult…" and with that he reached for his katanas. "It seems that I'll get my rematch sooner then expected…"

* * *

And that's that for now. Hope you enjoyed it. Please leave a review once you're done. Thanks. 

No jutsus this time around, but there will be plenty soon, so no worries. At least the character profile can be easily placed. And since I was asked to do Senkou this time, so here you are, the profile of the Hokage's son:

_Name:_ Hatake Senkou

_Name origins:_ his last name means simply 'field', but since he's the son of Kakashi I didn't had much choice here… when it comes to his first name, Senkou has many meanings, but in this case I choose 'flash'… why I picked that one you'll learn in the right time

_Age:_ currently 13 years old

_Birth Date:_ 8th of April

_Blood type:_ 0

_Height:_ 148,2 cm

_Weight:_ 45,2 kg

_Favorite food:_ dango

_Village:_ Hidden Leaf (Konoha)

_Current rank:_ gennin

_Team:_ team led by Hinata; his teammates are: Igaku Mikka, Inuzuka Tsume, Benda Kokoro and Kobushi Galu

_Bloodline limit:_ none I'd know about

_Family:_ his parents are Hatake Kakashi and Mitarashi Anko… no info about other relatives

_Techniques (used so far):_ none

_First Appearance:_ 29th chapter

And that's really it, I believe. With that I'd like to wish you all _HAPPY EASTER1_

Take care and until next time, hopefully.


	37. Old Debts

ARGH! So much for making it before the weekend… sorry bout the delay, I've been a bit more busy on Thursday and Friday then I expected to be… and then I couldn't log in… anyways, now this chapter is finally done! Thanks for all the reviews on the previous one. Here are the answers to the questions that appeared in them:

**_When will Konohamaru and his comrades appear:_** well, to answer this one I can promise they will appear, but it will be long way from this point… and I'm not planning to give them a big part, sorry (but they'll show what they've learned during this whole time)…

**_Why was it Anko that married Kakashi:_** well, to put it simply – coz she seemed the most fitting for that part. Tsunade was already taken (kinda… plus it'd be weird if Hokage's husband would become Hokage after her, right?)… since I based my story on manga only, all the girls that appeared in the anime are out (Ayame is one of them)… and when it comes to Shizune, she doesn't seemed like a Miss Kakashi material (leave out the fact that they never really talked… in Anko's case they spend some time during eliminations at least)… and when it comes to Kurenai… well, I don't know, Asuma seems to go better with her anyways… but the most important factor is the real reason… however I cannot let you know it now, coz it might spoil few things that will happen much later into the story…

**ANNOUNCEMENT:** my exams are getting closer and this time around they'll be rather difficult (plus I also have other duties) so it's hard for me to say when I'll be able to update again… I'll try to keep the two-week update system, but I can't promise I'll manage… sorry.

Now, without further to do, here's the next chapter of "Naruto: Next Generation":

**Chapter #37: Old Debts**

**_Title Page:_** simply Kai sitting on a huge scroll

Kiba and Akamaru finally arrived at the tower. After asking the chuunin in charge if anyone finished the exam already, they headed to the room that was assigned to them for the time of the third exam. As the dog jounin opened the door, he instantly asked: "Aren't you a bit too early… Naruto?"

The blonde jounin just walked over to the examiner: "Yeah, but with all that going on around I think it's better if you'll have some back up… dog breath…" and with that a tiny smirk appeared under his nose.

"You know I could kick your ass for this?" replied Kiba with a smile as well. "It's not like I forbid you to stay, but I think I can handle things for now… nothing seems to be off so far, coz my nose didn't warned me about it…"

"But there are people who can trick even your nose…" reminded Naruto.

"Yeah, there are…" nodded the dog ninja. "Well, since you'll be staying here anyways, do you want something to eat? Akamaru and I were just about to grab some meat… and no, we don't have any ramen…" he added with a tiny smile.

----------

"You know, I have a strange feeling we've already been here…" announced Hanamaru as he carried sleeping Rei on his back. "I think I recognize that tree…"

"Of course you do…" nodded Kogane. "That's because it's the same one Kitsune marked with an 'x' about an hour ago! We've been going in circles! What the hell is with you people? The tower was supposed to be in the straight line from the gate!"

"Genjutsu?" purposed Toku, without paying much attention to his female teammate.

"Possibly…" replied Kitsune as he carefully looked around. "Seems like we've gotten ourselves in a trap already…"

----------

"It seems that I'll have my rematch sooner then I expected…" announced Futatsu as he picked out both his katanas. "I have no interest in your girlfriend however, so she can leave at any time…" and with that he turned to his teammates. "Reiji-san, please let me handle this…"

"Whatever…" replied the bold ninja. "But hurry it up… we came here to become chuunin and wasting too much time on two brats, who doesn't even have a scroll with them would be meaningless…"

"Of course…" nodded Futatsu as he stared back at the two, young gennin.

"Ibuki, you better stay out of this as well…" announced Kusari without turning away from the katana user. "As long as you won't interfere it'll be just one on one… this is our best chance at surviving this… if you were to interrupt, his teammates might attack as well and we'll be instantly dead…"

"Okay…" replied the young assassin. "But are you sure you can handle this?"

"We'll soon see if I can…" came a response and at the very same moment Futatsu charged at the chain user.

Acting on instinct, Kusari made his chain circle around him, creating a primitive barrier, surprisingly however, it was all he needed to block Futatsu's attack. The metal-nin cursed under his nose as his swords got deflected by the circling chain.

Instantly the sharp end of Kusari's chain shoot towards the swordsman, the metal-nin however manage to block that assault by simply crossing his swords in the way of the leaf-nin's weapon.

Without wasting another second, Futatsu cut from the left, aiming to cut Kusari's head off. The leaf-nin instantly bended over, thus avoiding the attack and the moment the swordsman blade went over his head, he smirked as the other end of his chain circled around Futatsu's leg and made the metal-nin lose his balance.

"_Dammit!_" Futatsu cursed under his nose as he stabbed one of his swords into the ground, thus breaking his fall. Using the same sword as a propping stick, he jump and without letting go of the handle he kicked Kusari right in the face.

The leaf-nin flew back, but kept the ball end of his chain wrapped around Futatsu's leg and thus made him flying with him. As Kusari finally landed on his feet, he launched a kicking into the head of the metal-nin that was flying right at him.

The moment his kick connected, the chain around Futatsu's leg let go and the swordsman was send flying against a nearby tree.

Instantly the chain user threw several shuriken at his helpless at that moment opponent, but as the shinobi stars came closer to him, Futatsu used the katana he still held in his hand to deflect all the incoming objects and ran to his left to pick up the sword that was still stuck in the ground.

"Man, this is pathetic…" complained Hogosha (the one with metal protectors).

"You mean Futatsu or that Leaf brat?" asked Naginata (the girl with the stick).

"Probably both…" replied the one wearing metal protectors. "Futatsu, for crying out loud, finish this already… this is getting boring!"

The swordsman just gave him a quick glare and then, with a sigh, he picked out a scroll, saying: "I prefer to keep this for the last exam, but oh well, it's not like you guys will even make through this one…" and with that he glared at the two leaf-nins.

"What the hell is that scroll for?" asked Kusari puzzled.

"I have no idea…" replied Ibuki. "But you should keep your guard up, Kusari…"

----------

Funbo's teammates observed their companion fight from a distance, not getting involved. Both Takaru and Kai were furiously attacking the older Tanken, yet so far they failed to land a single blow on him.

The blonde ran behind the young assassin and jumping up, he aimed a kick right at his opponent's back, just to have in blocked by the stick the older gennin was carrying. A second later the son of Tsunade attacked Funbo's legs with his own by crouching while he spun, in an attempt to make him lose balance, however also this time Ibuki's brother managed to avoid the attack by jumping into the air.

Before Kai even noticed, Funbo already spun in mid-air and landed a powerful kick in his stomach, thus sending the boy flying back and then, to Takaru's surprise, he stuck the end of his stick into the ground. Instantly the older Tanken used his weapon to bounce off the ground at an incredible speed and hit the son of Tsunade in the face with both his feet. As the scar-faced gennin went flying back, the young assassin spun around his stick and landed safely on the ground.

"Dammit!" yelled Kai as he performed his standard technique. "Kage Bushin no Jutsu!" and instantly four of his clones charged at his opponent.

"Useless…" announced Funbo as he spun around, bending his knees a bit and attacked the first clone's legs with his stick. Bushin's feet left the ground and the moment they did so, the young assassin grabbed it by the shirt and tossed it right at the another clone that was coming right at him. As the bushins collided, they both disappeared in the cloud of white smoke.

As the other, two clones lunched their fists at him, Funbo just shoot his stick into the sky, hitting both bushin's hands and making them shoot to the sky as well. As the two blondes looked amazed, the young assassin used this chance, lowered his stick to his torso level and pushed it forward, hitting both clones in the faces and sending them flying back, disappearing in the cloud of white smoke the moment they hit the ground.

"The first time you landed that hit on me, was because I got a little careless…" announced Funbo calmly. "Now that I know about your shadow clones, I know that I have to stay alert in order to not miss one… you won't get me the second time on such a lame trick… even if you increase the number, fleas will still be just fleas…"

"Insei Tooriame!" the older Tanken heard Takaru's voice coming from behind and as he glared back, he noticed a storm of small fireballs coming right at him.

Acting on instinct, Funbo jumped back and flipped in mid-air, thus avoiding several bullets and then landed on his left hand, making all the rest pass him on both his left and right side. A tiny smirk appear on his face, which then turned into a surprise when he saw Kai charging right at him with his fist ready. In an instant the young assassin spun on his left hand and landed another kick in the blonde's stomach.

As Kai was coming flying right at Takaru, the son of Tsunade jumped into the air to avoid the hit, yet his eyes widen at the sight of Funbo who instantly found himself next to the scar-faced gennin and gave him a powerful blow in the stomach with his stick, thus sending him flying back as well.

As both rookie gennins landed at Kumiko's feet, she looked at Ibuki's brother with her eyes widen. "_With this much ease he is able to beat both of them… he's a monster!_"

"Funbo…" Horohoro said to his teammate, gaining the young assassin's attention. "I hate being the fun spoiler, but do keep in mind that they're just kids… and more importantly, with playing around, you're wasting time… hurry it up and finish, so we could pass this exam…"

"Alright…" replied the stick user with a bored tone. "Since Ibuki's not around anyway, I guess there really is no point in making this longer then needed…"

"This is not good, you guys…" announced Kumiko. "Attacking without a plan in this case won't work! That guy's on a totally different level!"

"So what are we suppose to do, just give them our scroll?" replied Takaru sarcastically.

"Not necessary…" responded the kunoichi. "I have a suggestion…"

* * *

And so this chapter ends. Hope you liked it and that you'll leave me a review once you're done.

No jutsu this time around, but here's another character profile to make it up to you guys:

_Name:_ Kobushi Galu

_Name origins:_ his last name, 'kobushi' means simply 'fist'… why I gave him such clan name you'll find out in the right time… as for his first name, Galu doesn't really mean anything (or at least I couldn't find any meaning behind it) but I just liked the name itself, so it stayed

_Age:_ currently 13 years old

_Birth Date:_ 12th of October

_Blood type:_ B

_Height:_ 149,0 cm

_Weight:_ 51,4 kg

_Favorite food:_ anything with meat

_Village:_ Hidden Leaf (Konoha)

_Current rank:_ gennin

_Team:_ team led by Hinata; his teammates are: Igaku Mikka, Inuzuka Tsume, Benda Kokoro and Hatake Senkou

_Bloodline limit:_ none

_Family:_ he's the only son of Kobushi Genko, the head of Kobushi clan, which is a rather small one… he doesn't like to talk about his mother, so very few people actually know anything about her

_Techniques (used so far):_ none

_First Appearance:_ 29th chapter

And that's really that. Thanks for reading and till the next time, hopefully.


	38. Doubts and Determination

As usual, before I'll start, I'd like to thank everyone who reviewed the last chapter. It really means a lot. My free time is really limited lately though, so I'll have to make this quick. So, without making this longer, here are the answers to your questions from the last time:

**_Who's Naruto gonna train for the final exam:_** well, that I'd prefer to keep a secret for the time being… I can tell you though that I don't plan to show how any of the characters, who'll gain access to the final exam, will train… I have something that you might like even more for the time before the final test in mind

**_When will Sakura appear:_** soon, that's all I can say (she'll play a big part in the later part of the story). As promised, you'll find out what happened to ALL the more important characters from the original, in some cases you just have to be more patient then in other.

I believe that's that. Once more thank you all for reviewing and I hope you'll like this chapter as well:

**Chapter #38: Doubts and Determination  
**

**_Title Page:_** simply Kusari and Kumiko sitting at a table and drinking some milkshake from one glass, using straws

"Are you sure it's safe to eat this?" asked Tsume as she sniffed a strange-looking apple Galu threw her. "It smells a bit funny…" she announced and Uramaru agreed with his master, barking loudly.

"Don't worry, Mikka already checked it and she said it wasn't poisonous…" replied the boy, taking a bite of his own fruit.

"Man, this sucks…" complained Senkou, who was laying on a tree branch above. "Where are Mikka and Kokoro with that water? I want to get charged and then get the scroll… The sooner we'll finish this exam the more time we'll have to rest before the next…"

"Chill, they're already coming…" responded the dog gennin and the moment she said so their other, two teammates came out of the bushes, each carrying several bottles of water.

"What took you so long, dammit?" asked the son of Hokage as he jumped down and grabbed one of the bottles the kunoichi was carrying. "I began to think something happened to you guys! Gathering supplies was supposed to take half a day at most!"

"S-sorry, Senkou-kun…" Mikka apologized quietly and lowered her head.

The silver-haired gennin noticed that and stooped the bottle halfway to his mask: "Oh come on, it's not like it's a bit deal or anything…" he tried to cheer her up. "It's just that this damn forest is giving me the chills and I'd prefer to get out of it ASAP…"

"Lets go find the team that has the scroll we need…" Kokoro said simply as he gave his other teammates the bottles and they all disappeared in the tree-tops.

----------

"Useless…" announced Funbo with a bored voice as he swung his stick once more, hitting Kai directly in the stomach and thus making him disappear in the cloud of white smoke. He then glared at the two gennin standing in front of him and breathing heavily. "Why are you so desperate on making this longer then it has to be? You see that you can't defeat me and that female friend of yours doesn't seem to be doing much to help you either…" and with that he threw a quick look at Kumiko, who still stood behind her two teammates with her kunai ready.

"Stop underestimating us!" yelled Kai as he performed another Kage bushin and made eight of his clones charge at the older Tanken. The stick user was instantly surrounded by the blonde gennin's clones.

"What, this should scare me?" asked Funbo as he looked around and the next moment all the bushins jumped into the air, coming down at the place he stood. The young assassin just raised his stick above his head and began spinning it at an incredible speed, thus blasting away all of the clones.

But as he spun his stick above his head, Takaru charged straight at him and gave the defenseless Tanken a kick in the stomach, making him take few steps back.

"_Now!_" noticed Kumiko and immediately she threw the knife she was holding in her hand at the ground, few meters away from the stick user. Only then did everyone spotted a small tag with a strange symbol on it that the kunai struck and several identical notes all over the area.

A second after the knife's blade reached the note, it exploded in the green smoke and caused a chain reaction, making the other notes do the same as well. "What the…?" began Funbo as he covered his eyes. None of the explosions reached him, which made him wonder.

As he opened his eyes, he saw Takaru coming right at him again. Without wasting a second his grip on the stick tighten as he aimed at the boys head, but suddenly he felt incredible pain going through his left arm and a moment later it got completely paralyzed. That was all the son of Tsunade needed as he landed a powerful kick in the older boy's face, thus sending him flying back.

Funbo immediately felt he regain power over his left hand and used it to land safely on the ground. But the moment he did so, he spotted Kai coming in with a kick aimed at his head from the left. Instantly he moved his stick to block it, but this time he right arm suddenly froze, thus not allowing him to place his weapon where he wanted in time. The blonde's foot landed on the boy's face, making him slid on the ground for few meters.

"What's going on?" asked Taki, who was observing the fight from a nearby tree branch, worried. "Funbo-kun shouldn't have any problems with blocking those attacks…"

"It probably has something to do with those explosive tags and that weird smoke…" replied Hitomi. "What do you think, Akira?"

"Seems like some strange, genjutsu technique to me…" replied the boy with his eyes still closed. "Most probably that smoke had something in it that paralyzes a certain part of the body… I'm not sure how this is done, but it'd seem that the girl can make any part of Funbo's body stop as she wants to by releasing her chakra into the air in the way you do with the genjutsu…"

"So you're saying this is all just an illusion?" asked Horohoro.

"Genjutsu affects the user's opponent senses…" explained the other boy. "Most likely whatever was in that smoke gotten inside Funbo's body as he inhaled, somehow gathered around his nerves weakening them or something like that and thanks to that the girl can paralyze his body with even a low level of genjutsu bind…"

"If it's really the way you put it, then I have to admit that that girl is scary…" announced the blue-haired boy. "So, do we interfere, Hitomi?"

The white-eyed girl just looked below for a few moments and then finally answered: "Lets give Funbo few, more minutes… if he won't manage to free himself from whatever trap that girl used, we'll enter the fight…"

The stick user crashed hard against the tree as Kai landed another punch on his. The older Tanken looked at Kumiko, how still kept her hands, forming a snake seal. "_I see, so it's her doing then… is that the plan she spoke off?_"

"This is really working, Kumiko…" announced Takaru as he turned to his kunoichi teammate. "It seems that powder your father asked the Rikoteki to produce really serves its purposes…"

"Thanks, Takaru-kun…" replied the girl. "But the effect fades quickly, so you guys have to strike that guy out soon…"

"Don't worry, Kumiko-chan…" said Kai with a wide smile. "As it is now, there's no way he can do anything…" and so he charged at Funbo and his eyes widen, noticing that the young assassin was smiling.

----------

Kusari jumped out of the way of another kunai flying right at him and looked around in hope to find a way out, yet he saw none. The last thing he remembered was Futatsu taking out some scroll and the next moment he was trapped in the eye of a small cyclone with weapons carries by the wind. From time to time the weapons taken by the wind shoot right towards him, due to which he didn't had much time to rest.

"_Dammit, what a jutsu…_" the chain user cursed in his mind as he dodged another incoming weapon. "_With every second those knives seem to pick up speed and shoot more often… if I won't do something fast, I'll soon end up like a training dummy with kunai all over my body…_" and with that he deflected another knife with his chain.

"What the hell did you just do?" demanded Ibuki as she looked at the tornado her teammate was trapped in from the outside. "This technique is pretty similar to the one few members of my clan use. How in the world did you learned it?"

"Is it really that important?" asked Futatsu with a smirk. "Soon your boyfriend will drop death and we'll move on… seat quietly and we'll consider letting you go alive…"

"You really think I'll just stand here doing nothing?"

"And what can you do?" asked Naginata laughing. "You're planning to go against all five of us? All this is just because Futatsu wanted to fight that chain guy… we have no business with you as long as you have no scroll, so just shut up and be grateful…"

The young assassin clenched her teeth and looked to the ground, shaking a little, as a memory from her early childhood echoed in her head…

---Seven years ago---

Six-year-old Ibuki threw another kunai. Just like all the other, it hit the target and struck deep into it.

"You've really improved, Ibuki…" announced a man with long, black hair and black eyes. He was wearing a jet black robe and a Konoha headband on his forehead. "I see your weapon throwing skills are really exceptional… I don't think even Funbo can match you in that area…"

"Thank you, father…" replied Ibuki quietly. "May we please finish this session now? I promise Rikku-chan to meet her at the ice cream stand in few minutes and if we'll stay here I'll be late…"

"Is that Rikku person your new friend?" asked the man and the weapon mistress only nodded. The man walked over to his daughter and placed his hand on her head, his face completely emotionless: "Ibuki, have you already forgotten what I've told you? Socializing yourself with anyone is the greatest sin an assassin can make… when you attach yourself to people feelings begin to appear and they cause distraction during missions… that is the one thing assassin cannot allow himself to have…"

"Yes, father…" nodded Ibuki, lowering her head.

---Flashback ends---

"_Five against one…_" she thought to herself, lowering her head even more. "_What chances do I have? Is there really a point in even trying? I'll only get myself killed as well…_" but with that last thought another memory shoot through her head:

"_Weather you accept it or not, you and Kai are very_ _alike_" Naruto's voice ran through her mind. "_There's a big difference between you two though: while you're complaining about your situation, that just because you wear the Tanken name, you're seen like one, Kai does everything he can to prove that people who see him as a loser, just because of his name, are wrong…_ _Tanken fight, to kill. Why won't you find a different reason to fight for starters?_"

Her gaze went up as her sensei's voice fades away. Her eyes stopped on Futatsu, who was still smiling widely. As his eyes noticed Ibuki staring at him, the young assassin jumped into the air and picked out several kunai:

"That chain guys as you called him is not just my teammate!" she yelled, gaining all the metal-nins attention. "He's my friend and I refuse to just watch him die, doing nothing!" and with that she unleashed her knives right at the surprised katana user.

Reiji smirked under his nose: "_Oh, this could be fun…_"

* * *

And that's that for the time being. Hope you enjoyed it and that you'll leave a review once you're done.

No jutsu encyclopedia this time around, but at least I'll make another character profile. No requests this time around, so I've decided to make Toku this time around:

_Name:_ Amagasa Toku

_Name Origins:_ his first name has several meanings, but in this case the one I looked at when deciding on the name was 'shelter, shield', but as to why you'll have to read and see… then again 'to explain' would fit too I guess… his last name, 'amagasa', means simply umbrella and it is also the object he carries everywhere with him (for a reason, of course)

_Age:_ currently 13 years old

_Birth Date:_ 22nd of April

_Blood Type:_ AB

_Height:_ 147,8 cm

_Weight:_ 49,2 kg

_Favorite food:_ anything without meat (he's a vegetarian)

_Favorite color:_ brown

_Village:_ Konoha (Hidden Leaf… yeah, I wonder for how many of you this was a surprise)

_Current rank:_ gennin

_Team:_ team led by Shikamaru; his teammates are Konpaku Rei, Rikoteki Kogane, Debano Kitsune and Gusoku Hanamaru

_Bloodline limit:_ none

_Family:_ she doesn't talk about his family much, however it is rumored that his clan's fighting style has it's origins outside the Hidden Leaf

_Techniques (used so far):_ none

_First appearance:_ 29th chapter

And that is really it. Hope you enjoyed it and that you'll leave me a review once you're done.

Best wishes and see you next time, I hope.


	39. Weapon Masters

Wow, I actually managed to upload this that soon… I'm probably gonna fail my test that's on Monday, but since my family came to visit I can't concentrate on studying much anyway… hope God's gonna be on my side.

As usual I'd like to thank everyone who reviewed the previous chapter. It really means a lot. There wasn't any questions this time around (or I missed them), so nothing to answer really. However, I'd like to make two announcements. The first one is that it fic made it over 600 reviews! I'm truly happy with the score, especially since I didn't expected to reach such a number and definitely not so fast! Really, thanks everyone. And the next announcement brings the same joy for me.

**THIS FIC HAS ALREADY BEEN UPDATING FOR A YEAR!** I can't believe that it has already been twelve months since the first chapter appeared. Quite a few changes occurred during the time… jutsu encyclopedia, character profiles… now that I look back I'm pretty glad I've decided to submit this fic on this site. And what really makes me happy is the fact that some of you really lasted this whole year, reading and waiting for chapters. The only thing I regret that I wasn't able to upload more often. Thank you all for showing interest in this story and that I'll manage to keep you interested in it for longer.

As a request to you, maybe you guys would like to try out my other fic, "Those Who Inherit the Will of Fire" as it's pretty similar to this one.

And now all that's left to do, is start this chapter, I guess:

**Chapter #39: Weapon Masters**

**_Title Page:_** simply Kai sticking out his tongue with a kanji symbol for 'fire' pained on it

Sasuke landed in a wide garden with trees growing near the walls surrounding the large estate. He now stood on the rocky road that led straight to the entrance to the house on one side and towards the gates to the garden on the other.

He slowly walked inside and crossed the hallway. As he passed the kitchen, he heard a soft, woman's voice coming from it: "Sasuke-kun, is that you?" The ANBU turned around and came in the direction it came.

As he entered the kitchen, he saw a woman with long, pink hair and green eyes, dressed in short, black leg guards and red, sleeveless shirt. She wore her hitae-ate with the symbol of the leaf on top of her head: "I thought you said you'll come back sooner…" she announced.

"I'm sorry, but something came up…" replied Sasuke shortly as he gave the woman a kiss on the cheek. "You should know that in current situation all ANBU members are put in the alert… we may be standing on the edge of another war, Sakura-chan…"

"Yes, I'm aware of that…" nodded the woman sadly and got back to cutting tomatoes. "Will you at least find enough time to take Gouka from the Academy or should I do it myself?"

"Nah, Hokage-sama gave me the rest of the day off, so unless something unexpected will happen, I can do it…" he said, grabbing tomato as well. "Here, I'll help you with that…" he announced, smiling warmly to his wife. "And then I'm gonna make Homura train until she'll puke…" he joked.

"SASUKE-KUN!" Sakura yelled at her husband, yet after a moment smiled back at him.

----------

"Your ass is kicked!" yelled Kai as he charged with his fists ready at Funbo. The assassin only smirked and used both his hands to reach for senbons. Kumiko noticed that instantly and blocked his right hand, however she couldn't do a thing against his left one.

The charging blonde immediately noticed that the older shinobi's right hand went numb and decided to attack from the right, thus making it harder for Funbo to avoid the hit. Surprisingly however, the assassin only smirked and the second Kai was closed enough, he stuck the senbon held in his left hand into his right one and before everyone's eyes the right hand of the older gennin hit the loud mouth right in the face and got back to the way it was a second ago.

"What the…?" Kumiko's eyes widen at the sight. "But I'm still binding your hand…"

"Did you really suspected that against someone of my skills such jutsu will be effective?" asked Funbo mockingly. "You got me surprised there, but as long as you won't be able to immobilize both my hands at once, this technique will only lower my ability to move but 10 at best…"

"But how in the world did you moved your hand since Kumiko immobilized it?" demanded Takaru as he was still quite surprise to see the young assassin being able to perform any movement with his bind hand.

"It'd figure that the little miss would figure that much, since she's such a smarty pants and all…" stated Hitomi with a smirk as she had her bloodline limit activated.

"So are you gonna spit it out, dammit?" yelled Kai pissed.

"It's pretty simple…" replied Funbo calmly. "Since you're Ibuki's teammates, I suppose you're aware of the fact that the Tanken is a clan of assassins. Since that's the case, from birth we receive training not that different from that of an ANBU… you see, the art of assassination sometimes require for the killer to be able to kill someone with a single attack… that's why every Tanken knows human body perfectly…"

"Don't tell me that…" Kumiko's eyes widen even more as a wider smirk appeared on the young assassins face before he continued:

"It's exactly how you pictured it…" he announced. "It's simple anatomy… by attacking the right part of my body with precision, I can activate a certain nerve and thus make a single part of my body move uncontrollably… which is exactly what I just did…"

"Wait a minute…" now Takaru's eyes widen. "You mean to tell me that you struck that senbon into your own hand in order to make it move? But something like that would require Byakugan's precision and what's more I doubt that a single nerve would be able to make you move your entire hand…"

"of course I couldn't move my entire hand…" Funbo stopped him. "Actually, I didn't even controlled the move of my hand that much. The nerve I struck was responsible for my right shoulder. By attacking it, I made my right shoulder flip, which took the rest of my right hand with it… to put it simple, you've underestimated the strength of a weapon master…"

"That's why I always say that Funbo-kun is scary…" Taki left out a sigh as she looked at her teammate. "Just seeing how he fights sends chills down my spine…"

"True that out of all the participants he's the one I'd want to fight the least…" nodded Horohoro with no emotions showing on his face. "But he is of the Tanken after all…"

"Either way…" began Akira with his eyes still closed. "It'd seem that he found a way to get through that girl's trap… so what now, do we allow him to continue, Hitomi?"

"We've wasted enough time…" replied the white-eyed girl and then called to the stick user: "Funbo, you've got five, more minutes and then we'll coming down!"

"Five minutes?" repeated the young assassin. "Sounds like the right among…"

----------

Futatsu jumped back, thus avoiding all the shuriken that came right at him. As Ibuki landed on the ground, he charged right her. The young assassin dodged to her left as the metal-nin swung his right katana at her head. Coming into a sliding stop, the kunoichi picked out her own sword.

The next moment two blades clashed as Ibuki blocked another attack with her katana. Instantly Futatsu lunched his other sword with an intention to pierce through her stomach. Acting on instinct, the kunoichi jumped into the air and in the next second the metal-nin's other katana's blade was struck into the ground with Ibuki standing on it.

Without wasting a second the kunoichi picked out three shuriken from her hostel and threw them right at the metal-nin, who acted instantly and bended back, making the shinobi stars fly right above his face. However dodging the attack that way made him defenseless and that was all Ibuki needed.

Before he knew it, the Leaf shinobi propped her free hand (the one that wasn't holding the katana) on his stomach and jumping into the air, she felt the moment went she was flying in front of the metal-nin's face.

Instantly Futatsu received a powerful kick in the face and hit the ground with the back of his head hard. The young assassin landed just few meters away on her feet, with her face turned to the swordsman who was now slowly standing up.

"You little hag…" Futatsu cursed at her as he threw her a death glare. "You think that facing me alone you'll be able to strike me down?"

"Maybe I would, maybe I wouldn't…" began Ibuki. "But you're forgetting one thing… I'm not facing you alone…" and the second she said so the metal-nin jumped into the air, thus avoiding the sharp end of Kusari's chain that was coming straight at his back.

"It'd seem that keeping this tornado required some concentration from you after all…" stated the chain user. "Luckily for me, you're not the one with slip attention… you won't escape both of us…"

"Futatsu seems to be losing…" noticed Hogosha. "Do we interfere, Reiji?" he turned to the bold shinobi, who didn't reply. He just kept watching the fight.

The swordsman landed on the ground and instantly charged right at Kusari. The leaf-nin didn't moved an inch though and in stead he made his chain form several rings around him, creating a strange-looking barrier.

"Do you honestly think something like that will protect you?" yelled Futatsu as he aimed at Kusari's head, but the instant he got close enough to the leaf-nin, the rings around the chain user widen and now few, metal lines came straight at the swordsman.

Running at the top speed, Futatsu didn't manage to stop in time and crushed against the barrier Kusari created around himself, receiving an impact on his face, right side and both his legs. As he clenched his teeth, Ibuki was already behind him, aiming to cut his back, but the moment she swung her katana, she noticed the metal-nin wasn't there.

"Where did he…?" she began but then looked to her left and noticed that it was the bold shinobi who took his teammate, saving his life.

"Reiji, there was no need for you to…" began Futatsu, but at that moment he received a powerful hit in the face from the hilt of the bold ninja's axe.

"You're pathetic…" announced Reiji. "I have enough wasting time on two brats, who doesn't even have the scroll… now I'll take care of them and you better not get in my way, otherwise you might end up dead…"

"Reiji-kun is gonna use his ability on those brats?" Naginata's eyes widen. "We should get to a safe distance then…"

"What happened to them?" asked Ibuki as she observed the metal-nins behavior. "It's almost as if they were scared of their own leader…"

"Looks like it…" nodded Kusari. "Whatever his abilities are, stay alert. Since it made those guys that worried, it's probably not good news for us…"

Reiji pointed the top of his axe at them and announced coldly: "Child's play over… now I'll show you what a true weapon master can do…"

* * *

And so ends this chapter. Hope you enjoyed it.

It's gonna be hard for me to update during the incoming three weeks, but I hope I'll manage to upload at least one chapter during that time. I can't promise anything though, coz I'll have tons of studying, which I won't be able to avoid. But, if everything goes well, in the middle of June I'll be free and perhaps I'll manage to submit quite a few chapters then. At least I'll be able to give it more time then I can now.

Once more no jutsu encyclopedia, but I do have another character profile for you guys. This time around it's one of my own favorites, Akira:

_Name:_ Manako Akira

_Name Origins:_ well, his first, 'akira', was chosen mostly because I just liked the way it sounded (after a while I couldn't even imagine for him to have a different name), but to those who are interested none the less, I can say that it can be translated as 'anchor'. As for his last name, 'manako' means 'eye'… some of you may figured out already why I called him that and to those who haven't, sorry but I'll be keeping this for later.

_Age:_ currently 14 years old

_Birth Date:_ 28th of February

_Blood Type:_ B

_Height:_ 155,1 cm

_Weight:_ 51,2 kg

_Favorite food:_ sushi

_Favorite color:_ white

_Village: _not telling… okay, it's Konoha (Hidden Leaf), there, you're satisfied?

_Current rank:_ gennin

_Team:_ team led by Shino; his teammates are: Hamano Taki, Hyuuga Hitomi, Tanken Funbo and Horohoro

_Bloodline limit:_ none

_Family:_ he doesn't talk about his family much, however his good friends can say that he's leaving with his mother only as his father died during one of his missions

_Techniques (used so far):_ none

_First appearance:_ 27th chapter

And now, as a special bonus for the anniversary, I have decided to revive the bonus info about how the gennin teams participating in the Chuunin Exam were created. This time I'll make the profile of three of them (two Suna teams and the one from the Grass), leaving the rest for two, next chapters. And not far from now there will be another treat, but you'll have to wait for chapter 45 for that one, sorry.

**SUNA (Temari):** well, I knew that jounin instructors for the two, Suna teams will be Temari and Kankuro, so the only problem was to choose which will led which. I placed Temari as the leader of this due to one of the gennin in it, but that's all I'm saying for now. The first one to land in this team was certainly Tarakudo. It's not a big secret that his design was somewhat inspired by Dosu (one of the Sound gennin from the manga), but I had this idea for his abilities and decided that he'll be most suitable for a sand-nin even though I couldn't place a finger why. Right after him Torune joined and that's mostly for a special role I have for her to play… plus I liked the idea of the character overall. As weird as it may sound, the next one was Aoru. She was created shortly after Torune and that's probably because the two of them represent quite typical, Sand kunoichi. The only problem was that back then the teams were only three-manned, so she couldn't get 'under Temari's wings'. The moment it turned out it's gonna be five gennin per jounin, she became Tarakudo's and Torune's teammate. As for the other two, it took quite a while before they appeared in my head. Both of them landed in this team mostly due to the fact that Tarakudo was already in it (why that is so, I'm not telling right now). The idea of Honemaru appeared out of pure luck (it came to my head when I was reading the whole manga for the second time). The moment his idea popped in my head, I had his background ready and only one spot to fill. Even though Takai is somewhat the gennin leader of this group, he was created last. I had a lot of trouble with this one and to come clean you might say he's a mix of three or four characters from different manga (his character, abilities and everything, it's more of a mix). However I really liked the way he turned out and decided to place him as an unofficial leader of the team in stead of Tarakudo and now that I think about, it was a good choice.

**SUNA (Kankuro):** in this case it was also the kunoichi that were created first. Hari was created shortly after the kunoichi led by Temari. The idea of her came to my head as I read a certain manga (which I didn't like all the much to be honest) and figured that she can become an interesting character as I changed her character and background. And now I've grown quite found of her. I also knew, from the beginning, that I wanted at least one child of Gaara to be among Suna gennin, though at first it was supposed to be a boy. So before the teams became three-manned this one was Hari, Karame (I figured that a mummy would go perfectly with the team from the desert country) and Sabaku no Akumo (this can be translated as nightmare). When teams became five-manned, I had a lot of trouble with inventing two, more characters. I can't really remember how I came up with the idea of both Horamaru and Dekai, but to come clean I'll have to admit that at first they were just the filler-ups (and what's more Dekai at first was the girl!). As I worked on their background, I grew to like the two and that was also the time when I decided that it'll be better to make them both guys and that's how Akumo became Sabure… and it was a good change in my opinion, but why that is so I'll leave to myself if you don't mind.

**KUSA:** this one was one of the hardest for me to create. At first I couldn't really think of anyone who would fit in. The first one to come to my head was Taka, who was inspired by a character from a different manga (from which I took only his design) and he at first was the leader. Soon after Tokame came to my mind, also inspired by the character from the same manga. In this case I've changed his abilities to my liking (and I'm quite proud of them really) and decided he'll be the silent type. All that was left was the kunoichi. Before I could think of any, it turned out that the teams will have to be five-manned. And for some reason, at that time, I've decided that Taka is not suitable for the leader after all, however in this case I didn't really saw a girl on that position (there are some teams led by female gennin though… look at the moon-nins, Hari's team or even snow-nins). Soon Hizoku was born, slightly inspired by the other character from the same manga as Taka and Tokame. Nezumi was created shortly after, soon after the idea of Tsume and Miaka appeared… I guess I was just thinking that since there's a cat and dog, why not make a rat user as well… and it's pretty original to have a girl teaming up with an animal like that, don't you think? Last on was Tobane. At first I just used the first character that came to my head (I really liked the weapons I made for her though) as another filler-up. But as the background of Taka and Hizoku developed, I've decided that Tobane can be someone much more then a filler-up. In the end, the grass-nins became one of my favorite teams from all those participating in the exam.

And with this I believe I can end this anniversary chapter. Hope you had as much fun reading it as I had writing it.

Best wishes and until next time, hopefully.


	40. It's All About the Scrolls

Tadam! I'm back again… well, still some exams are ahead of me, but I manage to write this chapter in breaks between studying. And I'm pretty satisfied with this one (and that rarely happens ').

Thanks to everyone who reviewed the previous chapter. To answer your questions:

**_Your story begins to give the impression of recent manga:_** by that I suppose you mean that the recent fights are taking quite long… well, no need to worry about it, coz they're about done (one will end in this chapter actually)… and making them this long was somewhat needed to I wanted to show that flashback with Ibuki and how strong Funbo is (along with some, other things)… the rest of the third exam shouldn't give you an impression on being stretched though… at least I hope so.

**_Is Orochimaru still alive:_** to answer simply: yeah, he's still alive… and for the time being that's all I'm saying in that manner, to not spoil anything.

With that behind, I believe all that's left for me to do is to get on with the show:

**Chapter #40: It's All About the Scrolls**

**_Title Page:_** simply Shino observing the ant-hill in the forest

"Dammit Yari, I told you to keep him on the leash!" Aisu yelled at her teammate as she stared at the helmet wearing shinobi while jumping from one tree branch onto another. "And you allowed him to go berserk at the first occasion!"

"Aisu-chan, we got the scroll we need…" reminded Kuri a little shyly... "And we're all fine… you don't need to raise your voice… Yamazaru is who he is and there's nothing we can do about it…"

"You meant WHAT he is, didn't ya?" corrected Kato with a tiny smirk.

"Lets just get out of this freaky forest…" ordered Aisu after a moment of silence. "Once Yamazaru gets carried away, there's no telling when he'll lose it again… but this time pay more attention, Yari…" with that she turned to the spearman.

Yari didn't reply. He just gave the helmet wearing ninja a worried look and continue to follow his teammates towards the tower.

----------

Funbo's stick smashed hard against Kai's face as the young assassin swung it back. At the very same moment Takaru, with his kunai ready, came close enough to attack the older gennin. The heir of the Tanken acted immediately and lunched his weapon right at Tsunade's son.

The scar-face boy jumped into the air, thus making one end of Funbo's stick come right beneath him, however the young assassin hit the end that he was still holding in his hand forward, thus making it hit Takaru's face as well while he was still in mid-air, unable to dodge.

Both young gennin felt to the ground, holding their faces. Kai had blood coming from his nose and Takaru seemed to had a bleeding lip. Funbo slowly stood up straight and smirked at his victory: "You guys sure have a will to fight…" he complimented them. "But you should understand there's no chance for you to defeat me…"

"Dammit, you're too full of yourself!" yelled the blonde as he pointed his finger at him. "We're not done yet!"

"But we are…" announced Hitomi, who just appeared beside the heir of the Tanken. "Sorry Funbo, but play time's over… we'll be heading to the tower…"

"And what's the point in doing that?" asked Takaru with a smirk. "You still have only one scroll…"

"You're wrong…" replied Akira calmly as he held up two scrolls. "I allowed myself to take yours a while ago…"

"_What?_" Tsunade's son's eyes widen as he looked at the place where the scroll they got at the beginning of the exam was, just to find that the scroll was gone. "_That is our scroll! But when did he…?_"

"Taki…" the white-eyed girl turned to her female teammate who was already performing a new set of hand seals and with the last symbol she called out: "Suiton: Tsunami Gekihatsu!" and in an instant another, tidal wave came right at the three, young gennin.

"_A water jutsu?_" Kai's eyes widen at the sight.

"_That tidal wave from before…_" Kumiko immediately understood. "_That was her!_"

As the water took the trio away, Taki slowly collapsed to the ground and didn't landed with her face in the mud only thanks to the fact that Horohoro grabbed her by the shoulder in time: "You shouldn't push it… that technique takes a lot of energy…" he reminded her.

"Couldn't be helped…" she replied with a weak smile as she fell on him. The blue-haired boy only sighed and lifted her. He gave Hitomi an accusing glare and then turned to Akira: "And you could've taken that scroll sooner, without waiting for the last moment…"

"Sorry, but that way there was no danger in failing to get it…" responded the other boy, with his eyes still closed. "Besides, it's not like I was going to stay behind…"

"Lets go…" Hitomi interrupted them in an ordering tone as she jumped onto a nearby tree branch. Funbo just stared at her for a moment and then followed her with a smirk on his face: "_As friendly as every…_" he thought to himself.

----------

Dekai picked up the scroll and shaken the sand that was all over it. He looked at the symbol and announced with no emotions in his voice: "Heaven… looks like we got what we need already…" and with that he turned to the girl with the gourd: "You didn't have to go that far though, Sabure…"

"Couldn't be help, those small fries practically asked for it…" responded Horamaru with a wide smile as he looked at the sand all around the area they stood, which was covered with blood. "They could've given us their scroll peacefully…"

"It's not like thinking about it will change anything…" noticed Karame as sand retreated back to Sabure's gourd. "Since we got the scroll we need, we can just head to the tower… Takai and his team are probably already there…"

"Whatever…" replied Hari as she went first in the direction the finish line was.

----------

Kusari jumped back just in time to avoid Reiji's axe that cut the air in the place his stomach was just a fracture of a second earlier. The chain users eyes widen in shock however as he felt his torso being ripped and a moment late blood shoot out from it. "_Wha…?_" was all the Leaf shinobi manage to say before he felt to his knees.

"_What just happened?_" Ibuki stopped halfway as she prepared her shuriken to throw it at the metal-nin. "_Kusari sensed the attack perfectly… that blade didn't even touched him… so what's with that wound? It's almost as if he didn't dodge at all!_"

The moment Kusari raised his head, he saw the huge axe coming right at his head again. Acting on instinct, he bended to his left and made his chain form a blockade. The blade stopped before his body once more, yet his right shoulder still got a new cut and sprayed his right cheek with his own blood a bit.

"_What's going on?_" the chain user asked himself as he stared in shock at the metal-nin. "_He didn't touched me even once and yet I already got two, deep wounds…_"

"You brats are really stupid…" announced Hogosha, who was laying on a huge root nearby. "Let me tell you a little secret: there's no point in you dodging Reiji's attacks, coz those can't be dodged… simple as that…"

"This is bullshit!" yelled Ibuki as she threw her shuriken right at the bald shinobi.

The axe user only smirked and swung his large weapon and right before the surprised eyes of the two, Konoha ninja, the shinobi stars bounced off in mid-air, as if they encounter some sort of an invisible barrier.

"How…" was all the young assassin could say as the metal-nin began laughing.

"And you call yourself a weapon mistress, even though you can see through a trick as simple as this?" Reiji managed to say while laughing. "Konoha standards are really low… here, I'll let you see it up close" and with that he swung his axe parallel to the ground in the direction Ibuki stood.

The young assassin instantly jumped to the right, but still her left side go cut by an invisible blade. She yelled in pain while collapsing to the ground. Kusari acted immediately: while Reiji was still looking at Ibuki, he aimed the sharp end of his chain at the bald shinobi's head and lunched it at his opponent.

The metal-nin reacted in the last second by bending his head left and deflecting the blade with his axe. As rage took over, he swung his weapon from the ground to the sky where Kusari stood just a second ago. The chain user jumped back, but still got his torso cut from belt to his left shoulder.

The young, Leaf shinobi collapsed to the ground, barely breathing. Ibuki, seeing this, slowly got back to her feet and panting heavily she picked out several kunai. "So this is it…" she announced with a weak smile as she stared at the metal-nin.

"Took you long enough to figure out…" replied Reiji simply.

"I never thought someone besides Tanken knew this skill…" she continued, ignoring his last comment. "Long forgotten art of the assassins… never thought I'd see anyone capable of using it… especially some who's only a little older then myself…"

"World is full of surprises…" responded the bald ninja as he aimed his blade at her once more. "Goodbye…" and with that he was about to drop his axe down, yet he froze halfway and after a short moment turned to the top of the trees. "I don't like spectators…"

Ibuki looked up as well and only then did she noticed a group of moon-nins, led by the young girl with long, blue hair and eyes in the same color. "Good thing then…" responded the boy with light, green hair, Tasuki. "Coz we're not planning to be the audience…"

* * *

And so another chapter is finished. Hope you enjoyed it.

What happened to Kai, Takaru and Kumiko? What are the moon-nins planning? What exactly is Reiji's ability? All the answers are coming soon!

And time for another jutsu encyclopedia:

_Suiton: Tsunami Gekihatsu_ (Water Element: Tidal Wave Outburst) – technique used by Taki. A pretty powerful jutsu, that can be performed only near a water source. The user first sends his or hers chakra into the water and then, performing the right hand seals, uses it to form the water into a huge tsunami. The route of the tidal wave is completely controlled by the one who performed the technique, however it take a lot of chakra to make the jutsu work.

Choosing another character profile got me thinking as to who I should choose… there weren't any requests lately, so I decided to go with Horohoro as he's one of my favorite characters too:

_Name:_ Horohoro

_Name Origins:_ well, there isn't really much meaning behind his name, but 'horohoro' means 'by ones and twos'… as some of you probably noticed, he doesn't have a last name and as to why that is so, I'm not telling at this point of the story, sorry.

_Age:_ currently 14 years old

_Birth Date:_ 9th of October

_Blood Type:_ AB

_Height:_ 155,7 cm

_Weight:_ 50,9 kg

_Favorite food:_ nothing in particular… he does like ice cream a lot

_Favorite color:_ white

_Village: _Konoha (Hidden Leaf)… but there's more to it then you think

_Current rank:_ gennin

_Team:_ team led by Shino; his teammates are: Hamano Taki, Hyuuga Hitomi, Tanken Funbo and Manako Akira

_Bloodline limit:_ it's rumored he has one, however only the selected few know about it

_Family:_ there's no information about his family, but it seems that his entire clan got wiped out

_Techniques (used so far):_ none

_First appearance:_ 27th chapter

And before I finish, here's another bonus info about three, other gennin teams created for this fic:

**AME:** the rain-nins were probably one of the hardest teams to think. I wanted to make them fit to their village, but at the same time I didn't want to make a bunch of umbrella users, who's only skill would be attacking with senbons. Theoretically Youji was the first one made (since she's a typical, Ame shinobi), though she wasn't named at first (more then that, she was supposed to be a guy when I first thought of her). Soon after Tsuino was created, but in the first idea I had about him, he didn't wore so many scars and his name was different… his abilities didn't change since the moment he appeared in my head. Next was Ryo… even though I like him, I'm not that proud of this one as he isn't that original… what I mean by that you'll see by yourselves (hopefully)… I didn't mixed his abilities so that they'd be more interesting and Naruto-like as at first they didn't fit into "Naruto" world too much. When it comes to Nazaa and Karei, I seriously have no idea from where those two came to my mind, they just seemed to appeared in there one day… their abilities aren't anything special in my opinion, but I grew to like them anyway (especially Nazaa when I worked on his background), so they stayed. And so the Rain team was made, maybe not my best team, but at least not as simple as Ame teams usually are.

**TSUKI:** the team that I'm quite proud of. Even though I'm a guy, it always annoyed me a bit that in the original "Naruto" kunoichi are rather weak (Tsunade and Temari are the only exceptions… even Deidara is a guy!), so I invented Hidden Moon Village (as it turned out, the made one for the anime too… at least that's what I heard) which is known for their kunoichi strength. The idea of Teela appeared almost instantly after I decided to make a team like that… once she was created, I was thinking about making all-girl team, but when it turned out the teams will have to be five-manned I dropped that idea for a single reason… which I won't tell at this point to not spoil something. Anyways, as I continued working on this team, Kumo and Nobu began to circle in my mind, though at first they were just stupid twins… later on I thought of a cool ability their clan could specialize in and so they stayed as Moon representatives. The last two were troublesome though… when it comes to Tenka and Tasuki, they both were inspired by a certain anime I saw way back. I figure… but in the end both turned out very different from the charas from that show (Tasuki practically become a totally different person)… even though I feel like I made many, better characters, I'm really found of the background I prepared for those two.

**KANE:** I have no idea from where the idea for such a team came, but once I invented Ibuki, the thought of making a team that'd specialize in weapons was really of my liking. Back then their village wasn't named though. Reiji was almost an instant leader: shinobi that'd use an axe seemed original to me and the ability I gave him easily became one of my favorite. Soon after him Hogosha came to the picture, though at first he was supposed to be Reiji's brother… after some consideration I dropped that idea for two reasons: they were nothing alike and there's this thing about the axe user's past that made it not right for him to have a sibling. As I worked on the background of the characters, I found it that there could be a character with some connection to Kusari, when I invented the chain master's brother… after some thinking Futatsu came to this world, along with his two swords. The last two were absent for a long time. Both Naginata and Sentou aren't anything special in my opinion and up till now I'm still treating them more as filler-ups. Oh well, nobody's perfect.

And that's really that for this time. Hope you enjoyed it.

Best wishes and until next time, hopefully.


	41. After Match

Wow, I actually managed to finish this so soon and what's more I found enough time to study and write few things in my other fics too… I rock :D Seriously though, I'm glad that I managed to finish this that fast for several reason, out of which none are really important for you… it's just mine, being an author, positive aspect, coz I really like the next, two chappies.

Thanks for all the reviews from the last time. I'm glad you enjoyed the previous chapter and that you'll like this one at least as much.

**ANNOUNCEMENT:** I just found out that my grandma is in critical condition. She'll have an operation tomorrow, so I'm afraid this might be the last chapter you'll be able to read in a long while... sorry, but I just don't have the heart or head to write anything at this point and this chapter only got submitted because I managed to finish it today in the morning, before I got the information.

Lets just get on with this:

**Chapter #41: After match**

**_Title Page:_** Kai and his clones are making a human pyramid (like cheerleaders do :D )

"Kai…" a gentle voice rang in the blonde gennin's head. "Kai, wake up…" he heard it again and the moment he felt a weak slap on his cheek, his head shoot up, hitting Kumiko's forehead.

"Ah, where are those bastards?" yelled the loud, not noticing the kunoichi who was kneeling right next to him, holding her head in her hands.

As the pain in her forehead finally disappeared, she clenched her fist and hit Kai with full force in the back of his head, making him hit the ground with his face yet again: "They're long gone, dumbass! Watch where to move that empty skull of yours!"

"What's more…" added Takaru calmly as he stood nearby, propped by the tree. "They took our scroll with them… not only have we lost Ibuki and Kusari, but we're a step closer to failing this exam miserably… Kumiko, what do you purpose?"

The kunoichi stood up and giving Kai the finally, death glare, she replied: "First we should find the others… after all, only the whole team can pass so even if we were to get tens of scrolls, just the three of us won't be allowed to take another test… also, with all what happened, we should avoid unnecessary fights… thus it'd be useful to know if they got a scroll while we were separated…"

"Or is it because you just miss Kusari?" joked the blonde, which earned him a beating of his life. Kumiko finished after five minutes and returned to explaining: "And lastly, when there's more of us, our chances of winning a fight and getting the scroll we need will increase…"

"Let's get going then…" concluded Takaru. "We already lost orientation, however if those two are smart enough, they'll most likely head in the direction of the tower, since this is the place everyone's heading… the biggest chances for us to find them is by taking that route…"

----------

"You gotta be kidding me!" yelled Hogosha annoyed. "Just when it was getting entertaining!"

Teela just threw a quick glare at him and then her gaze stopped at Kusari, laying under a nearby tree. After a moment she made eye-contact with Reiji, who was still staring at the tree tops with his axe resting on his left shoulder.

"I'm afraid things are a bit complicated right now…" announced Tasuki. "I don't really care about those Leaf brats and all, but it seems Teela has some business with the shrimps and thus I guess we can't allow you guys to kill them…"

"Is that so?" responded the bold shinobi with no emotions showing on his face.

"Yeah…" nodded Kumo. "Would you mind just clear the area?"

"If you're thinking that…" began Futatsu, but he was instantly quieted by Reiji: "Let's go…" The swordsman looked at his teammate surprised: "But, Reiji… that brat…"

"I dislike repeating myself, Futatsu…" announced the axe user coldly. "The reason we came to Konoha is to pass this exam… those brats doesn't have a scroll and those moon-nins have the earth scroll, which is of no use to us, considering we have the earth one too… stretching this is pointless… But get this…" with that the metal-nin turned towards Teela: "We are not leaving coz we're scared… and you can rest assure that if we'll get to fight each other in the next exam, you'll lose greatly…" and so he disappeared in the tree tops with his teammates close behind.

"That bold guy…" began Tenka with an emotionless voice. "He seemed strong…"

"Whatever…" replied Tasuki with hands in his pockets and turned to Teela. "We saved them, can we go now?" The kunoichi gave him a quick glare and then walked over to Kusari, who was still laying under the tree. As the chain master looked at her, she held out her hand and handed him the scroll she was carrying.

"We're even…" she announced as she stood up and walked over to her teammates. "From now on, if we'll have to face each other in the exams, don't count on me to hold back…" and with that she began to walk into the forest.

"Is it wise?" asked Nobu doubtfully. "If we'll leave our scroll to those brats, we'll have to get two by ourselves… and other participants might try to avoid us, noticing we're scroll-less…"

The blue-haired girl didn't answer. She just turned around and looked at him for a split second. The blonde twin instantly noticed there was no point in continuing the topic, so he just sighed and followed the kunoichi.

"I don't suppose this scroll will give you much…" announced Tasuki just before he disappeared between the trees. "However if you're looking for your teammates, they're around five hundred meters to the north…" and with that he was gone as well.

"What was that all about?" asked Ibuki when the moon-nins left. "What did she meant that you're even… and why would they even give us their only scroll?"

"A long story…" replied Kusari as he tried to get back to his feet, yet failed and felt to the ground once more. "Telling it now will only waste our time… let's just go find Kumiko-chan and others… with this we have both scrolls and we can head to the tower…"

The young assassin only sighed and helped him up. As he wrapped his arm around her, in order to use her as support, she gave him a death glare and announced: "Think of anything dirty and you're a dead man… and don't even think about using this situation…" and with that said the two headed where Tasuki claimed their teammates were.

----------

"Man, those guys were weak…" sighed Tetsu as he kicked a grass-nin that was laying on the ground before him. "I didn't even got to get a good exercise…"

"Can't be helped…" announced Shita, who was sitting on his shoulder as usual. "They had the scroll we needed and there was no telling when we'd find another team with such scroll… we couldn't risk, Tetsu-san…"

The white tiger roared quietly and instantly Miaka began stroking its head: "Torabaku has a point…" she stated. "If you feel like it, we can always look for some opponents, since we still have plenty of time left… that way we'll eliminate competitors before the next exam even starts…"

"Sorry, but I don't feel like listening to some dumb animal's advice…" announced Kasui with his arms crossed as he stood propped against the tree. "I couldn't care less whether we stick around in the forest and play around or just head to the tower… either way I'll get some fun in the end…"

"Stop insulting Torabaku!" demanded Miaka, giving him a death glare.

"Or what?" came a response.

"Enough!" yelled Tetsu, instantly making both his teammates shut up. "Since we got the scroll we need, staying around is pointless… this exam will last five days, so if we were to finish it before that time, we'll get few days of rest, while those who won't be that quick will be exhausted for the next test… thus we're going to the tower…"

Kawa didn't say a thing. She just threw a quick glare at both Kasui and Miaka and then turned after Tetsu, who was already heading in the right direction.

----------

Tsuino deflected several kunai coming at him with his short swords, that gave the impression of being daggers more then katanas if it wasn't for quite wide blades. The rain-nin looked up and saw two Leaf shinobi charging right at him with their swords ready.

Scar-face instantly moved forward while spinning around and attacked both adversaries, one in the head, the other in the stomach. Both attacks got blocked and the leaf-nins smirked at their success, only to have their eyes widen a second later as their opponent moved in a fracture of a second. None of them even noticed what happened when their swords got thrown out of their hands and sunk into the ground few meters away.

The two froze for a moment and that was enough for Tsuino. In an instant he spun around and found himself behind the leaf-nins. Before they knew it, he propped his hands on the ground, lunching his legs to the sky and landing a kick into each face. The Konoha shinobi were send flying back and crushed hard against the trees.

It was then that their teammate decided to attack. Before Tsuino's feet touched the ground, he came with an attempt to cut right through the rain-nin, only to have his shoulder pierced by some flash of light that came out of nowhere.

The scar-face landed a kick in the last leaf-nin's face as well and the allowed his feet to touch the ground. He then turned to his teammates and announced with a little disappointed voice: "I asked you not to interfere, Ryo… it wasn't very nice to interrupt my fight…"

"Sorry, I just couldn't help myself…" replied the glasses wearing shinobi. "Besides, that guy would've got you if I wouldn't shoot that arrow…"

"Perhaps…" responded the scar-face, scratching the back of his head. "I guess I'm out of shape a little… Youji, what scroll did those guys had?"

"Heaven one…" replied the girl with umbrellas. "Looks like we're lucky…"

"Good, so lets just take it and get the hell out of this forest…" purposed Karei. "This place gives me the creeps…" and with that she shivered a little. Nazaa just looked at her while drinking another bottle of water.

----------

A hooded man walked through the gate to the Hidden Leaf, looking around calmly. "_I guess I'm a bit too early…_" he thought to himself."_The third exam isn't over yet… it can't be help though, since he started to act sooner then expected… one thing is certain, this should be interesting… very interesting indeed…_" and unwillingly for him a smirk crept onto his face.

* * *

And so this chapter ends! Hope you enjoyed it. 

No jutsu this time around, but at least I can give you guys another character profile… this time it'll be about Kogane:

_Name:_ Rikoteki Kogane

_Name origins:_ her first name means simply 'gold' (or small among of money… in both cases cash)… there are two reasons why I gave her that name: the first one is that she's rather spoiled and got used to getting what she wanted… as for the second reason… that's classified for now. Her last name, Rikoteki, is translated as selfish… look above and you probably understand why I choose that name

_Age:_ currently 13 years old

_Birth Date:_ 23rd of October

_Blood type:_ 0

_Height:_ 143,9 cm

_Weight:_ 44,1 kg

_Favorite food:_ none really… besides, she's always on a diet '

_Village:_ Hidden Leaf (Konoha)

_Current rank:_ gennin

_Team:_ team led by Shikamaru; her teammates are: Konpaku Rei, Amagasa Toku, Debano Kitsune and Gusoku Hanamaru

_Bloodline limit:_ none

_Family:_ her clan is pretty well-known in the Leaf, even though most of the members aren't great warriors... there is a reason behind that, but I'd prefer to keep that a secret, otherwise the surprise will be spoiled

_Techniques (used so far):_ none

_First Appearance:_ 29th chapter

**BAKUFU:** this team took me quite a bit to complete. Even though Tetsu was one of the first characters that came to my head (along with Kasui, but I hesitated for a long time before I decided to place him in the story), the other three were the complete opposite. Shita got created around the same time Hizoku appeared in my head (as he was inspired by the character from the same manga), yet his abilities as they are now didn't existed until the very end of creation process. The kunoichi from the Waterfall were an even bigger problem. Even though for a long time I had an idea of a reverse Inuzuka for a long time (meaning the clan of cat users) I always pictured character like that to be one of the main heroes of the story (and in the end I couldn't help myself and I made such a character for my other fic) so even though Miaka was created not long after Shita, she wasn't placed in the Waterfall team for a long time. Kawa on the other hand was one of the last characters created. To be honest I was so desperate, that I turned the first idea of the character that came to my head into her. At first I wasn't really pleased with her and even now she's more as a filler-up really, but I have to admit that when I worked on her development, she turned out not so bad.

**YUKI:** I had the idea of this team way before I watched the first movie and that's the reason why they don't have those stupid armors. Almost from the beginning Yamazaru and Aisu existed (though at first Aisu was a guy and Yamazaru was more… controllable). As I kept on thinking about it, I changed Aisu into a girl as you know now and Yamazaru became less obedient… that last fact gave me an idea of creating a character that'd be the only one capable of communicating with the big, helmet guy… that's how Yari was born. Once he was done, I thought the Snow team was finished… soon after it turned out teams will be five-manned. Creating two more characters for this team was a bit problematic. Kuri bounced into my head out of nowhere really: she wasn't inspired by anything nor did I even liked the idea of her at first… so why did she stayed? Probably because back then I had no, better ideas… but now I'm pretty glad I let her be as she became my second favorite of the Yuki gennin. Kato was created last and even though it is shameful, I must admit that his chara design is practically the same as the first, Zabuza sketches that I found somewhere on the net… I worked on him for quite some time though I'm proud to say that his personality is exactly what the Snow team needed to balance Aisu and Yari… and in the end not only the Inuzuka can team up with dogs.

**KUMORI:** one of the more important teams for the exams really: dark and untrustworthy, these guys (and one girl) were supposed to be somewhere between the Sand Siblings and Kabuto's team from the manga. The idea of Bakara and Fuma was in my head from the very beginning, far before Ibuki was created. Those two came to life around the time Akira was born. Other's however gave me some more trouble. The next one on the list was Saiken… he was inspired by a character from a different manga, but in the end I changed him almost completely: his chara design, his skills… only his attitude didn't changed that much. Soon after he was created, he became the leader of the team as I figured he'd be the most scary of all (even though Fuma's skill should send shivers down people spines) and not far after that Raina came into act, though she was just supposed to be a girl with metal claws on her hand… not much changed from then. The last one was Kyuu… I had a lot of thought before creating him. At first he was inspired by a character from a fic I read, but in the end I changed his skills and turned his personality upside down (theoretically and literally :D)… and I have to admit that I grew to like this one quite much.

And this concludes this chapter. Hope you liked it and that you'll sacrifice your time to review. Best wishes and until next time, hopefully.


	42. Konoha's Youth part I

**Dynamic Updatto!** Yeah, my grandma is feeling way better now and I just had this great deal of inspiration and so I'm updating ALL my fics this time around! Those of you guys, who read more then one of my fics, after reading this chapter, can go to the other fic they're reading to see 'what happened next'… and those who're reading only one are welcomed to check out my other fics, of course!

Thanks for all the warm words. It means a lot. As for questions and requests placed in your reviews:

**_Could you make the rating higher with more, graphic violence:_** I'll say it this way: probably I could as those who read my stories outside FF claimed I was good at describing dark scenes, however I never intended for this fic to be too brutal… I guess I just don't enjoy angst stories that much, sorry in this case I'm afraid things will stay the way they are… unless something on the level that you'll read in this chapter will be enough for you

I must say that for some reason I like this chapter, even though it really seems like a deja-vu of a certain event from the manga. Well, can't be helped and I hope you'll enjoy this anyway.

With that said, I believe the only thing left for me to do is to get on with the show:

**Chapter #42: Konoha's Youth – part I**

**_Title Page:_** the garden: Kumiko is planting carrots, Ibuki is sowing something in the background, Takaru is getting rid of weeds and Kai is dropping the apples from the apple tree straight into the bag held bellow by Kusari

"This is just unbelievable!" yelled Kogane as she grabbed her head. "It's only been two days and already we had to run for it five times! Why do we always get bad luck and people stronger then us find out our location!"

"It's not that hard being stronger then us…" stated Toku calmly. "I may know a way of how we can avoid being sensed so easily…" and with that he turned to Hanamaru, who was still carrying sleeping Rei on his back: "Use a shower at least once a month!" he yelled at the chubby gennin, for the first time losing his laid back attitude, but instantly regained it again and turned away from the stinky ninja.

"Wow, Toku shown emotions…" the blonde kunoichi looked at her teammate amazed and then turned the head to the right, where Kitsune stood. After few seconds of staring at each other, the girl burst out again: "If Takaru-kun was here, he'd know what to do! Why is it always me that gets unlucky!"

"_Girls_…" Kitsune sighed in his head and looked at the two scrolls they had now. "_We were pretty lucky those genjutsu guys had little fighting skills… the smartest thing to do now is to head to the tower and wait until one team will try to break into it… that way, by following her tracks, we'll avoid possible traps… since it's been over a day, I bet there's already people who occupied the tower's surroundings…_"

"What do you purpose, Kitsune?" Toku asked his friend as he walked closer to him. "Those rain-nin's we just lost might still be around here somewhere, moving blindly without a plan can turn out to be a disaster at this point…"

"Yeah, I know…" nodded the other boy. "The best thing we can do in the current situation…" but he was cut off by Rei, who suddenly woke up and placed her finger to her mouth with a loud 'ssssh'.

Her teammates instantly stopped, whatever they were doing and looked at the kunoichi, waiting for her explanation. "There's people fighting nearby…" she announced after a moment. "Two teams… one are those Ame shinobi we just ditched…"

"And the other?" demanded Toku as Rei felt silent.

"I don't know…" replied the kunoichi after a moment of hesitation. "The only thing Hishu said was… that they're not human…"

"So what do we do?" asked Hanamaru as he looked at his teammates. "Should we check it out?" but as he said so, Kitsune decided to speak: "Normally, by observing the fight, we could learn something about next exam possible opponents, but if those people scared Hishu so much, it also means that even going near the battlefield is dangerous…"

"Oh come on, people!" ordered Kogane as he prepared to jump onto the tree branch. "Takaru-kun would surely check it out… if those teams are fighting each other, they probably won't even sense our presence… that is if Hanamaru will keep the right distance…" and with that she gave the chubby gennin a dead glare right before disappearing in the tree tops.

"Something tells me we're gonna regret this…" sighed Toku as he followed the kunoichi.

"_Girls…_" Kitsune only repeated in his mind as he went right behind Hanamaru and Rei to the place Kogane took off to. Several meters away they all came to a stop and hid in the nearby bushes. As they stuck their heads out to see what was going on, they noticed the five rain-nins that were chasing them just a while ago, standing in front of the team led by Saiken.

"How unfortunate…" announced Fuma, a boy with spiky, black hair and red eyes with a scar of his left cheek, wearing a black cloak with his hood finally of his head. "We have to waste our time with such low-level shinobi… they're not even worth killing…"

"Can't be helped…" replied Bakara calmly. He was also a boy, yet his face was covered by a strange, skull-like mask, from behind which the Leaf gennin could only see that he was bold. He wore a black shirt with metal bracelets around his wrists and long, slightly baggy, black pants. "You made too much noise when you fought those grass-nins just a while back… this is practically your fault Fuma… not only did those Kusa shinobi didn't had any scroll, but we also run into those guys… fix your mistake…"

"So this is my fault?" the one called Fuma shoot back. "Kyuu could easily make us unspotted… blame him… I don't feel like wasting my energy on weaklings…"

"I'll handle this…" announced Saiken calmly, stepping out front.

"Saiken-kun, there's no need for…" began Raina, the only girl in the team, how had long, black hair and blue eyes. She wore a sleeveless top, which uncovered her hands, showing that her right hand was hidden under the metal glove with claws in stead of fingers, a black mini-skirt and high black boots. As she tried to continue, she was instantly cut of by the headgear wearing shinobi: "I'll handle this…" he repeated, sending shivers down the kunoichi's spine. The metal-glove girl backed away and the shadow-nins leader looked at the Ame ninjas.

"You alone wish to fight all five of us?" asked the Rain team leader with a smirk. "No wonder you're the only Kumori team that was send to this exam… shadow-nins are really stupid…"

"It's not stupidity…" replied Saiken calmly. "It's confidence…"

----------

"Here it comes!" yelled Kai as he threw down another apple, which was grabbed by Kumiko just before it hit the ground. "Is that enough already? There's tens of mosquitoes around those damn fruits and my skin is starting to get itchy!" announced the blonde.

"Yeah, I think this'll do for now…" replied the kunoichi as he placed the apple she just caught in the bag and the loudmouth gennin landed back on the ground, scratching his arm.

Takaru, who was observing the two from a nearby tree branch as a look out, smiled under his nose. And just then he sensed another presence nearby. Instantly he jumped down and drew his kunai, with his teammates following his tracks.

A second later Ibuki came out of the bushes, with Kusari having his hand wrapped round the kunoichi. The son of Tsunade prepared his knife to fire, but at the very same moment the young assassin threw him a death glare and called out: "Just try it, dumbass… You want me to kill you?"

"So it's you guys…" Takaru gave out a sigh of relief as Kumiko instantly ran towards the chain master to help Ibuki carrying him. "What ever happened to Kusari?"

"A little quarrel with metal-nins…" replied the young assassin a little tired as she placed the chain user under the tree and Kumiko began treating his wounds. "I bandages him and all, but I'm not a medic-nin or do I know much about medicine…"

"He lost a lot of blood…" announced the other kunoichi after a moment. "In his current condition moving is out of the question… he'll need at least two days to recover enough to move freely on his own, leave out the fact that it'll take much more to recover his typical reflex and endurance…"

"So you really care, Kumiko-chan!" Kusari said cheerfully and a second later got a smack on the head from the object of his adoration.

"Guess we'll be staying here today…" concluded Takaru simply.

"Kogane could prove useful in this situation…" stated Kumiko. "Takaru- maybe you'd just yell? If she'll hear it, I'm sure the trees would start coming down and she'd appear a second later…" she added with a smirk.

"That wasn't funny…" announced the son of Tsunade with an angry look on his face.

"Either way we'll require more food…" added the kunoichi as she looked at her blonde teammate: "Kai, get your butt up that tree again…"

"Oh man…" whined the loudmouth, but after seeing Kumiko's stare he shivered a bit and lowering his head, he headed towards the apple tree. But the moment he reached the trunk, his eyes shoot open and he reached for his kunai again. As he turned around, he noticed Takaru did the same thing. "You felt that too?" he asked his teammate.

"Yeah…" nodded the scar-face. "We have more visitors…"

----------

"You went a little overboard again, Saiken…" announced Kyuu, the last one of the shadow-nins, a blond boy with medium-length hair and green eyes, wearing the same clothes as Fuma, as he looked at the area the five rain-nins stood just a second ago: many trees were cut, some in half and even more had cut branches. Long slashes were visible on the ground and the most gruesome sight laid in the middle of that ruin: bodies of five, Ame shinobi with many cuts all over their bodies and their clothes covered in blood.

"We got the scroll, didn't we?" asked Fuma with a smile as he held out the earth scroll. "We can get to that damn tower and end this exam already… but before that… Saiken, may I take care of the… spectators?" and as he said so a psychotic smile appeared on his face.

"Leave it…" ordered Saiken simply as he began to walk away, his face showing no emotions at all. "Those brats… are of no importance to us…" and so his teammates followed him. Fuma gave just one, last, disappointed look at the bushes where the leaf-nins were hiding and then went on his way as well.

"They're of no importance to us… The nerve of that guy…" repeated Kogane, sweating. She tried to act tuff, yet was failing miserably at it. When she noticed no-one believe her, she dropped the idea and ask with a shaking voice: "Who… or what was that guy?"

"Hard to say…" replied Toku rather calmly, yet even he was sweating a bit. "That technique of his… I've never seen anything like that before… by performing it only once, he defeated all his opponents… with a single blow…"

"Well, it was pretty scary…" nodded Rei. She wasn't sweating, yet her body was shaking uncontrollably. "I see why Hishu was so scared now… he was right, that guy can't be human… without any sight of emotions, that headgear guy just killed all of them!"

"This troubles me though…" announced Hanamaru, who was sweating, shaking and breathing heavily, all at the same time. "Since they knew about us… why didn't they kill us? Where they afraid they wouldn't manage to?"

"That's not it…" Toku disagreed. "As much as it pains me to say so, at our current level, I believe that headgear guy alone was enough to bring us all down…"

"So why?" demanded Kogane.

"It may be just as that guy said…" began Kitsune. "At this point we present no danger… anyways, though I know nothing about those shadow-nins, that headgear guy… is a real monster…"

* * *

And this one is over. Hope you enjoyed it. Please leave me a review. It'd really mean a lot.

No jutsu encyclopedia this time around, but at least I can give you another character profile… this time of a character I really like, even though she does seem like a smaller version of Hinata:

_Name:_ Igaku Mikka

_Name origins:_ her clans name means 'medicine' or 'medical science'… I choose her the first name before even checking what it meant (I don't know, I just liked the name Mikka), but to all those interested, Mikka means 'third day' (of a month)… when I found that out I changed her birth date a bit

_Age:_ currently 13 years old

_Birth Date:_ 13th of July

_Blood type:_ B

_Height:_ 141,7 cm

_Weight:_ 45,5 kg

_Favorite food:_ a vegetarian… but she adores ramen (with no meat)

_Village:_ Hidden Leaf (Konoha)

_Current rank:_ gennin

_Team:_ team led by Hinata; her teammates are: Inuzuka Tsume, Benda Kokoro, Hatake Senkou and Kobushi Galu

_Bloodline limit:_ none

_Family:_ there is very little information about her clan, there are rumors she's a close relative of Shizune

_Techniques (used so far):_ none

_First Appearance:_ 29th chapter

And that's that. Hope you enjoyed it and please leave a review when you're done.

Best wishes and until next time, hopefully.


	43. Konoha's Youth part II

Yeah, I know it took me long to update… sorry, but my cousin's wedding turned out to absorb more of my time then I first assumed and there's always the high temperature problem that seem to block my inspiration… but in the end I manage to finish this and so I'm uploading the newest chapter of "Next generation" finished just few minutes ago!

As usual thanks to everyone who reviewed the previous chapter and here are the answer to your questions:

**_Does Mikka like Kai:_** well, you'll find out for yourselves very soon, so maybe I'll leave this one without the answer…

**_Does one of Sakura's children has pink hair:_** yup… the older one, Gouka to be more exact… however Sasuke kids won't play a big part in this fic I'm afraid (they will have their five minutes though).

**_Can you give a summary of that girl with a tiger and that one with a dog:_** consider it done… in this chapter you'll find a profile of Tsume and next is Miaka (the one with the tiger)…

**_How many people will reach the final stage:_** I'd rather not to say anything in that matter for now as it may be quite a spoiler… unless someone REALLY feels like he/she needs it, then I can send him/her the answer to this one via e-mail, coz I'll surely not place the answer before the eliminations will be over, sorry.

**_Are Kitsune and his teammates weak, since they got scared so easily:_** well, I'd say it this way: it's not that Kitsune and the gang are weak, it's more that Saiken is just insanely strong (for a gennin)… that's all.

And with that I believe that all that's left to do is to get on with the show:

**Chapter #43: Konoha's Youth – part II**

**_Title Page:_** nothing complicated, just Kumiko picking up some flowers on a meadow

Kai and Takaru stood with their kunai ready. Now even Kumiko prepared her knife, sensing danger. But before either of them manage to react, someone suddenly appeared behind the two boys and placed his arms on their shoulders. Only Ibuki seemed able to follow as she turned the second her teammates felt something fall on their shoulders, yet the young assassin stopped in her tracks, noticing who 'attacked' them. "Oh, it's just you guys…" she stated, lowering her weapon.

The blonde turned around and saw Senkou standing right behind him and Takaru. "_How in the world did he got behind us? I didn't even sensed someone coming from behind!_" The son of Tsunade only smirked, putting away his kunai: "What, you came to take our scroll or something?" he asked simply.

"No need…" replied Senkou, backing away a little. "We already have a complete…" and with that he held out two scrolls. "But you guys seem nervous…" he noticed, smirking under his mask. "Don't tell me that the great Gekido Takaru failed to get the scroll…"

"Senkou-kun!" they suddenly heard Mikka's voice and as they turned towards the bushes, they saw the rest of Kakashi's son cell coming out. "It's nice not…" and with saying that she blushed, spotting Kai.

"What happened to Kusari?" asked Galu, looking at the chain user, he didn't seemed that interested in the answer however. "He certainly doesn't look so good…"

"It's nothing…" replied Ibuki. "Just a little quarrel with some metal-nins… he'll just require a day or two to recover, that's all…" as she said so, Mikka walked over to the chain user and kneeled next to Kumiko. She examined the boy and then turned toward his teammates:

"I think I could help…" she announced shyly.

"Mikka, don't forget they're our potential opponents…" Senkou reminded her coldly. "Even though they are from the same village, you shouldn't waste your energy on healing Kusari's wounds, coz you may end up exhausted later on… and besides…" with that he glared at the blonde. "What's the point in helping Dead Last?"

"It can't really hurt to help them, Senkou…" stated Kokoro calmly. "We're heading to the tower anyway, Mikka-chan will have plenty of time to recover since we still have three days before this exam ends…"

"Or is it that you're afraid that once she'll treat Kusari's wounds, we'll pass this exam and Kai will beat you in the next?" teased Takaru with a smirk, making the son of Hokage hold back his anger.

"You know what, do what you want!" yelled Senkou as he turned away from the shy kunoichi, who instantly gathered chakra in her hands and slowly send it towards the chain user's wounds, thus making them heal right before everyone's eyes.

"_She's a medic-nin!_" noticed Kumiko with widen eyes. "_At her age?_"

----------

Shikamaru yawned as he rolled over to the side. Then a familiar smell hit his nose and the moment he opened his eyes, he saw a weird face right in front of him. "Chouji, what are you doing here?" he asked a little bored as he sat up.

"I need to talk to you and I figured you'd be here, since this is the place we always came to watch the clouds…" replied the chubby jounin with a smile. "But where's Temari?"

"She said she had to talk to her brother…" responded the lazy ninja before yawning again. "I'm kinda glad she did, coz you can't get any sleep with that woman around… how troublesome… but I don't suppose you came here to talk about that…"

"No, I didn't…" nodded the head of the Akimichi clan. "Kakashi-sama wanted me to inform everyone who might get involved about the situation…" he began, but the pineapple head shinobi interrupted him:

"I believe I know most of it… Ino told me… but that is not the only problem… it'd seem that the team from Kumori is up to something as well… I'm not sure of what it is yet, but just a while ago another jounin from that village came to Konoha…"

"Yes, the guards informed Hokage-sama about it…" announced Chouji. "It seems that the long time of peace is about to end… well, I'm off… I still have few people to inform about the situation… the only thing we can do now, is hope that nothing will happen…" and so he was gone.

"_Yeah…_" the lazy ninja nodded. "_Hope always dies last…_"

----------

"I manage to heal your wounds…" announced Mikka quietly as Kusari slowly sat up. "You might still have few problems moving, but it shouldn't effect your health…" and once she said so, the chain master hugged her with a cheerful yell, making her blush slightly:

"Thanks, Mikka! I feel great! I knew someone cared!" and as he finished that phrase, he received a powerful punch in the face from Kumiko, whose vein pulsate on her forehead and lightings were shooting from her eyes: "Behave yourself, dumbass!" he called trying to say that in the calm voice, but failed miserably.

"I'm sorry, Kumiko-chan, you want a hug too?" asked Kusari with shining eyes as he ran over towards his teammate, only got receive another punch and a long beating from the genius girl.

Ibuki, who stood right next to the confused Mikka, only signed at the scene and smiling slightly, she calmed the other girl: "Well, since he acts like that, at least we can be sure he feels a lot better…"

"Yeah, thanks Mikka!" yelled Kai, giving the medic-nin a pat on the back, which surprisingly make her blush even more then the hug from the chain master. "You're a life-saver!"

"Great, now that the wimp is okay, can we get going?" asked Senkou with a bored tone.

"Who are you calling a wimp!" instantly Kusari was standing face to face with the son of the current Hokage with steam escaping his nose. Senkou didn't lose his composure however and replied simply:

"That okay part should give you a clue as to who was described as a wimp in my statement… lets get going, we wasted enough time already…" and with that he glared at Mikka, who kept throwing quick glances towards Kai standing next to her. Noticing his teammate's face getting redder and redder every second, he only sighed and grabbed her by the arm: "Off with go…" and with that the two disappeared in the tree tops.

"I guess we'll see you guys later…" announced Galu as he looked at Naruto's subordinates. "Good luck in getting that scroll you need…" and with that he was gone as well.

Uramaru sniffed the air and barked quietly to his owner. Tsume looked at her companion and used her nose as well. After a short moment, she announced to everyone, pointing west: "About hundred and fifty meters that way you'll find a team… they could be your chance…"

Kokoro just looked in that direction and narrowed his eyes slightly. He then turned to Kai and said in a calm voice: "They seem to have the scroll you need… I advice trying to get it…" and with that the two followed their teammates.

"I really hate when he does that…" announced the loud mouth with a sigh.

As they jumped from one tree branch onto another, Senkou threw a quick glare at Mikka who ran right after him. Seeing that the blush on her face haven't faded yet he let out a small sighed and looked toward, saying: "You can be really hopeless sometimes, Mikka…"

"I'm sorry, Senkou-kun…" replied the medic-nin quietly.

"For what are you apologizing?" asked the masked gennin, rising his eyebrow. "It's not like you're really at fault here… but you should try gathering some courage… coz you're starting to resemble Hinata-sensei too much…" and with that he smiled under his nose.

"Stop being so cheerful…" Tsume bashed her teammate. "Ambush ahead…"

"My turn, isn't it?" asked Galu with a bored tone.

---Back to Kai and his teammates---

Soon Naruto's students walked in the direction the dog kunoichi pointed, trying not to make a sound. Ibuki kept looking around a little nervously, feeling like they were being watched, but she couldn't spot anyone around.

Takaru on the other hand was troubled by something else. "_He moved with me even noticing… there must be some trick to it and I'm gonna find out what it is… this Chuunin Selection Exam… just keeps getting more and more interesting…_" and with that thought a small smirk appeared on his face.

Suddenly Ibuki turned around and grabbed her katana. In a fracture of a second her teammates notice a blur and heard the sound of metal clashing with another metal. As they took a closer look, the figure that was a blur just a moment ago turned into Hizoku and the young assassin was blocking his weapon with her swords.

"I see you have good reflex…" announced the grass-nin with a smile. "I knew I liked you guys… and now I ran into you… seems like my luck turned…" and with that he spun slightly on his foot, making Ibuki's grip on her katana loosen a bit.

In the next moment the redhead retreated his blade by few inches and attacked the young assassin's sword again, making it flew out of the weapon mistress's hand. As the blade of the katana sunk into a nearby tree, Hizoku placed his blade near Ibuki's throat.

"For you to fell for such an old trick… is a little disappointing…" he stated as his smile widen. "And in a shinobi world, such mistakes cost you your life…"

* * *

And another chapter is done! Hope you enjoyed it! 

No jutsu encyclopedia this time I'm afraid, but there's always the character profile. Since one of the readers asked me to do this, here's the profile of Tsume and next time it'll be Miaka's turn:

_Name:_ Inuzuka Tsume

_Name origins:_ when it comes to her clan's name, 'inu' means 'dog' and that's probably the meaning behind that… her first name, Tsume means 'claw' (and in case you didn't know, Kiba's mother had the same name).

_Age:_ currently 13 years old

_Birth Date:_ 7th of July (if it wasn't the fact that it was me who choose that date, I'd say it's fate's sick joke ')

_Blood type:_ 0

_Height:_ 142,9 cm

_Weight:_ 49,2 kg

_Favorite food:_ meat of all sorts

_Village:_ Hidden Leaf (Konoha)

_Current rank:_ gennin

_Team:_ team led by Hinata; her teammates are: Igaku Mikka, Benda Kokoro, Hatake Senkou and Kobushi Galu… and she also has a dog partner named Uramaru

_Bloodline limit:_ none

_Family:_ she's the oldest child of Kiba and it is known that she has three siblings: a brother Hanone (currently 10 years old) and two sisters: Toboe (8 years old) and Hige (3 years old). Her mother died at Hige birth.

_Techniques (used so far):_ none

_First Appearance:_ 29th chapter

URAMARU INFO:

_Name origins:_ Uramaru is quite hard to figure, I guess… at first he was supposed to be named Urufu, which means 'wolf'… but I really didn't like that name, so I decided to make a variation… Urufumaru was lame and long, so I decided to shorten it to Urumaru… as I kept on inventing more characters I began saying Uramaru in stead of Urumaru and that's how Tsume's companion became Uramaru

_Age:_ currently around 3 years

_Birth date:_ 7th of July (this is not even close to my birth date, so don't accused me of something like that!)

_Blood type:_ no information

_Height:_ 30,3 cm

_Weight:_ 6 kg

_Favorite food:_ meat… especially ham

_Village:_ take a guess…

_Current rank:_ I have no idea if shinobi ranks can be used on dogs, but I believe I can write here that he's a nukenin (shinobi dog), meaning the same as Akamaru and Pakkun

_Team:_ in a fight he's treated more as a weapon, but in a way he's a member of Hinata's team

_Family:_ he's a pupil of the Inuzuka clan

_Techniques (used so far):_ none

_First Appearance:_ 29th chapter

And that's that… hope you enjoyed it.

Best wishes and until next time!


	44. Sand Legends

Well, it took me a bit to update this... sorry bout that... it's not only my fault really, but I'm not gonna blame anyone... the point is I managed to finish it finally.

Thanks for all the reviews from the last time. I'm glad you enjoyed the previous chapter and that you'll like this one at least as much. Since there weren't many questions last time, I guess I can get to the chapter right away… or maybe I could, but I have a special announcement before that.

**REAALY IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT:** ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, I'd like to announce the beginning of the first ever, Next Generation Character Popularity Contest which will give you the chance to make your favorite characters get a bigger part! Please take part in it. Details at the end of the chapter (you should read them before participating). And there's also a surprise prize for those who'll give their votes (maybe nothing special, but…)

And now, lets get this show on the road:

**Chapter #44: Sand Legends**

**_Title Page:_** the beach: Kai is sticking his head from under the water with goggles on his eyes, Kumiko and Kusari are playing beach ball, Ibuki is lying in the sun and Takaru is buying some ice cream in a nearby stand

"For you to fell for such an old trick… is a little disappointing…" stated Hizoku as his smile widen seeing his blade near Ibuki's throat. "And in a shinobi world, such mistakes cost you your life…" and with that said he looked at the young assassin for a moment, only to retreat his blade again. "Keep that in mind and don't make such mistakes, otherwise someone might chop off that pretty head of yours…" and at this point he threw his weapon onto his shoulder.

The weapon mistress gave the grass-nin a puzzled look, but it was Kai who asked first: "What the hell! What kind of a dirty trick is this? You had Ibuki just where you wanted her and just like that you're letting her escape with her life?"

"Stop sounding disappointed, idiot!" yelled Kumiko, hitting the blonde on the back of his head. "But he does have a point… why did you spare her?"

"I told you already…" replied the redhead simply. "I like you guys and I don't see a point in fighting against you… and if you're thinking about attacking me, let me inform you that I don't have any scroll with me, so you it won't do you much…"

"So why are you all by yourself?" asked Takaru without lowering his kunai, still suspicious. "Shouldn't you and your teammates be looking for the scrolls?"

"We are…" responded Hizoku calmly. "That's why we split up… I ended up by myself… I did encounter some rain-nins few meters away, but those guys were already robbed, so no luck for me that time…"

"And with what you just said we're suppose to believe you have no interest in our scroll?"

"Believe what you want…" replied the grass-nin, keeping his calm. "But to speak the truth, I was even thinking about joining forces with you guys… considering I'm all alone and others probably set traps around the tower where I'm suppose to met with my teammates, my chances in doing that are lower then I'd like… so how's this sound: I'll help you guys get the scroll you need, but in return you'll let me get with you guys to the tower…"

Takaru was about to say 'no', but before he managed to do that, Kumiko covered his mouth with her hand and whispered into his ear: "It's not a bad idea… our strength for the time being will increase and we're not really risking anything… we'll just have to watch out and don't reveal our thumb cards before him… besides, if he did wanted our scroll, back when he cornered Ibuki, he had a perfect occasion to complete that goal, so I don't suppose he's after that…"

The son of Tsunade just muttered something like 'whatever' and turned away from the redhead as the kunoichi held out her hand and the grass-nin shook it. At the same time Kusari ran towards the young assassin with his hands held out in front of him: "Ibuki-chan, you must've been scared! You want a hug!"

And at the same moment the young Tanken lifted her leg up, making the chain master's face crush hard against her foot, leaving his fingers inches away from the pissed Ibuki: "Touch me and die…" she said with a stone face, sending shivers down her teammate's spine.

---Meanwhile, elsewhere in the Forest---

Torune took a bite on her apple and started chewing as she looked around at her teammates: Takai was sitting under the tree with both his legs and arms crossed. He had his eyes closed and didn't pay any attention to his companions. Tarakudo had his legs wrapped around a tree branch and was hanging with his legs down like a bat, Honemaru stood with his back turned at her, observing the forest in front of him and Aoru was polishing her wavy blade.

"I hate to be the one complaining…" she finally announced, but as it seemed she only got the attention of Aoru and Tarakudo, as Honemaru and Takai didn't move an inch. "But we already have the scroll we need… why aren't we heading straight towards the tower?"

"Where's the rush?" replied the bandages ninja with a smirk appearing behind his 'mask'. "There are still some shinobi we could eliminate before finishing this test… those metal-nins we took the scroll from were just pathetic… they were no challenge at all…"

"I thought we were suppose to pass this exam, not look for adventures…" noticed Aoru calmly as she got back to polishing her weapon. At hearing that Tarakudo jumped down on his feet and was about to say something, but at that moment Takai stood up and stared in the direction Honemaru was looking.

As all eyes turned towards the scythe user, he only announced coldly: "Finally, they came…"

In the next second Sabure appeared in the clearing they were standing along with her teammates. The gourd carrying girl glared at Takai and for a longer while their glances meet. Tarakudo barely held back his happiness as he noticed the look on his teammate's face. There was no doubt about it: he wanted to fight the daughter of the current Kazekage.

Hari, also sensing what was going on, stepped between the two and asked no-one in particular: "How're you guys doing? Got the scroll you need already?"

"Move…" was all Takai said as he kept glaring at the redhead girl almost as if his sight could go through the short blonde. The Sand kunoichi felt a single drop of sweat falling down her face, yet she didn't move an inch.

Horamaru's smile widen as he caught a glance of Tarakudo. The blonde boy moved his fingers slightly, making something in his hand deflect the sunlight for a split second. Dekai prepared himself to reach for his sword and kept observing Aoru, who stopped polishing her blade and kept throwing glances at Sabure and her teammates.

"Okay, that's enough!" announced Torune angry as she joined Hari. "Takai, we got the complete of scrolls… we don't have a reason to fight other teams, especially those that are from our own village! I have just about enough of that sick obsession of yours, so either you'll calm down or I'll send you to the other end of this damn forest, got it!"

The scythe user only threw his companion a quick glare and after taking another look of Sabure he turned his back towards her and got back to sitting in his spot. Both, blonde girls let out a sigh of relief and exchanged worried glances. The only ones disappointed in how the situation was handled, were Tarakudo and Horamaru.

"So you guys really got both scrolls already?" Karame broke the uncomfortable silence, gaining most people's attention. Torune only nodded, still unable to say a thing as her throat got dry. "Looks like Suna will have at least two teams in the fourth exam then, since we got a complete as well…"

"How about we head to the tower together then?" purposed Hari. "It's not like it matters, but if we were to join forces, I don't suppose anyone could take those scrolls away from us…"

"The girl has a point…" announced Aoru calmly as she got back to polishing her wavy blade.

"If we are to do this, then lets get going…" stated Dekai a little less tensed, but still on guard. "The sooner we'll finish this exam, the more time we'll have to prepare ourselves for the next one…" and with that he turned towards the finish line.

"Why not…" responded Torune and soon all ten of them headed in the direction of the tower. As they jumped from one tree branch to another, Horamaru located himself near the blonde girl and asked with a disappointed smile:

"Why didn't you allow them to finish their little quarrel? Got scared Takai might've lost?"

"Don't be ridiculous…" replied Torune a little angry. "You know just as well as I do that when it comes to Takai… there's no way someone could defeat him, even if we're talking about Sabure…"

"No-one's undefeated…" stated the snake-faced boy. "Only some are harder to beat then others… Takai is a monster… but he can be taken down… that much I'm certain off…"

"You're wrong in both cases…" announced the blonde girl. "He's not a monster… and he cannot be taken down… I've seen with my own eyes during our missions… no matter who the opponent is… the moment he gets to fight Takai… his fate is decided…" and with that she looked at her teammate and lowered her sight as a sad expression appeared on it.

---Later that day at the tower---

"Excuse me, Kiba-san…" a chuunin walked into the room the dog jounin and Naruto were playing cards in and bowed slightly. "Two more teams has just finished the third exam… both are from the Hidden Sand Village…"

"Thanks…" replied Kiba with a tiny nod and so the chuunin was gone. The dog ninja gave Akamaru another piece of meat and said to no-one in particular: "Two, more teams… that's five already and this is only the second day…"

"What surprises me even more is that only one team from Konoha manage to get here…" added the blonde calmly. "It'd be rather shameful for the Leaf as the exams are held in our village this year… and that kinda reminds me: did you informed Shino his subordinates passed the exam already?"

"Yes, but he said he had things to take care off, so he'll show up after this exam is over…" and after that silence felt between the two. None said anything for several minutes, until Kiba decided to speak again: "Naruto, those shadow-nins…"

"Yes, I know…" the blonde interrupted him with a little worried expression showing on his face. "Their chakra is not natural… especially that one with the headgear… I can't place a finger, but he gives me the creeps…"

"What do you suppose his ability is?" asked the dog jounin, looking at his companion from above the cards he held in his hand. The whisker-marks only raised his eyes to meet his friend's glare and after a moment of hesitation, he replied:

"I have no idea… but whatever it is, I don't suppose any of my students will be able to counter it… and I'm not sure if I myself would be able to…"

---That time, elsewhere in the tower---

"Why didn't Shino-sensei show up!" Taki kept asking a little annoyed as she walked from one wall to the other. "What could be more important then his subordinates!"

"He's a jounin…" Horohoro reminded her calmly as he sat on a chair with his feet on a nearby table. "People of Shino-sensei's status have many duties… besides, I'm kinda glad he's not here, coz he'd probably force us to train before the next test and I have no intention of doing anything related to workout during those three days…"

"You're just being lazy…" noticed Funbo with a tiny smirk and looked at Akira who seemed to be meditating in the corner of the room.

"That too…" replied the blue-haired boy with a laugh, but instantly quiet down as he saw a team of sand-nins walking through the hallway.

While the Suna shinobi walk on by, Takai stopped and look in the direction of the leaf-nins. His eyes stopped for a moment on Hitomi, who was observing him with a stone face and a psychopathic smile appeared on his own face for a split second before he followed his companions down the hall.

"_So those guys made it too…_" concluded Horohoro with a single drop of sweat appearing on his face. "_That scythe guy… this is not good…_"

* * *

And so this chapter ends. Hope you enjoyed reading it at least as much as I writing it. 

Once more no jutsu encyclopedia… but there should be some before the third exam ends. To make it up to you guys I can only place another character profile and since I promised, this time it's Miaka's turn:

_Name:_ Tora Miaka

_Name Origins:_ her clan's name means simply 'tiger'… considering she's from the clan of cat users (like Inuzuka are dog users) I figure this'll fit perfectly… as for her first name, I choose it before even checking what it meant (after a character from a certain manga that I read long, long ago)… but to those who are interested, her name is close to 'mimiaka', which means 'earwax' (cats have a great sense of hearing) '

_Age:_ currently 16 years old (just for the record, Kai and other rookies are 13 now)

_Birth Date:_ 11th of April

_Blood Type:_ 0

_Height:_ 154,4 cm

_Weight:_ 53,7 kg

_Favorite Food:_ no data, she adores milk though

_Village:_ Bakufu (Hidden Waterfall)

_Current Rank:_ gennin

_Team:_ her teammates are Azarashi Kawa, Abura Tetsu, Makko Shita and Rein Kasui

_Bloodline Limit:_ none

_Family:_ no information

_Techniques (used so far):_ none

_First Appearance:_ 29th chapter

**POPULARITY CONTEST DETAILS:** okay, to those who actually decided to do me (and in a way themselves too) a favor and take part in the voting, I'll give you the rules and details concerning the contest. To start off I have to say that it's different from before, coz this time you can vote for ANY character that appeared in the story so far, including the character from the original manga… in that last case however, I would like to ask you to base your choice on my fic only (I tried to keep the original crew close to their manga design, however some of the characters differs a bit, thus if you want to vote on Hinata, do so because you like how she is in this fic and not because you liked her from the manga/anime please).

Another thing is how the voting will look like. Considering there are quite a few characters (and since you really can't vote more then once to keep it fair) I've decided to allow you to choose more then one character. Here's how it'll look: each of you can vote for five characters overall (but you don't have to use all the spots… nothing stands in your way to cast your vote on just one character), but there is some extra info to that… I'm not sure if this is a good idea or not, but I've decided to do it like this: those who'll decide to give their votes I ask to give them in the form of a list… by that I mean make the list with numbers from 1 to 5 and write the character you want to give your vote for next to the number. BUT be aware of the fact that the character that you'll write as number one will get 5 so called points (which in a way will be equal to the votes). My English isn't that good when it comes to explaining, so I'll give you an example of a cast vote:

1.Senkou Hatake

2.Hizoku Wanabi

3.Hinata Hyuuga

4.the bold, metal-nin with an axe

Now, in this case Senkou would get 5 points/votes, Hizoku would receive 4, Hinata 3 and the metal-nin (Reiji) – 2… in the example above the voter decided to vote on only four characters, even though he/she still could've given one vote. But when I'll display the results, I'll also write how many people cast their vote on a certain character (after all, with the system as it is now, it could be that one character will get 5 points with only one person voting for him/her and another will get 3, but getting one point from three people).

Also, to make it easier, I placed the list of ALL the characters you may give your votes for bellow (please note that Gaara and Lee are not an option yet as they didn't appear in the fic so far). If you can't recall what was the name of your favorite character (even with the list bellow) give me some details about him/her (if it's a shinobi then perhaps what village he/she is from, what he wears, his abilities or character… I should be able to figure out who you mean as I created everyone except the charas from the manga). So here's the list and after that one, final information for you guys:

**Konoha:**

Murasakki Kumiko, Tanken Ibuki, Gekido Takaru, Hagane Kusari, Haisha Kai, Uzumaki Naruto

Konpaku Rei, Rikoteki Kogane, Amagasa Toku, Debano Kitsune, Gusoku Hanamaru, Nara Shikamaru

Igaku Mikka, Inuzuka Tsume, Benda Kokoro, Hatake Senkou, Kobushi Galu, Hyuuga Hinata

Hamano Taki, Hyuuga Hitomi, Manako Akira, Tanken Funbo, Horohoro, Aburame Shino

Others: Hyuuga Tenten, Uchiha Sakura, Yamanaka Ino, Tsunade (she did appear in the flashback), Akimichi Chouji, Hatake Kakashi, Hyuuga Neji, Inuzuka Kiba, Uchiha Sasuke, Umino Iruka, Tanken Satsu (Ibuki's father from the flashback)

**Suna:**

Aoru, Torune, Honemaru, Takai, Tarakudo, Temari

Hari, Sabaku no Sabure, Dekai, Horamaru, Karame, Kankuro

**Kusa:**

Hokku Tobane, Kanraku Nezumi, Kuchibashi Taka, Kyohaku Tokame, Wanabi Hizoku, Hamaru (Nezumi's rat)

Others: Zassouku (the huge sundew summoned by Kiro), Kiro (the leader of the Grass team that Kumiko fought during the second exam)

**Ame:**

Kasano Youji, Nokogiri Karei, Eshaku Ryo, Furikuzu Tsuino, Hebereke Nazaa

**Bakufu:**

Azarashi Kawa, Tora Miaka, Abura Tetsu, Makko Shita, Rein Kasui, Torabaku (it's Miaka's tiger)

**Tsuki:**

Junsei Teela, Tenka, Chishio Nobu, Chishio Kumo, Kihako Tasuki

**Kane:**

Naginata, Ono Reiji, Futatsu, Hogosha, Sentou

**Yuki:**

Nadare Aisu, Sutaru Kuri, Sarumaru Yari, Urufu Kato, Yamazaru

**Kumori:**

Raina, Tenma Saiken, Bakara, Fuma, Kyuu, hooded man (the one that worried both Kakashi and Kankuro)

**Other:** Momochi Kataki, Togatta Ryu, Fugou, Kouba, Karuto, Deji, Recca, Takashi, Gamabunta, Rubiku, mysterious figure #1 (Rubiku's partner), mysterious figure #2 (the hooded man that entered Konoha in chapter #41 and Shikamaru spoke about him with Chouji in the previous chapter), Manda

Okay, last information considering the voting: those who want to participate should know that they DON'T have to give their votes yet! The results will be displayed in the 50th chapter (I give you that much time in hope that everyone who'll wish to give their votes will manage to do it) so you can wait with the decision until then (I'm not sure when that chapter will be uploaded, but I believe that gives you something around 6 weeks time at least).

Also, it'd be preferable that you'll give your votes in the reviews, so that there won't be any accusations about me changing the results. Those of you, who'll give the vote for the characters will have a chance to win that 'special prize' I told you about (it's not money, but you may be satisfied with it anyway… at least I hope you will)... more about that after the results will be displayed (since I'm not sure in what way the winner will be chosen yet).

If you have any questions considering the voting, do ask (be it by review or a PM). Also, this is a first time in any of my fics making something like that, so if you have any ideas as to how to make something like this better in the future, do not hesitate about telling me. Probably the rules of THIS voting won't be changed to not confuse anyone, but the future ones will be prepared with your ideas taken under consideration.

I guess that's that for this chapter. Please participate in the voting.

Best wishes, thanks to everyone who'll decided to vote and until next time, hopefully.


	45. Ambush

Well, took my quite a bit to update… sorry, my PC has been screwing up lately and I also suffered a major author's block on this chappie. Luckily that's behind me and I manage to finish this one just few minutes ago!

Well, reviews from last time were mostly vote and those that were not, didn't had any questions really, so I guess I can go straight to the chapter... almost.

**REMINDER:** just a special note… you know, just in case, I'd like to remind everyone that you can still take part in the first Popularity Contest for this fic (rules are in the previous chapter)… and there will be quite some time to do this. I won't give you how the results look at this point (besides, all the votes were cast in reviews, so you can count them yourselves if you REALLY want to know). I think that's it.

**Chapter #45: Ambush**

**_Title Page:_** the jungle: Ibuki is cutting the teams way with a sword, Kai is trying to get rid of the mosquitoes flying around him by waving his hands, Kumiko is smelling the flowers growing on a tree, Kusari is trying to grab the bananas above and Takaru is drinking water

"Say, Kumiko…" Kai whispered into his teammate's ear as he ran next to her. "Is it really okay to trust that guy?" he asked, pointing at Hizoku, who was running right behind them. "We don't really know anything about him… and did you consider that he wanted to gain our trust by sparing Ibuki and then leading us into an even greater trap?"

"Of course I've considered that…" the kunoichi almost raised her voice a little disappointed her companion had such little confidence in her. "But we have Ibuki on our side and she should be able to tell when we're getting lured into an ambush… moreover, if he was planning something and his teammates would really wish to attack us, we could always capture him and have a hostage… the team can only advance to the next exam with five members, so his companions can't allow that redhead to die…"

"Well, if you say so…" replied the blonde. "But I still don't…" but at this his words froze in his throat as he felt his collar grabbed and was pushed back, landing hard on the ground. Everyone's eyes, except for Ibuki, set on Hizoku, who was the one that grabbed him.

"What the hell…!" began Kai, but then he noticed the young assassin and the grass-nin staring in the same direction and as he followed their sight, he spotted a tag attached to a nearby tree.

"Ninjutsu trap…" Ibuki gave the answer to an unasked question. "I saw another a meter or two away… most likely the next, two tags are still in front of us…"

"Looks like we found a welcoming party sooner then expected…" concluded Takaru with a small smirk, as he reached for his kunai. "They want us to go around it or something?"

"I don't suppose so…" replied the young assassin calmly. "This trap is pretty visible…" and saying so she looked with pity at her blonde teammate, who only made an angry face and freed himself from Hizoku's gasp as the weapon mistress continued: "I'd say that this trap was plant in order for us to notice it… I'm not sure of the purpose for something like that though…"

"In most causes, a trap is meant to be visible so that it'd be easier to trap the enemy into another…" stated Hizoku, who was now looking around. "Or into an ambush…" he finished. "By trying to avoid it, we risk falling into something worse… but at the same time, walking right into it is not even close to smart…"

"Leave this to me!" replied Kai with a victorious smile as he performed a quick hand seal, creating a single clone: "Kage Bushin no Jutsu!" and in an instant his clone walked into the set trap, getting hit by electricity. "There, now we know what that trap is…" but before he could finish, he received a smack in the back of his head from Kumiko:

"Have you every heard of not drawing attention!" she yelled with vein pulsing on her forehead: "This thing might've even been set so that the moment it activates, the one who made her notices for all we know! You could've just alarmed some team that we're here!"

"Actually, your yelling doesn't really make our situation better, Kumiko-san…" noticed Hizoku calmly sweat dropping. "Besides, what's done is done and we can't change that… since the trap was activated anyway, we might as well deactivate it…" and so he threw few of his kunai at the tags, making them all fall off the trees and onto the ground. "The path is clear…" but at that moment senbon flew at the six shinobi from every direction.

Seeing no, other way out, Takaru acted immediately and after performing a quick set of hand seals, he called out: "Insei Tooriame!" and in an instant tens of small fireballs flew from his hands, burning most of the needles and those that weren't hit by his attack, were easy enough to avoid.

"Another trap that activates itself after the first gets deactivated?" speculated Kusari, but Ibuki only shook her head: "No, this was not a trap… our enemies has decided to show themselves…" and so she pointed at a nearby tree top, where five rain-nins stood with their arms crossed.

"Well, what do you know, it's just a bunch of kids…" stated the Ame shinobi with a headgear and a body armor, carrying three umbrellas on his back, that seemed to be the leader of the team. "Which scroll could you have…?" he asked with a devilish smile appearing on his face. After this he glared for a split second at Takaru: "_That brat performed a fire jutsu that quick and while under such pressure still manage to fire all those bullet in a way they'd destroy most of our senbons… he surely isn't a typical gennin… and what in the world is that grass-nin doing with those Konoha shrimp?_" and so he threw a quick look at Hizoku.

"Does it really matter, Mushi?" asked another rain-nin, a chubby one, dressed similar to the first, only he carried just two umbrellas, which were metal however. "Fighting those guys shouldn't take longer then five minutes… we'll just kick their butts and collect their scroll…"

"Well…" began Hizoku as he raised his eyes at the rain-nins, throwing the Ame shinobi a death glare. "That five-minute part is probably true…" and suddenly, before anyone knew it, the redhead was behind the chubby ninja with the blade of his weapon at his throat. "But I'm afraid you was wrong about who's gonna win…"

"_What the…?_" the Rain team's leader eyes widen as he looked back and saw the grass-nin with a stone face standing between his teammates. "_That guy moved in a split second… what is he?_" and then he glared down back at the five, Konoha shinobi, who seemed to be just as surprised as him.

"Dammit, who do you think you are!" yelled another rain-nin, with long, black hair, dressed the same as the first two, as he send his wooden umbrellas spinning right at Hizoku, who had his back turned towards him.

In an instant the redhead spun around and jumped into the air. By hitting the top of one of the umbrellas, the grass-nin jumped even higher and, spinning in the air, cut from above at the Ame shinobi, who threw the umbrellas. The Kusa ninja's adversary jumped back in the last second, thus avoiding his head being split in two by Hizoku's weapon.

"Gotcha!" yelled another rain-nin, this time a girl with long, blonde hair, clipped into a ponytail, as a chain she threw started to wrapped itself around the grass-nin. The redhead however used the last second he could still move to place his weapon parallel to his body, making it get wrapped by the chain as well.

As the last of the Ame ninja, a boy with messy, brown hair, aimed his kunai at Hizoku's head, the grass-nin just released his chakra into his weapon and right before everyone's eyes spikes shoot out from every part of it, cutting the steal chain that had him trapped and deflected the incoming knife with his weapon that was once more back to normal.

"Dammit, this is starting…" began the chubby rain-nin as he reached for his umbrellas, only to feel his hands getting tied by a steel chain. As he looked back over his shoulder, he noticed Kusari standing on a nearby tree branch behind him, controlling his chain so that it'd trap the chubby ninja just like Hizoku was a second ago.

"You're forgetting one thing…" announced the chain master calmly. "You guys have more then one enemy…" and the moment he said so, he noticed the one with long, black hair appearing right next to the other, rain-nin and throwing his wooden umbrellas at the leaf-nin.

But before the umbrellas managed to reach their targets, Ibuki appeared next to her teammate and threw her kunai at the incoming weapons in a way they'd hit the handles. The moment her knives reached their targets, the handles of the umbrellas changed their positions, thus making the umbrellas change their route and missing the two leaf-nins by several meters.

"Ibuki-chan, I knew you cared!" announced Kusari happily and only because they were in the middle of the battle did the young assassin hold herself back from elbowing him hard in the face. In stead she jumped towards the rain-nin who just threw his umbrellas and released a handful of shuriken straight at the Ame shinobi.

The black-haired boy instantly jumped onto a higher tree branch, just to see Kai flying right for him, aiming a kick into his face. Being unable to dodge, the rain-nin received the hit and was send flying back. A loud 'thud' was heard as he hit a tree behind him, which put an end to his flight and unconscious, the Ame shinobi felt to the ground below.

The blonde girl with the chain was already coming from his right in an attempt to attack him, but before she could perform any assault, she saw a fire whip coming straight at her, which forced her to jump back in order to avoid certain death.

But the smile that appeared on her face after successfully avoiding Takaru's attack immediately vanished as she felt her foot breaking a thin wire and in the next second a small net felt onto her from above.

"What!" the Ame kunoichi yelled surprise. "How in the world…?"

"That trap was very simple…" stated Ibuki, who smiled seeing that her trap worked. "But in the conditions of a real battle that's still enough to immobilized those who are too careless… Takaru just made you go in the right direction…"

"I see you guys make a pretty good team…" noticed Hizoku as he threw the brown-haired rain-nin at the tree branch Kai stood on. "My help wasn't really needed, it seems…" and with that he glared down at the leader of the Ame team, who was now standing on the ground: "One left though…"

The one called Mushi looked towards the tree tops at all the leaf-nins and the redhead who just defeated all his teammates. Getting a little nervous, he reached out for a scroll he carried behind his armor: "_Stupid brats… I never thought I'd require to use this technique against wimps like that…_" and so he bite his finger, with which he began writing on the scroll he unwrapped with his blood.

"Hey, what the hell is he doing?" demanded Kai as he pointed at the leader of the Rain team. "He's gonna summon some large plant like that Grass fellow from before? Hey, buddy, this won't do, coz we've already beaten someone using the same technique!"

"You've seen nothing, airhead…" replied Mushi calmly as he finished writing and in stead of slamming his hands against the ground, he just sprayed the surrounding with the blood still coming from his finger.

Before anyone knew it, strong wind began blowing from every direction and in the next second Kai felt his left arm getting pierced by a single senbon. Before he even managed to make a yell of pain, another senbon found itself in his body, this time in his left leg.

He wasn't the only one with such problems however: his companions tried to avoid tens of incoming senbon as well, which seemed to move as they desired. Ibuki tried to deflect some of the needles with her shuriken, yet the wind seemed to blow her shinobi stars of course on purpose.

Kumiko jumped down from the trees and landed right in front of the now smiling rain-nin: "What the hell did you just do?" she demanded with both anger and worry showing on her face.

"A special technique that my younger brother taught…" replied Mushi with an even wider smile. "Know that this is a technique no-one escaped yet… but that should be expected, since the one who invented it was our father… the leader of Hidden Rain Village!"

-seems like document manager screwed up a little-

And this concludes this chapter. I'll do my best to update sooner this time, but I'll have few things on my head, so I can't really promise anything.

All the jutsus (namely: one) were already describe (but if you're too lazy to look for it in the previous chapters, I can tell you that Insei Tooriame is Takaru's "Meteor Shower"), so I guess I'm done for this time.

Best wishes and until next update!


	46. Inheritance

Yup, it's me again. Sorry it took me so long to update this time, but I had a lot things on my head lately and basically I just finished writing this like a minute ago. Thanks for everyone who reviewed the previous chapter. Since there weren't any questions concerning the previous chapter, I suppose all that's left for me to do is get on with it:

**REMINDER:** just wanted to remind everyone who didn't take part in the popularity contest yet, that there's still time for you to do so. The rules were given with chapter 44.

With that said, here's chapter 46 of "Naruto: Next Generation":

**Chapter #46: Inheritance**

**_Title Page:_** Ibuki is creeping with a kunai in her teeth and a little unwrapped scroll in her left hand

"What the hell did you do?" demanded Kumiko as she looked at the rain-nin.

"A special technique my brother taught me…" replied Mushi with a smile. "A technique no-one escaped yet… but that is to be expected since it was invented by my father… leader of the Hidden Rain Village!" and with that he threw several senbon at her.

The kunoichi jumped to her left in order to avoid the assault. In a flash strong wind started circling around the rain-nin as he threw several senbon in random directions, just to have the air current carrying them right at his opponents. And this time Kumiko was not able to avoid the attack completely.

As some of the needles pierced her left leg, the girl let out a yell of pain, losing her balance and landing on the ground with her face down. Meanwhile in the tree tops, the wind was still controlling the senbon, making them go directly after the young gennin.

"_We need to force that guy to break the jutsu, otherwise we're done for!_" Kusari concluded in his mind as his eyes set of Mushi. And with that thought he began moving his chain so that it'd start swinging in circles in his hands. As he did so, the senbon that were coming straight at him suddenly got blown away, much to the rain-nin's surprise.

"How the hell did you do that?" demanded the Rain Village leader's son.

"It seems that even when you learned the technique, you weren't really interested in how it works…" stated the chain master calmly as the air around him settled down. "What do you think will happen when two, circling winds collide?"

"You changed the wind currents so that I wouldn't be able to control how the wind blows!" Mushi's eyes widen as he realized what just happened. And before he knew it, his senbon began flying completely randomly.

Neither of the other gennin wasted that chance and they all jumped down, prepared to attack the rain-nin. However, with the wind still blowing near the ground, they couldn't use their shuriken nor kunai, so the only way to bring Mushi down was close range.

In an instant Hizoku appeared before the rain-nin and aimed his weapon to cut off Mushi's head, yet the son of the Rain Village leader avoided the attack in the last moment, making the blade go just inches before his throat.

As he jumped back, the Ame shinobi reached for his umbrellas and in a flash a wooden one opened, covering the rain-nin. The redhead's eyes narrowed and a second later hundreds of senbon shoot out from Mushi's weapon right at him.

In a flash the grass-nin jumped back as well, using his spear to deflect the needles that flew at him with a surprising precision. As his feet touched the ground, Hizoku picked out few senbon that manage to sunk into his body, but none of them was really of any concern to the Kusa shinobi.

In the meantime Takaru and Kai charged straight at the rain-nin and unleashed a storm of punches and kicks at him. As Mushi was forced to back away, he pulled out another umbrella, this time made out of steel, and the moment he opened it, he began using it as a shield.

But with all this Ibuki smirked as she noticed the air around them calmed down. The rain-nin didn't even realized that he dropped his own technique. With a quick motion the young assassin jumped into the air and picked out several shuriken and kunai. In a flash she threw all the weapons at Mushi's back, seeing that he was still busy fighting off her teammate's furious attacks.

The son of the Hidden Rain Village leader noticed the blades coming at him from behind jump in time to jump into the air in order to avoid certain death, but this was all Kusari needed. Before the rain-nin could do a thing, the metal ball at one of the end's of the Leaf gennin's chain smashed against his head, making him fall to the ground with his head first.

As he crushed hard against the surface, Kai ran towards him, ready to deliver a finish blow, just in case he'd get up. The blonde didn't had to do a thing however, as Mushi lied unconscious on the ground. The loud mouth just kneeled next to him and search him over in hope to find the scroll the Rain team they just defeated carried.

"We have it!" he announced cheerfully, lifting up a white scroll. "We have the Heaven Scroll!" and so he began jumping up and down, making a vein appear on Kumiko's forehead from annoyance that her teammate is still so energetic, even though she's drained from strength.

Hizoku merely smiled under his nose at the sight and placed his weapon back on his back.

---Meanwhile, elsewhere---

Temari and Shikamaru walked down the streets of the Hidden Leaf, with the lazy jounin keeping his hands in his pockets as usual. The blonde kunoichi threw them a quick glare from time to time, ticked a bit.

Finally she grabbed the leaf-nin's hand and wrapped it with her own, making Shikamaru look at her a bit confused. The sand-nin just threw him an angry glare, before she announced: "You still have no idea how you should act on a date, don't lazy ass?"

"Actually, I thought I was just showing you around…" replied the Leaf jounin in his usual voice, but surprisingly a tiny blush appeared on his face. But as Temari was about to smack him with her fan for that comment, Kankuro appeared before them with confusion showing on his face.

As the silence felt between the trio, the Sand kunoichi was the first one to speak up, after she performed the action her brother's appearances stopped her from continuing: "What is it?"

"The Hokage wants to see us…" replied the puppeteer, throwing Shikamaru a suspicious glare. "It's rather important, so we shouldn't make him wait…"

"I guess…" responded Temari with a sigh as she let go of the leaf-nin's hand. "I guess I'll be seeing you, lazy bump…" and with that the two Suna shinobi were gone.

Shikamaru just raised his brow slightly and then shrugged before continuing walking: "_If it comes to this, it means things are looking worse then I first assumed…_" he thought to himself with concern starting to show on his face.

---Back to Kai and his companions---

"We got it, we got it!" yelled the loud mouth as he kept jumping up and down. "We got the Heaven scroll!" and as he repeated that for at least the tenth time, Kumiko appeared next to him, smashing his head with her fist.

"We know that already, dammit!" she yelled at the blonde who was now laying flat on the ground. "Change the record!" and with that she took the scroll he held in his hand. After a short examination she threw it to Ibuki: "It's best if you take it… better not have both scrolls carried by the same member of the team…"

"Whatever…" was the young assassin's only response as she hid the scroll in one of her hostels. "So now that we have everything we need, can we get to that stupid tower and get this exam over with?" and with that she turned around to face the tower. "_Funbo's probably already there…_"

"Yeah, we should get going…" nodded Takaru in agreement. "This is the fourth day and we wasted enough time while searching the forest for a team with a scroll… if we hurry, we'll have an extra day to recover before the next exam…"

Let's get going then…" purposed Kusari as he lead the way with his teammates close behind.

"By the way, Hizoku-san…" began Kai, turning around to face the grass-nin. "Thanks for helping us in getting the scroll… I guess we owe you one…"

"Not at all…" responded the redhead with a tiny smile. "I didn't do much, it was you guys who shown skills… besides, that was part of the deal we made, wasn't it?"

"Yeah, I guess you're right…" nodded Kai with a smirk. "I did show my skills!"

The grass-nin's eye-brow went up as a tiny smile appeared on his face: "You're quite confident about yourself, aren't ya?" and with that the blonde's smile widen before he replied:

"Naturally… after all, my name will soon be known to the entire Konoha… modestly wouldn't be appropriate in my case, now would it?" and with that he glared in front of him again. "Besides, you should believe in yourself, because your fate depends only on you…"

At hearing that Hizoku's eyes widen for a split second. His eyes narrowed almost immediately after, as he gained the blonde's attention once more: "You said your name was Kai, right?"

"Yup…" nodded the loud mouth. "Haisha Kai!"

"_That blonde sure reminds me of my old self…"_ Hizoku thought to himself with a smile returning to his face. "_And what's more, that last name of his… the moment I saw him he seemed familiar… I should've figured that out when I found out his name was Kai… maybe I was destined to meet him before I... oh well, does it really matter? After all, it's like you always said: 'we may struggle to achieve whatever it is that we want, but the world will always have it's saying in it'… wasn't that right, Chitose-san?_" and with that thought he looked at Kai's back for a slight moment. "_Never the less, it's ironic to meet him again… your son, that is…_" and with that his memories of many years ago once more appeared in his mind.

_**---to be continued---**_

And so this chapter ends. Hope you liked it and that you'll leave a review once you're done.

I gotta go now, but hopefully the next chapter won't take so long.

Best wishes and until next time.

Bye.


	47. Leaf on the Grass

Well, I must admit that I'm a little disappointed with the lack of reviews for the previous chapter. Or maybe I'm just over-reacting? But it'd really mean a lot if you guys would comment from time to time. I wanna know what you think, coz it helps me improve.

Well, with the small number of reviews, there weren't too many questions and those that were asked will be basically answered in this chapter, so all you have to do is read it.

Before that, there's something I forgot to ask you the previous time. I've received a request from one of you guys to bring back the interview at the beginning of every chapter (it was my way of answering your reviews when I began writing this fic… back in the day when the e-mail reply wasn't possible… or at least I haven't used it back then). But since this is something that concerns basically everyone, I'd like to know what you guys think of this idea. PLEASE LET ME KNOW.

**REMINDER:** just wanted to remind everyone who didn't take part in the popularity contest yet, that there's still time for you to do so. The rules were given in chapter 44.

And with that I believe I we can get on with the show:

**Chapter #47: Leaf on the Grass**

**_Title page:_** forest; Takaru is standing up-side-down on a tree branch, Kusari in the background is using his chain as a liana like Tarzan, Kumiko is laying on a tree branch and observing a bird's nest, Kai is jumping from one tree to another and Ibuki is sitting on a Fuuma Shuriken dug into a tree

A short, six-year-old boy with spiky, red hair, wearing a black t-shirt and a green vest on it pulled the trouser leg of man standing right next to him. The taller figure, a man with long, red hair and green eyes, dressed in a grey top with wide sleeves and a hitae-ate with the Grass symbol located on his forehead, carrying a strange spear on his back, looked down at the child as the boy slowly began:

"Daddy, can we go now? I don't like this place…" and still holding tight to the trouser leg of the man he began looking around the forest nervously.

"Fear not, Hizoku…" replied the man, placing his hand on the boy's head. "I won't allow anyone to harm you… however, I cannot leave this place without fulfilling the promise I gave long ago… and to fulfill it, I must find her…" and with that he lifted the young boy up and disappeared in the tree tops.

After a short search he stopped immediately, noticing two, mysterious shadows waiting on the branches nearby. The man narrowed his eyes as he looked in the direction the figures hid themselves and whispered under his nose, yet in stead talking to the boy, he seemed to say it more to himself: "Mist shinobi… could it be that we've already passed the country boulders? If that is so, then it'll only bring more complications… and further more it'd mean Hideki was right all along…"

"Dad…" began the boy, but instantly his father's hand covered his mouth.

"Don't worry, Hizoku… I'll take care of it… you just stay here and don't make a sound. I'll return faster then you can say Surudoihata…" and with that he reached for his spear and disappeared. In the next instant the sound of metal clashing against metal was heard, just to quiet down once more, leaving the black night silent yet again.

The boy didn't even manage to let out a yell as a mysterious hand covered his mouth again from behind. As the young redhead turned around, he smiled in relief noticing that it was just his father with a stone face. Hizoku smelt blood near, but as his glare went towards the spear, he realized that it was just the weapon that was covered in flesh, red liquid.

"We should move…" announced the man quietly. "It's likely that those two were alone and since that's the case, their teammates could be near… Hizoku, please get on my back, we can't afford to move loudly now…"

The boy obediently jumped on his father's back and the two kept moving deeper into the forest, deeper into the Land of the Mist. Finally, after some time, the man slowed down and began listening. A moment later he jumped down from the tree branch he was standing on, just in time to avoid a kunai that was coming straight at him.

As he landed on the ground, Hizoku jumped off and saw a mysterious figure, dressed in a completely black kimono along with a black and white, tiger mask on its face. From behind the mask lots of long, blonde hair could be seen and in the figure's hands there were two katanas raised, as in the figure was preparing to attack.

Yet the swords came down slowly as the masked figure noticed who was standing before her and let out a quiet noise, which to Hizoku seemed like a sigh of relief: "You made it in time, Nakamoru…" came a soft, woman's voice from behind the mask and as the figure took it off, the young redhead notice a young, female face, which seemed like the most beautiful woman in the world. Her hazel eyes seemed almost golden in the shadows of the night while she slowly walked over to the boy's father.

"I made a promise, Chitose…" replied the red-haired man simply, yet smiled to the woman. "Besides, it's not like I could refuse to come and help you… after all, since that time…"

"I know…" the woman assured him as she placed her soft hand on his cheek. "I know… but still Hideki… well, it matters not right now, I suppose… in the end, you just struggled to achieve what you wanted… but the world prevented you from that… and now, because of that Hideki and I dragged you into this…"

"I do not regret coming here…" replied the grass-nin, trying to keep his normal voice. "And this is far more important then my life… or my feelings…" and with that he took a quick glare at Hizoku.

"Bringing him here with you certainly won't make his life easy in the Hidden Grass…" announced the woman as she looked at the young redhead. She bended down and placed her hand on the boy's head while smiling warmly to him: "I can't even tell you how sorry I am for dragging you into this, Hizoku-kun…" she said softly, making the boy's heart beat faster. "This is not something a six-year-old should be involved with… but then, I don't suppose there really was a choice…" and with that she stood up straight again and turned towards the older man again: "Our fears have come true, Nakamoru… I have no doubt about it… just the fact that I'm hear should be prove enough for you…"

"I wouldn't dare to disagree with you anyway…" assured the red-haired man calmly as he looked the woman up and down. "Yet, I still do not understand why was I needed here… it's understandable Hideki couldn't come himself, but you alone…"

"I'm not alone…" the woman interrupted him quickly, making a confused look appear on his face. "And that is why I asked you to come for me… Nakamoru, my old friend… even after what I did to you… what you had to suffer because of me and Hideki… I still must beg you to do me this one, final favor…"

"What is it that you need?" asked the man, certain that no matter what it'd be, he'd do his best to complete the task he will be given in a moment.

Without saying a word the woman just revealed what was under her kimono, making Hizoku's face turn completely red in the process (_A/N: no, she wasn't naked under it, but Hizoku is just six years old at this time_). As he hand reached under the material, a quiet cry was heard and a moment later a small child with green eyes, wrapped in a blanket appeared in her hands. On its head there already was several, golden hair growing.

"This…" began Nakamoru shocked, but the woman finished for him:

"Yes, it's my son… Hideki was not around while he came to this world, yet I named him Kai… he always wanted for his first son to carry that name…" and with that she kissed the newborn's forehead and surprisingly the child stopped crying as it was touched by a magical wand. "I can't even tell you how I'd wish to see him grow, however if he is to grow, I cannot stand beside him… and that is why I need you, my old friend…" and so she held out her hands, pushing the child closer to Nakamoru. "Please, take him to Konoha… to Hideki…"

The man took the boy in his arms and looked at him. The child felt asleep, unconcern of what was happening. Unaware that this was the last time he was seeing the woman he'd titled as "mother" once he'd learn to speak. Nakamoru narrowed his eyes slightly and then raised his sight at the woman with determination appearing on his face: "I'll grant your wish… but before that, there's one thing I would like to ask you…"

"I know…" assured Chitose with an apologizing smile. "And you should know that I cannot grant your wish… as my friend… you should understand that… you should know why…"

"I do…" replied Nakamoru. "Though just this once I really wanted to go against you… against the way you want things to be… and still, this is the only thing I was never capable of doing… I guess this is farewell…"

The woman only nodded and turned towards the redhead boy, who still stood in the same place without taking his eyes off the young kunoichi. Chitose smiled to him once more and looked deep into his eyes: "Hizoku-kun… I heard much about you from you father… and from that I can tell that you're going to become a great shinobi one day… that is why you need to know…" with that her face became a little grim before she continued: "No matter what happens after tonight… no matter what future awaits you and your father… know that he's a great man… one of the three I love from the bottom of my heart… and no matter what they'll say about him, out of everyone I know, he's the one who deserved the most respect… never forget that…" and with that she gave the boy a kiss on the forehead.

As Hizoku's face redden to its limit, the woman stood back up and turned her back on the two redheads: "Now please go… and let me do this one thing I can do for my only child…" and with that she disappeared between the trees.

The six-year-old once more jumped on his father back, while the man held the child in his arms, and soon after they went in another direction, with Nakamoru glaring one, last time where Chitose had disappeared.

---Flashback ends---

"I see the tower!" announced Kai cheerfully, making all five of his companions look in the direction he pointed.

There, from under the tree tops, emerged the building from grey stone, the finish line of the third Chuunin Selection Exam test. As the six gennin finally reached their destination, they noticed the redhead's teammates waiting for them already.

"Took you long enough, Hizoku…" whined Taka as he stretched himself. "We've been waiting for ages! I hope that you at least got a scroll or something to excuse being so late…" and just then he seemed to notice Kai and his teammates: "What are those brats doing with you?"

"Nothing you should be concerned about…" assured the red-haired grass-nin. "We just helped each other out… and no, I don't have any scrolls with me, but I assume you guys collected more then enough…"

"Well, Tokame and I grabbed one Earth scroll…" began Tobane slowly. "And Nezumi along with Taka got one Heaven, so we got one extra… though getting ours was a real bother… those waterfall-nins sure had some skills…"

"_Even though they were divided into groups of two…_" began Kumiko as she looked around the grass-nins. "_Each of the pairs managed to collect one scroll and our score is basically zero… those guys won't be easy opponents in the coming exams…_"

"I guess this is goodbye for now…" announced Hizoku with a smile as he turned to the Leaf shinobi. "You guys sure impressed me during that fight with those rain-nins… I assure you that I won't go easy on you if we are to confront each other in the next test… but good luck anyway…" and with that his glare stopped at Kai for a longer moment, before he turn away and followed his teammates towards their entrance.

"Hizoku…" the blonde stopped the spear user by calling out his name. As the older gennin looked at him, the loud mouth just smirked and stated calmly: "We've seen you in action as well… and we won't go easy on you guys either…"

The redhead just smiled at that and after nodding, he disappeared behind "the corner" of the tower."Yeah, we might as well get inside too…" Ibuki was the first to break the silence. "Even though we're at the finish line, it's not said we can't get attacked…"

Takaru simply nodded and opened the nearest door, which was the one they were supposed to use. As the five gennin entered the tower, the doors shut behind them, always as if they were now prisoners of the building.

"Heh, this is just like some amusement park…" joked Kusari as he took a quick glare at the door. "But what are we suppose to do now? I don't see anyone around here… did we pass already?"

"Maybe…" the son of Tsunade replied simply as he looked around. But Kumiko's eyes set on a strange note that hung on the wall nearby. As the young kunoichi read it, she glared back at her teammates a little confused.

"What is it, Kumiko-chan?" asked Kusari with concern.

"I think…" began the girl slowly. "That we're suppose to open the scrolls…"

_**---to be continued---**_

And this concludes this chapter. Hope you liked it. Please leave a comment once you're done reading. Also, the next chapter should be done rather fast (hopefully till the end of the week), so…

Before I go, I guess I could give you the translation of the one, single Japanese word that appeared in this chapter… so here it is:

_Surudoihata_ – sharp edge… but what it refers to in the story I'm not telling… yet

And that's really that. Hope you liked it.

Best wishes and until next time, hopefully.


	48. Third Exam Conclusion

Well, took me a bit longer then I've expected, but at least this time you didn't had to wait too long. With this chapter third exam officially ends and I can tell all you guys, who like my action scenes, that there's going to be plenty of fights for a long while soon, coz the eliminations to the final exam will take a lot of space (and I do mean a lot). But during those you'll also manage to get to know most of the important characters better. And I don't mean just their abilities! Plus some of the romances will be hinted (finally).

At this point I wanted to thank everyone who reviewed my previous chapter. There weren't many questions this time around (or at least not those which I could answer without spoiling), so I believe review answers stop at that.

As usual I'd like to remind all of you who haven't voted in the popularity contest and want to that this is one of their last chances as the results will be displayed in chapter 50. To put it simply: time's running out!

With that, I guess the only thing left for me to do is to get on with it:

**Chapter #48: Third Exam – Conclusion**

**_Title page:_** Kai is tied to a wooden pale and right next to him Takaru is eating his lunch with chopsticks

Kai and Kusari slowly unwrapped the two scrolls their team collected during the time they spend in the Forest of Death. The moment they did so, Kumiko looked over their shoulder and read the message wrote on the paper:

"Person?" she said a bit surprised and then realized something. "_But that's…_" and with that she placed her hands on the two boys shoulders, thus gaining their attention: "Threw them away, now!"

As Kai and Kusari did as they were told, white smoke exploded from the scrolls, covering the space before them. As the smoke began to clear, a mysterious figure started to show among the clouds. Instinctually Ibuki reached out for her kunai, but put it away in the instant she realized who was standing before them.

"Hey guys, it's been a while…" announced the chuunin with a scar across his face as he smiled to the five gennin that stood shocked before him. "Judging from your looks I'd say that you run into some trouble while getting those scrolls…"

"What the hell's going on?" demanded Kai confused as he kept looking left and right. "How come Iruka-sensei appeared? What's this all about?" and with that his eyes rested on Kusari, who merely shrugged, noticing blonde's stare.

"Summoning technique…" stated Kumiko simply, without taking her eyes from the chuunin, yet a small smile started to appear on her face. "This explains some thing… like what would happen if we were to open the scroll while still in the forest…"

"Well, I see you haven't change much…" noticed Iruka with a smile as he looked at the kunoichi. "But my job doesn't end on just that… I'm also here to give you an important announcement…" and with that he made a dramatic pause. "The third exam… you all just passed it!"

At first all five gennin just stood there with their eyes widen, but a second later, when the message finally got to their heads, Kai instantly began jumping up and down, yelling 'we did it!'. Naturally, at first, no-one cared much, but then their annoyance began to rose and finally Kumiko was the first one to smack the blonde on the head, yelling 'shut up already!'.

"Right, so we passed…" began Ibuki slowly. "But what are we suppose to do now?"

"I was going to tell you that in a moment… but before that I should tell you guys something else… it's a special message that you all should take to heart while entering the next test… as well as the moment some of you will become chuunin…"

"It's about that note from the wall, right Iruka-sensei?" asked Kumiko as she stared at the note she noticed the moment they entered. "It seems old and some of the symbols are already hard to read…"

"Yup…" nodded the older ninja with a smile. "Read it carefully… that is the motto of the chuunin written down by the Sandaime Hokage… it states: 'If you lack Heaven, seek wisdom, be prepared. If you lack Earth, run in the fields, seek advantages'. In this case 'heaven' is human mind and 'earth' refers to his body…"

"But of course!" announced Kai. "I still don't get it…" he added quickly.

"Well, to put it simply, if a shinobi is lacking brains, he should gain knowledge and prepare himself for missions…" and with that Iruka threw a quick glare at the blonde. The loud mouth just crossed his arms and turn his back at the chuunin. "And if your stamina is low, you can't allow yourself to slack off, but you should train day and night… Only when you have both Heaven and Earth you can consider yourself a true chuunin…"

"Alright, so what's with that missing word?" asked Takaru as if he didn't cared much.

"It's the word that is equivalent to the word chuunin…" replied Iruka calmly as he held out one of the scrolls the five gennin collected. "The word you've seen on those scrolls… the word you're looking for is person…"

"_These rules will guide person's extremes…_" Kai repeated in him mind as he took a quick look at the note on the wall. As those words echoed in his head his fist tighten as he shook from excitement.

"Remember that chuunin is the rank of group leaders…" continued the older ninja after a short pause. "As such it'll be your responsibility to guide the team… knowledge, wisdom, stamina… all those are required from you if you hope to complete your duties…" and with that he smiled to the five youngsters before announcing: "That's all I had to say…"

"Understood!" replied Kai saluting, thus provoking Kusari to mimic him, naturally only to make fun of the blonde. As the chuunin observed the youth of Konoha, his eyes grew worry and with lowering his head, he spoke up again:

"But there's one, extra message I'd like to give to you…" he began, gaining the kids attention once more. "When it comes to the fourth and final test… it is the real challenge… it'll be for all of you… when it'll begin, you'll be able to count on yourselves only… so don't try to win at all costs…"

"_Count only on ourselves?_" Kusari repeated in his mind a little worried.

"Now follow me…" the chuunin asked with his normal voice again. "I'll guide you to the place where you'll wait for the final exam to begin… since you made it here so fast, you have an extra day to rest…"

---Meanwhile, elsewhere---

Shino let his glasses slide off his nose slightly as a mysterious, hooded figure walked into the restaurant he was in. For some reason the moment that person entered, the head of the Aburame felt a strange sensation… he felt something awfully familiar.

Yet the moment the mysterious figure turned his gaze on the leaf-nin, the bug user was already looking in a different direction. And in the next moment, another person walked into the restaurant. This time it was a slender, young woman, who's eyes were completely white.

"Shino-kun, I've been looking for you…" she announced as she came closer to her former teammate. "Kiba-kun asked me to inform you that your subordinates made it through the Forest of Death and are currently resting in the tower…"

"Yes, I know…" replied the head of Aburame simply. "Unfortunately I had some manners that needed attending to… and it's not like my students need me to take care of them…" and with that he threw a quick glare at the hooded figure who walked in just few moments ago, yet this time no-one noticed he did so, except Hinata, because of the sunglasses that covered his pupils again.

"Well, my subordinates reached the tower as well and I was about go and congratulate them…" announced the kunoichi. "So I figured we could go there together… it's been a while since all three of us seen each other…"

"Indeed…" nodded Shino calmly as he raised from his seat and left some money on the table. "I suppose I can assist you, since I don't have other duties at this time…" and with that the two headed towards the door.

Soon after they exited the restaurant, another hooded figure walked in and after looking around for a moment, he slowly joined the first one, who sat alone at the table in the corner. "It was not wise forrrrrrr you to show up in Konoha that soon, Kumoshi…" announced the figure as he settled next to his companion. "You'rrrrrre rrrrrrrrisking ourrrrrrrr mission by doing so…"

"Perhaps…" replied the first figure calmly, the one about who Shino felt something familiar. "But the situation changed since the time you entered the Leaf, Tategamaru… there may be some… complications that you should be aware off to carry out our orders… remember that the master would not be pleased if we were to fail…"

"So I thought…" responded the second figure, Tategamaru, with a slight note of pleasure in his voice. "Well, since you'rrrrrre herrrrrrre anyway, tell me what this is all about…"

---That time, back to the tower---

Kai and his teammates walked up the stairs to their quarters, where they were supposed to rest until the time for the final exam will come. However, as they reached the top, they noticed a certain, blue-haired, Moon kunoichi standing right before them, with her eyes set on Kusari.

"Oh, Teela…" began the chain master with a smile, that seemed almost forced. "I see your team made it as well… I'm glad you did… as for that time in the forest, I wanted to…" but before he could finish that sentence, he was interrupted by the Tsuki shinobi:

"I only came here to tell you one thing, just in case you have forgotten…" she announced coldly. "We are even…" and with that she turned her back at the five, young gennin. As she walked down the hall, she suddenly froze however and for a short moment she seemed to hesitate, before she threw over her shoulder: "A lot of strong people arrived at the tower already… you should stay on your guard…"

Once her words echoed slightly in the hallway, she resumed walking and soon disappeared behind the corner. Kusari still stood there, without moving an inch. He kept glaring in the direction the mysterious kunoichi walked, until he felt someone's hand landing on his shoulder.

"Something's wrong?" asked Kumiko with a note of concern in her voice.

At that moment the chain master felt like telling the kunoichi everything. Yet he stopped himself in the last moment. She shouldn't know. None of them should. At least not yet. With that thought, he turned around and forced a smile once more, trying to act like his normal self: "You're worried about me, Kumiko-chan? I'm touched! Come closer and give me a hug!" and so he opened his arms, just to receive a powerful… well, nutcracker… a second later.

Seeing the whole scene Kai couldn't help himself from laughter and with tears of joy rolling down his eyes, he only manage to say: "This time you really asked for it…"

But even after falling on his knees, the chain master threw a quick glare towards the hallway Teela disappeared in just a moment ago. His eyes slightly narrowed as he lowered his head and now stared at the floor. "_They shouldn't know…_"

And with that thought he slowly got back to his feet and followed his teammates to their resting room.

_**---to be continued---**_

Well, this one is over. Hope you enjoyed it. Coming up the eliminations begin! A whole lot of fighting coming up, during which you'll get to know most of the characters better.

No jutsus used in this one, so I guess the only thing left to do is end this.

Best wishes and until next time, hopefully.


	49. Battle for their Dreams

Yup, it's me again. Thanks for all the reviews for last time (and thanks to Liu, who pointed out my mistake, it's been fixed already). I hope you're gonna enjoy this chapter as well.

Just as a note to all of you guys who still haven't participated in the popularity contest: this is your last chance to do so as in the next chapter I'll be placing the results. If you have your favorites, don't hesitate on giving them your votes.

With that said, the only thing left to do is to get on with it, I guess:

**Chapter #49: Battle for their Dreams**

**_Title Page:_** Kusari is driving a sled, using his chain, Kumiko is sitting next to him, laughing, Ibuki sits behind them on a big, brown bag with a candy stick in her mouth, while the one pulling the sled in Kai with a big, red nose attached to him

"Before I go any further…" announced Kiba loud enough for everyone that gathered in the room to hear him: "About the third exam… congratulations to you all for passing!" Kai, along with his teammates, stood now in a big hall with a statue of hands performing a seal in front of him. Under the statue stood jounin instructors of every team that made it to this point, as well as all three examiners, the Hokage and one guy that Kai didn't recognize. The man had helmet-like, black hair and largest eyebrows that the blonde has ever seen. He wore a green battle suit and his arms were covered with bandages.

"_Damn, I already missed… twelve meals…_" Hanamaru calculated as his stomach let out a loud 'burk'. It didn't disturb Rei however, who was standing right before him, coz she was fighting with falling asleep and barely winning the fight.

"Hey, look, Takaru-kun's team made it as well…" Kogane cheered quietly as she looked to her right and noticed Naruto's team. Kitsune only sighed and looked around as well: "_This many passed?_" he got a bit surprised. "_Damn, this sucks…_"

"What do you know, Hinata-chan, both our teams made it…" Naruto whispered to the white-eyed jounin with a smile, making her blush slightly. The kunoichi nodded and then looked at her subordinates. Her eyes widen a bit as she noticed Tsume's pup behavior, which hid in the dog girl's jacket:

"_Uramaru can estimate one's strength… could it be that he's acting the way he is because he felt strong people in the room like Akamaru did all those years ago?_" she wondered, but didn't let the blonde jounin notice that.

"Look at that, Mikka…" Senkou turned around to his teammate and pointed right with his head. "Even dead-last is here…" the kunoichi only looked in the direction he pointed and smiled slightly under her nose noticing Kai standing just a row away.

"Why is Uramaru still acting strange?" Galu asked Tsume, noticing the dog's shivers.

"It's those guys from Hidden Sand…" replied the dog kunoichi. "And grass-nins…"

"Look at that, Hizoku…" Taka whispered into his teammate's ear. "The brats really made it here… this could be interesting…" the redhead only looked to his left where Kai and his team stood and smiling under his nose returned to observing the jounin.

"_Huh, all Konoha rookies made it?_" Kumiko was a bit surprised. Ibuki didn't care. She just kept looking where her brother stood along with his teammates.

"How many?" Akira asked quietly. Horohoro, who was standing right in front of him, looked around and then answered: "Sixty five people… many…" and just then he spotted Naruto's subordinates. "Hey, even those brats we beat up are here…"

At hearing that, Funbo followed his teammate's glare and spotting Ibuki, he lowered his head, smiling widely: "_This should be fun…_" he thought to himself and then threw a quick glare to his right, where stood a team of sand-nins with the black-haired boy, carrying a scythe standing in front. "_Indeed, very interesting…_"

"_I hope Takai will manage to restrain himself…"_ Temari thought to herself as she observed her teammates and throwing a quick glare at Torune, he looked towards Shikamaru. The lazy jounin noticed that and nodded slightly, yet said nothing.

"_Sixty five people?_" calculated Hari a bit surprised. "_Waaaay more then I expected…_"

Teela looked to her left, where few rows away, stood Kusari. Her eyes slightly narrowed, but that was enough for Tasuki to notice it anyway. He followed the girl's glare and found himself starring at the chain master. "_Oh, it's just that idiot…_"

However, at the same time, someone else was staring at the young, Konoha gennin as well. Futatsu frown, noticing the chain user and then, looking back at the jounin, he just said to himself: "_This time around you won't be saved by anyone…_"

"Did you guys every had that feeling that people were staring at you?" Kusari asked his teammates, a bit annoyed that he attracted so much attention. Ibuki only shrugged, but Kai looked back and replied: "Sure, all the time… with so many girls around it's no wonder though…" he joked, making Kumiko hold back her anger as a vein began to pulsate on her forehead.

"Quite a few people, right Tsuino?" Nazaa bended over to his teammate, who stood right in front of him, to whisper into his ear. "And that headgear guy… he's here too…" and as his companion said that, the scar-faced gennin looked around and noticing Saiken, his eyes narrowed.

"_If he's here, it can mean trouble…_" but then he noticed the shadow-nin holding his side, from which blood seemed to escape. "_He's wounded? But with that injury… could it be…_"

"_Man, this is boring…_" Tetsu complained in his mind. "_Whatever we're gathered here for… get on with it already!_" and with that he looked at the man with a Hokage gear on his head. "_Huh? What's with that lame eye-covering?_"

"Hold him down, Yari!" Aisu raised her voice slightly as she noticed Yamazaru starting to get impatient. "I don't care what he'll do once his fight will begin, but if we'll get disqualified because of him, I'm gonna make him return to where we dig him from!"

The spear carrier just looked at the kunoichi with a worried look and tried to calm his big teammate down, succeeding after a longer while.

"Hokage-sama will now explain you the rules of the fourth exam, so do shut it and listen!" announced Kiba loudly and then nodded towards the Rokudaime. Kakashi just nodded back and stepping forward, he toke a deep breath. Once everyone's eyes were set on him, he began: "Well, right now I should just tell you what is expected from you during the final test, but before that you should know that this exam isn't just to pick people who have the qualities that are required from a chuunin…"

"_It's not?_" Taki's eyebrow went up from surprise.

"Naturally, those who'll prove worth it, will be promoted to chuunin, but don't misunderstand:…" the Sixth Hokage continued slowly, so that his words would reach everyone's minds before he moves one. "Those of you, who are aware of our history, know that in the past the allied countries weren't exactly in… friendly relations. So in order to stop be mindless killing and decrease of each other forced, this Chuunin Selection Exam was invented…"

"And how does getting promoted to being chuunin relate to keeping peace?" Reiji asked out loud, yet he didn't seem interested in that at all. The Rokudaime merely sighed before continuing: "Well, the answer isn't that complicated really… you see, this final exam… is a really battlefield… for you see, those who take part in the last test are their village representatives… they carry the reputation of their home on their shoulders…"

"I still don't really see how those things relate…" stated the bald metal-nin.

"Well, for starters, you should know that your fights in the final exam will be seen by many, potential, customers along with your village leaders…" answered Kakashi calmly. "They will be your judges. With such audience, the consequences of the fights that will be fought in the last test seem rather obvious: if the difference in strength will be visible, the 'strong' village will get many missions, whereas the 'weak' will get few. Naturally, by showing how strong you are, you also send a message to other countries that your village 'produce shinobi of certain strength'…"

"_Some 'bounding' exam this is…_" Torune thought sarcastically as a sad smile appeared on her face. And then she looked at Takai, who seemed to be one of the few gennin gathered, that made nothing from the Rokudaime's explaining. "_As usual…_" she only sighed.

"_A battlefield, eh?_" Ibuki thought to herself and then threw a quick glare at her brother.

"Well, I could now begin explaining the rules of the final test to you…" announced Kakashi, but then he looked back and the huge eyebrow jounin stepped forward. "I believe I'll leave that to Rock Lee, who was chosen to be the examiner of that test…"

And as the Hokage stepped back, the eyebrow guy saluted. He the turned towards the young gennin: "Hello youngsters! My name is Rock Lee and I'm happy to see so many people with the burning spirit of youth gathered here!"

"_He didn't change much…_" Naruto thought to himself as he lowered his head while sweat dropping. "_And he still has those eye-brows…_" But unaware of the blonde jounin's behavior, the Green Beast of Konoha just went on: "You all did a great job by getting this far, however I'm afraid that before we'll attend the final exam, you all will have to do something for me… and that is taking part in the eliminations to the Fourth Exam!"

"Eliminations?" asked Hitomi a bit confused. "What's that all about? Weren't the three, previous tests enough?" Lee however didn't lose his calm and simply replied: "As Hokage-sama already mentioned, the final exam will be watched by many, important people, including village leaders… we can't allow for endless fights to take place, because we need to respect their time. And as it is now… too many made it through the first, three tests…"

"This just keeps getting better and better…" whined Hogosha loudly.

Lee however ignored the metal-nin and went on: "Anyways, if some of you feel that won't manage to handle it, I suggest forfeiting now, coz eliminations will begin this very moment…" and with that statement several 'what' were heard in the room. "The fights will be individual from now on, so you can make the choice without worrying about your teammates…" the Green Beast added and looked around the room.

Saiken slowly raised his hand up. "_It's sad… I'd love to play a bit more, but I have my orders…_" and at that moment Lee noticed his hand: "Tenma Saiken from Kumori, right?" and as the boy nodded, the jounin crossed out something from the list. "Very well… you might wanna check in the medical wing about that wound…" and so the boy headed towards the door, throwing a quick glare at Takaru as he passed him.

Tategamaru smiled slightly from under his hood as his subordinate began to walk away. "_That's a good boy…_" he whispered in his mind with another smile, which would reveal he had fangs, yet the shadow of his hood hide that fact.

Kokoro also threw a quick glare at the headgear guy as he passed. While his eyes narrowed, Galu who stood behind him got worried and asked if everything was alright. The blonde only nodded slightly and turned away, but he knew something wasn't right.

Toku followed Kokoro's example and also became suspicious of the shadow-nin. "_I've seen his fight… he wasn't wounded… so why the whole act?_" he wondered to himself.

Lee's eyes narrowed slightly as he observed the headgear boy. He threw a quick glare at Kakashi, but the Rokudaime only shown him to continue: "It seems no-one else wishes to forfeit… that's the spirit of youth! Anyway, I suppose I can now tell you that eliminations will be one on one fights and those who'll come victorious from their battle will receive the right to participate in the final exam…"

"That's strange…" Naruto whispered to Hinata surprised slightly. "With that there'll still be around thirty people allowed in the final exam… isn't that still a bit too much?" but the white-eyed woman only replied: "Kakashi-sama made the rules… maybe he had something in mind by doing it this way?"

"We now have sixty four people, which makes exactly thirty two matches…" Lee carried on. "There are no rules; you can use any weapon or technique you find suitable for winning. Those who will lose consciousness, die or calculate they can't win and will surrender themselves will be declared losers. If I'll estimate that the fight is over, I'll stop it, coz we don't want unnecessary deaths… from now on, your fate will be decided by what's behind that curtain…" and with that he pointed up at the wall.

As the curtain disappeared, the young gennin notice a big screen. "On that screen the names of those who'll participate in the next fight will appear. And to not make this any longer, lets see who will go first…" and the moment the Green Beast said so, names began to appear and disappear on the screen.

As everyone (_A/N: well, most _anyway) hold their breaths, the names stopped changing and noticing the first pair, Takaru only smirked: "_Well, what do you know…_". Kai's eyes also widen at the realization: **GEKIDO TAKARU versus FUMA**.

"Don't overdo it, Fuma…" Kyuu ordered his teammate quietly. "You know the orders…"

The boy didn't cared however. He just smiled widely and glared at his opponent, stopping for a split second on the eye with the scar. "_You're mine…_" he announced to himself and just then Lee's voice was heard again: "May the participants of the first elimination fight please step forward…"

_**---to be continued---**_

And with that this chapter ends. Hope you enjoyed and that you're ready for the pre-lims to the final exam! They're gonna take a longer while. Seriously. But you'll get to know most of the gennin gathered better and considering that fights usually weren't that hard for me to write, there's hope I might be able to update a bit more often (not promising it though).

And before I finish this, here's the complete list of all the gennin taking part in the eliminations. That list will be updated as the fights will move on, with the names of the 'losers' either crossed out (when they were taken for medical treatment) or wrote in italics (when they were allowed to stay in the room). Those who'll win their fights will have their names underlined so that you'd know who's left on the battlefield (noticed Saiken's name isn't mentioned already). So, here's the list:

**KONOHA:** Kumiko Murasakki, Ibuki Tanken, Takaru Gekido, Kusari Hagane, Kai Haisha

**KONOHA:** Mikka Igaku, Tsume Inuzuka, Kokoro Benda, Senkou Hatake, Galu Kobushi

**KONOHA:** Rei Konpaku, Kogane Rikoteki, Toku Amagasa, Kitsune Debano, Hanamaru Gusoku

**KONOHA:** Taki Hamano, Hitomi Hyuuga, Akira Manako, Funbo Tanken, Horohoro

**SUNA:** Aoru, Torune, Honemaru, Takai, Tarakudo

**SUNA:** Hari, Sabaku no Sabure, Dekai, Horamaru, Karame

**KUSA:** Tobane Hokku, Nezumi Kanraku, Taka Kuchibashi, Tokame Kyohaku, Hizoku Wanabi

**AME:** Youji Kasano, Karei Nokogiri, Ryo Eshaku, Tsuino Furikuzu, Nazaa Hebereke

**BAKUFU:** Kawa Azarashi, Miaka Tora, Tetsu Abura, Shita Makko, Kasui Rein

**TSUKI:** Teela Juusei, Tenka, Kumo Chishio, Nobu Chishio, Tasuki Kihako

**KANE:** Naginata, Reiji Ono, Futatsu, Hogosha, Sentou

**YUKI:** Aisu Nadare, Kuri Sutaru, Yari Sarumaru, Kato Urufu, Yamazaru

**KUMORI:** Raina, Bakara, Fuma, Kyuu

And that's it for this time. Hope you liked it.

Best wishes and until next time, hopefully.


	50. The Prelims Start!

Hi! It's me again, bringing you the newest chapter of "Naruto: Next Generation"! Lately a lot of things are crushing down on my head, but I hope I'll manage to keep the rate of updating once a week (especially considering that the eliminations will take a really long while to finish).

Thanks to everyone who reviewed the previous chapter. I'm really glad you liked it and hope that you'll enjoy this one at least as much (hopefully even more).

Now, before I start, I have two, important announcements to make:

**FIRST POPULARITY CONTEST HAS BEEN CLOSED:** all the votes has been counted and so I'm placing the results at the end of this chapter. There's no point for you to place your votes now, coz the contest has been closed. But those of you, who really wanted to place their votes shouldn't worry, as this story is a pretty long one and if nothing, unexpected won't happen, then most likely this was not the last popularity contest. As of now, I'm planning another around chapter 100. And a big thanks from me to everyone who decided to vote!

And second announcement:

**PLEASE READ THIS:** I'd like to ask all of you who likes to draw and are interested in helping me with a certain idea. I'm not good at drawing, so it's hard for me to estimate if the 'job' is hard or not, but I don't think it's THAT difficult. All of you, who I got interested, please let me know (by review, PM or via e-mail) and I'll give you the details. Thanks in advance. This is **NOT** about chapter covers!

And now, I believe the only thing left to do is to get on with the show:

**Chapter #50: The Prelims Start**

**_Title Page:_** Takaru is standing on a rooftop, observing the Hokage Monument

"Will everyone, besides the two fighters, please move over to the platform above?" Lee asked politely, pointing at the place there were suppose to go and a second later everyone headed up the stairs. Ino caught Kakashi's attention before he went and receiving a nod from the Rokudaime, the examiners of the first, three tests were gone.

Meanwhile all the gennin, along with their jounin instructors, settled on the platform and it was only then that Naruto noticed something out of place: "_Where's the Grass team leader? A team can enter the exam only when recommended, so…_"

"First elimination fight: Gekido Takaru from Konoha against Fuma from Kumori!" announced Lee loudly, throwing quick glares at both participants. "BEGIN!" and with that he jumped out of the way as the shadow-nin charge immediately at the Leaf shinobi.

Takaru easily blocked the first punch and spun on his leg, aiming a spin-kick into his opponent's face. Fuma predicted that however and bending his knees, he attacked the leg the son of Tsunade was standing on, while the leaf-nin's attack went over his head.

Noticing shadow-nin's movement in the last moment Takaru jumped into the air and somersaulting, he landed right behind his opponent, with his back turned towards Fuma. Blindly the scar-faced gennin reached his hand behind him and once he managed to grab the older boy by his clothes, he threw him over his shoulder.

Fuma however managed to flip in mid-air and landed safely on his feet, now facing Takaru, who was charging straight at him. As the scar-faced gennin came close enough, the shadow-nin lunched a kick into his head, only to see the son of Tsunade spin on his foot in an instant, thus avoiding the attack.

And before Fuma could react in any way, the number one rookie propped his hands on the floor and lunched a kick into his opponent's back, while standing on his hands. As the attack connected, the shadow-nin lost his balance and taking few steps forward, he managed to stop without hitting the floor, however as he turn around to face his adversary again, he only saw another kick coming right at his, this time hitting him in the face.

As Fuma flew back, Kusari's eyebrow went up: "Oh, that guy's pretty weak…" he stated simply, though didn't seemed that surprise at the discovery. "I suppose he was only talk when we met him during the second exam…"

"I don't think so…" replied Kumiko calmly as a single drop of sweat run down her face. "There's something about this Fuma guy that's disturbing… I can't place a finger, but…" and at that point she stopped. But Ibuki seemed to agree with her teammate completely:

"My father always taught me that a good assassin should know his target before taking any action…" she stated, seemingly unmoved by anything, but deep down she was a little worried about Takaru. "He should look for possible weak points and then use them when the time is right… what that shadow-nin is doing… it might be just that…"

Kai looked at the young assassin with worry showing on his face, before he turned back to observing the arena below. Fuma slowly got up. He didn't seemed very hurt nor impressed. Takaru's eyes only narrowed, but the son of Tsunade said nothing. The shadow-nin was the first to speak: "I see you have some skills after all… good, it's more fun that way…" but the scar-faced gennin kept quiet. "What, you're not gonna reply? Have it your way…" and so he charged at the leaf-nin once more.

But as Fuma lunched a punch aimed at Takaru's face, the number one rookie only moved his head to the left and when the shadow-nin's fist when past him, he grabbed his opponents hand with his own and spinning on his feet he threw him over his shoulder once more. Only this time he didn't let go and having no way to flip in mid-air, Fuma landed hard with his back on the floor.

"You can't win…" stated Takaru simply as he backed away slightly, while his opponent was once more getting up. "I suggest surrendering and save yourself embarrassment…" but Fuma only laughed at that:

"You believe that's you're winning?" he asked, once he calmed his laughter down. "Let me tell you something, kid: I'm not even serious yet…" and as he said so, the son of Tsunade felt strange chakra escaping his opponent's body.

Right before his very eyes Fuma's teeth began to change into fangs, his nails began to form claws and his skin started to be covered with black fur. The leaf-nin backed away, a little scared: "_What the hell?_" he thought to himself confused. "_Is he suppose to be a werewolf or something?_"

"_That mutation…_" Naruto wondered as his eyes narrowed. "_But he can't be a Jinchuuriki!_" and with that he glared at the other shadow-nins. The one called Kyuu seemed to tighten his grip on the rail slightly at noticing what his teammate was doing: "That idiot…" he whispered so that no-one would hear him. "He's totally ignoring our orders…"

Kokoro only threw a quick glare in his direction and after narrowing his eyes slightly, he turned towards his instructor: "Hinata-sensei… those shado…" he began, but got cut off by the head of the Hyuuga: "I know… but don't worry about it now… you should concentrate on advancing to the final exam…" and with that she got back to observing the arena bellow, but in reality she didn't took her eyes from the shadow-nins.

Meanwhile Fuma's transformation was complete. He now resembled some sort of wild beast more then a human: he had fangs, claws, pointy ears and most of his body was covered with black fur. He face got deformed as well and now it looked more like the one of a wild dog. A disturbing smile appeared on the shadow-nin's face as he spoke up in a deep voice: "So… shall we begin?"

"What the hell is this?" yelled Kai, flipping his hands up and down. "This isn't some stupid, horror story! What the hell is that shadow dude?" and as he kept moving his hands, Kogane was the one to reply to his question, even though she didn't look at the blonde boy: "Most likely what we just saw is the effect of genetic engineering… in most villages those sort of research were forbidden, but in some these are still everyday works… to skip the fact that many do research even against the village council's orders… so to put it simply: no, he's not a werewolf, but at the same time, I wouldn't say that changes anything for Takaru-kun…"

Fuma slowly bended his knees, making the son of Tsunade go to his fighting stance immediately, but as the shadow-nin sprung at him, he only managed to widen his eyes and on instinct jump to his left, barely avoiding his chest being pierced by his opponent's claws, yet his shirt which was 'left behind' a little to cut on the front.

The Leaf gennin didn't manage to feel sad about this 'loss' however as the moment his feet touched the ground, he had to dodge once more, seeing Fuma charging at him furiously. In an instant he jumped to his left again, gamboling on the floor and turned around to face his opponent once more.

"_His speed seem to increase…_" Takaru thought as he clenched his teeth. "_I can hardly keep up… if I won't think of something soon… he'll literally tore me apart!_" and with that he jumped up, making Fuma run under him with his claws held out front.

"_So we got two monsters already…_" Aisu thought to herself with a smirk as she threw a quick glare at Yamazaru. "_This exam is getting more interesting by the minute…_" and with that thought she saw the son of Tsunade jumping back, barely avoiding being slashed by Fuma's claws yet again.

"Just as I thought…" stated Funbo calmly with a tiny smirk appearing on his face as he propped his arms on the rail. "That's all Ibuki's teammates are capable of…" but Hitomi, who stood right next to him didn't react to that in any way. Her eyes only narrowed as she observed the transformed shadow-nin.

"Pathetic…" was all Takai said with his arms crossed, his expression, even though emotionless, hinted that he wasn't even a little bit interested in the fight below. Senkou on the other hand observed the battle very closely: "_Such speed… fighting that shadow-nin later on certainly won't be a walk over…_"

Fuma jumped into the air and came down straight at the place Takaru stood. The scar-faced gennin once more was forced to jump back and as the shadow-nin landed on the ground, his claws sunk into the floor, making in crack slightly due to the impact.

In a flash the monstrous gennin used his hands to gain some speed as he flew right at the surprised leaf-nin. This time Takaru didn't manage to react in time and received a powerful slash on the face, which didn't kill him only thanks to his own instinct which made his head shoot back right before the hit.

The son of Tsunade flew back and bouncing of the floor few times, he hit the wall behind him hard, coughing out blood. As his face hit the floor, he slowly began standing back only to receive a hit in the face from Fuma, who was already next to him.

Before he could act in any way, the shadow-nin's hand grabbed him by the neck and he was lifted into the air. As he desperately tried to gain some air, his opponent smashed him against the wall once more, still holding his neck with his right hand.

"Now you see what it means to mess with me…" announced Fuma coldly with a wicked smile appearing on his face. Takaru didn't reply. In a desperate attempt to free himself, he pushed his back harder against the wall and shoot his legs up.

As they reached the height where Fuma's head was, the son of Tsunade lunched them both at the shadow-nin's head. The monstrous gennin only managed to widen his eyes before he received a powerful, double kick in the kisser and flew back, letting go of his opponent's neck.

"_That shadow-nin really moves like an animal…_" Tsume realized with her eyes widen and teeth slightly clenched. "_He doesn't just mimic a beast… he really became one!_" nearby Hanamaru covered his eyes for some reason, which earned him a smack in the back of his head from Kogane, who only yelled: "Come on, Takaru-kun, you can do it!"

The son of Tsunade slowly stood back on his feet as Fuma did the same. The Leaf gennin breath was heavily as blood dripped from his left cheek. His eyes narrowed as the shadow-nin charged again, this time making him dodge to his right, away from the wall.

At this point the scar-face tried to counterattack, but as he lunched a punch at the back of Fuma's head, he only received a powerful hit in the face again as the monstrous gennin turn around in the fraction of a second and attacked.

The number one rookie flew back, but managed to flip in mid-air and land safely on his feet, just to see that the shadow-nin didn't slow down and kept charging right at him.

"Come on, Takaru, dammit!" yelled Kai, more and more annoyed. "How long are you planning to play around! Don't tell me this is really the best you can do! And to think I once saw you as a rival!"

And as those words hit Tsunade son's ears, he smiled to himself while jumping back: "_Dope's right…_" an instantly he stopped, narrowing his eyes as Fuma kept charging at him. "This is it!" yelled the shadow-nin and in the next moment his hand pierced right through the scar-faced gennin's side…

_**---could this be Takaru's last battle?---**_

And so this chapter ends. Hope you enjoyed it and that you'll 'tune in' next time as well.

Now I'll be placing the results of the popularity contest, but before that just one, last bit of info: starting next chapter I'll go back to making character profiles. As usual, if you want a certain character to get his profile sooner, note me. And now, the results:

Now, the number before the character is the one he got in the voting (so first is the best). The number after his/her name is the count of people who voted for the character and in brackets the number of 'voting points' that character received. With that cleared, I believe I can…

**_Kai:_** Hiya!

**_Shang:_** What the $&# are you doing here! Weren't you suppose to be at the eliminations?

**_Kai:_** I was, but then I figure you could use some help, with this, so…

**_Shang:_** ……………………

**_Kai:_** So, may I give the results? _makes puppy eyes_

**_Shang:_** Whatever…

**_Kai:_** Alright! This is your favorite ninja speaking, here to give you the results of your voting and to confirm that you like me best! The number of people who cast their votes on one character is the things that counted the most. If the number was equal, then 'voting points' came into the account and if that didn't decide, then the characters had to share one spot. So, here are the results:

1. Kai Haisha – 10 people (34)

2. Kusari Hagane – 8 people (30)

3. Ibuki Tanken – 7 people (25)

4. Takaru Gekido – 6 people (29)

5. Akira Manako – 6 people (19)

6. Senkou Hatake – 5 people (16)

7. Kumiko Murasakki – 5 people (14)

8. Mikka Igaku – 4 people (15)

9. Funbo Tanken – 3 people (10)

10. Hizoku Wanabi – 3 people (9)

11. Hanamaru Gusoku – 3 people (8)

Kokoro Benda – 3 people (8)

13. Naruto Uzumaki – 3 people (6)

14. Toku Amagasa – 3 people (4)

15. Rei Konpaku – 2 people (8)

Hinata Hyuuga – 2 people (8)

17. Horohoro – 2 people (7)

18. Reiji Ono – 2 people (6)

Kitsune Debano – 2 people (6)

Ino Yamanaka – 2 people (6)

21. Hitomi Hyuuga – 2 people (5)

22. Kogane Rikoteki – 2 people (4)

23. Teela Junsei – 2 people (2)

24. Takai – 1 person (5)

25. Sabaku no Sabure – 1 person (4)

Torune – 1 person (4)

27. Tarakudo – 1 person (3)

Aoru - 1 person (3)

Taka Kuchibashi - 1 person (3)

Tsume Inuzuka - 1 person (3)

31. Kouba - 1 person (2)

Temari - 1 person (2)

Tsuino Furikuzu - 1 person (2)

Saiken Tenma - 1 person (2)

35. Shikamaru Nara - 1 person (1)

Deji - 1 person (1)

Taki Hamano - 1 person (1)

Sasuke Uchiha - 1 person (1)

Kasui Rein - 1 person (1)

Galu Kobushi - 1 person (1)

Karame - 1 person (1)

Hari - 1 person (1)

And that's that for the voting. I must say that the results surprised me a little (like the fact that Kai actually won)… **_Kai: _**Hey! ……… but I'm still very glad that the frequency of the contest was quite high. Once more thanks to all the voters.

And just because the popularity contest ended, doesn't mean there won't be some surprises. I have something planned (basically this is the reason why I'm asking drawers to contact me) and if everything goes well that surprise will be ready for the next chapter or the chapter after that.

But it's 'bye' for now.

Best wishes and have a great day!

See you next chapter, hopefully.


	51. Monster Within

Tadam! I managed to make this in a week time! Didn't thought I'll really make it true, if I must be honest, considering how much of a pain collage is to me (even though the collage year just began). I'll try to keep updating this fic once a week, but as it is now, I can't promise anything really.

Thanks for everyone who reviewed, it really means a lot, but I must admit that it saddens me that the number of reviews seem to be dropping. Please review, if you can.

Also, before I'll go any further, I just want to ask again all the drawers out there to contact me if they're interested in helping me out in a certain surprise. Again, this is not about the chapter covers. And if you can't contact me soon, otherwise it might be too late (boy, this sounds like I'm not desperate :D).

And with that, I believe we can get on with the show:

**Chapter #51: Monster Within**

**_Title Page:_** Kai, dressed like a monster, is walking towards Takaru, who's sweat dropping

"This is it!" yelled Fuma as his hand pierced right through Takaru's side and sunk into the leaf-nin's body. An evil smirk appeared on the shadow-nin's face as he felt his opponent's blood going down his hand. "Takaru!" was all Kumiko managed to say as she saw the terrible sight.

A small smile suddenly crossed Takai's face as he saw what just happened. Torune only swallowed her saliva loudly at the realization: "_He got excited again… this is bad… now anyone who'll fight Takai… will certainly die…_"

"Seems like you expected too much from the brats…" stated Taka calmly as he turned towards Hizoku. The redhead didn't reply at first however. He just observed the two fighters bellow and then responded: "The fight isn't over yet…"

Suddenly Takaru's head shoot up, revealing determination in his eyes… and there was something in that look that scared Fuma himself, even while he was in this form. "You won't escape me this time…" the son of Tsunade stated through clenched teeth and he began forming a set of hand seals.

The shadow-nin made an attempt to dodge, but the fact that his hand sunk deep into his opponent's body slowed his retreat enough for Takaru to finish his chain of hand seals and perform the technique he wanted:

"Insei Tooriame!" the leaf-nin called out as he held out his hands, now surrounded with flames. In a fraction of a second tens of small fireballs shoot out from them, each hitting the monstrous gennin, who let out a yell that sounded more like a howl then a human scream.

"Having your body covered in fur will increase the damage you receive from a fire based attack…" announced Takaru calmly as he charged straight at Fuma, picking out several kunai. "That's because fur can burn as well and helps the flames to spread quicker… naturally the fire dies pretty fast, but that doesn't change the fact that your injuries get serious…" and with that he jumped forward, flying right above the shadow-nin's head.

Before his feet touched the ground however, the scar-faced gennin threw his kunai at his opponent, which sunk deep into Fuma's legs, who was unable to dodge the attack in time due to his fresh injuries, which made his movement slower. Another howl was heard.

Takaru didn't intended to let his opponent rest and immediately lunched a kick in the back of the shadow-nin's head the moment Fuma collapsed to his knees. As the attack connected, Kumori shinobi's head flew forward and crushed against the floor hard, making the monstrous gennin lose his consciousness.

Lee slowly walked over to the fallen shadow-nin and checked him out. Then he smiled slightly as he raised his sight at the son of Tsunade, who was now barely standing and held his side that's been devastated by Fuma. His breath was still heavy as he awaited the result.

"I cannot allow for this fight to continue and thus I announced Gekido Takaru the winner!" stated the jounin with a loud voice, so that everyone gathered in the room would hear him. "THAT'S RIGHT!" yelled Kai as his fist shoot to the sky.

"Finally, I was beginning to think he didn't intend to win at all…" announced Ibuki with her arms crossed, but you could notice a note of relief in her voice, which made Naruto smiled under his nose.

"Still so confident Funbo?" Horohoro asked his teammate with a tiny smirk. The weapon master didn't reply, but from the look on his face you could tell that he was not too happy with the result of the match.

"Good, this is supposed to be fun…" Tarakudo slightly nodded as a smile crept onto his face behind bandages. Aoru, who stood next to him, only rolled her eyes a little annoyed. Meanwhile, Ryo adjust his glasses, which slipped down his nose slightly. "That was certainly entertaining… that Leaf brat won't be an easy opponent…"

Nazaa didn't reply. He just observed the son of Tsunade as he slowly walked towards the stairs in the attempt to join his teammates. "_This brat…_" Horamaru thought to himself with a smile as Takaru passed him on the platform. "_I'll certainly enjoy ripping him into pieces…_"

"Yes, Takaru-kun! Wonderful job!" cheered Kogane from the platform as she waved her hand at the son of Tsunade. Hanamaru, who stood right beside her, felt his stomach 'burking' as getting even more depressed then he already was, he stated out loud: "Damn, I could eat anything…"

Rei, who somehow remained conscious, just walked away from the rail and laid down against the wall, near the place Kitsune and Toku stood, announcing: "Wake me up when it's my turn…" and in an instant she was sleeping.

Kitsune only sweat dropped as he turned towards Toku his a proposition: "Wanna bet we're not even gonna make it through eliminations?"

"Well, that was pretty good…" stated Tsume as she threw a quick glare at Takaru, but Senkou, who stood propped against the rail only replied: "Bah… nothing special…" and with that he observed the medics who took Fuma out of the room.

"Tategamaru-sensei…" began Kyuu as he turned around towards his jounin instructor. "Is it really okay? After all, Fuma was your…" but at this point the hooded man interrupted him: "That's not important… now I trust you guys can handle things here… I have matters to attend to…" and with that he made a quick seal and was gone.

"You should go with the medics too, you know…" stated Kusari as Takaru reached his teammates. "That wound you just got seems rather serious…" but at that moment Mikka walked over to them and extremely nervous, she purposed: "I… I could try… to treat him…" and with that she lowered her sight, noticing she got Kai's attention.

"Thanks…" the son of Tsunade simply replied as he laid down, propped against the wall.

"Well, this was fun…" stated Kasui with a wicked smile on his face as he looked at Tetsu the moment Shita jumped onto the Waterfall team leader. "Nothing Tetsu-san can't handle…" replied the short shinobi confident. "Isn't that right, Tetsu-dono?" but the hammer wilder didn't reply, almost as if he didn't hear the last question.

"So, the kid really won…" concluded Akira with a smile. "I must say I'm pretty impressed… these eliminations are certainly starting in an interesting way... I wonder was this plain luck or did he just held back in the forest…"

"Whatever the answer to that might be…" responded Hitomi with her eyes closed, just like her teammate. "This Takaru fellow just proved that we shouldn't underestimate him…" and with that he threw a quick glare at the son of Tsunade, opening her eyes: "_These eliminations should be very interesting indeed…_"

"So, that chain dude has some skilled gennin in his team…" concluded Naginata with a smirk. "_Plus that scar-face is kinda cute…_" but her thought were interrupted by a loud 'hmph' from Futatsu, who kept on staring at the screen the moment the first fight ended. "Grouchy, aren't we?" teased Hogosha with a smile, but he didn't manage to make his teammate loose his temper.

Sentou only threw a quick glare at Takaru and then his sight traveled onto Reiji, who seemed unimpressed by the fight. Moreover, he seemed anxious for his own fight. At the same time Tasuki was smiling widely and kept staring down onto the arena: "Well, never expected for a brat to do this good…"

"Indeed, it'd seem that scar-face is exceptional…" Nobu agreed with his companion while he looked at Takaru and his team. Kumo, who stood right next to him, just had his arms crossed and didn't bother to follow the sight of his twin: "You're easily impressed, brother…" he announced calmly. "It's not like that shrimp would have any chances against our bloodline limit…"

Teela and Tenka didn't say a word, but the redhead girl noticed that her teammate kept observing Kusari the whole time and she didn't even seem to notice the first fight of the eliminations was over.

"What are they all so excited about?" asked Kato out loud, slightly annoyed about the son of Tsunade getting all the attention. "So he won his first fight, big deal… it's not like his opponent was anything special…"

Hari heard Sabure's sand circling in her gourd. The blonde girl got a little nervous at the realization: "_This is getting dangerous…_"

"Heh… seems like your friends can bring some entertainment after all…" notice Nezumi with a smile as she looked at Hizoku. "You've seen nothing yet…" the redhead assured her, but as she gave him a confused look, expecting explanation, the spear user said no more.

"This should do for now…" announced Mikka quietly as she stood back up. "I didn't manage to heal your wound completely, Takaru-kun, but I stopped the bleeding and you should be able to observe the eliminations until the end… it'd be still required that you check the medics afterwards…"

"Thanks, Mikka…" replied the son of Tsunade as he got up also. "Yeah, thanks!" Kai joined the gratitude. "You helped us out again!" and with that he patted her on the back, almost making the young medic-nin fall to the ground.

Kokoro just smiled under his nose as he observed the whole scene, but just then Lee's voice was heard once more: "Lets see who'll participate in the second fight!" and instantly the blonde raised his sight to the screen.

Kai followed Kokoro's example, thus not noticing Mikka's face turning completely red. And as the names on the screen stopped changing, the loud mouth eyes widen at noticing who'll go next…

_**---and life goes on---**_

And so this chapter ends. Hope you enjoyed it. Please leave a review with your opinion once you're done. It'd mean a lot.

No jutsus this time (well, there was one, but you most likely know Insei Tooriame is 'Meteor Shower', Takaru's primary technique). And as for character profiles, which I promised, here's another one:

_Name:_ Hanamaru Gusoku

_Name origins:_ his clan's name can be translated as 'armor' and basically it refers to his defensive skills (you'll see). As for his first name, 'hana' means flower and that's suppose to be an allusion to the fact that he smells :D

_Age:_ currently 13 years old

_Birth Date:_ 19th of October

_Blood type:_ B

_Height:_ 141,1 cm

_Weight:_ 61,7 kg

_Favorite food:_ basically anything

_Village:_ Hidden Leaf (Konoha)

_Current rank:_ gennin

_Team:_ team led by Shikamaru; his teammates are: Rikoteki Kogane, Konpaku Rei, Debano Kitsune and Amagasa Toku

_Bloodline limit:_ none

_Family:_ nothing specific, but it's said that his parents have close relations with the Akimichi clan

_Techniques (used so far):_ none

_First Appearance:_ 29th chapter

And that's really that for this time. Hope you liked it. Best wishes and until next time!


	52. Blood Brotherhood

Collage has been horrible lately, but I'm glad I've managed to sit down to it and finish this chapter so fast. I hope that you'll enjoy this chapter at least as much as I did when I wrote it down. It's rare for me to be this satisfied with the final 'product' :D

Thanks for all the reviews for the last time. I'm glad you all enjoyed the previous chapter and hope that you'll like this one at least as much. Besides the second match, I also have a very special surprise for all of you to celebrate the fact that this fic went over 50 chapters and still has a pretty high popularity.

**SPECIAL SURPRISE (you might enjoy it, so please read):** this is the thing I've been working on for some time now (and a reason why I was looking for drawers). In hope you'll have a little fun, I've prepared two quizzes concerning this fic. At first I wanted to make "Which N:NG character are you?" quiz, but with so many gennin it'd be too big (at least in my opinion), so I've made a different test. For both guys and girls, on my profile page, you'll find two links leading to my N:NG love compatibility tests (one for guys and one for girls). The results you may get are just Konoha gennin (it still gives 8 results for guys and 12 for girls), but I hope you'll find it entertaining none the less. And, if you'll like the idea, I'll make more quizzes in the future (you can give me your ideas for them as well).

With that said, I believe I can get on with the show:

**Chapter #52: Blood Brotherhood**

**_Title Page:_** Galu is in the gym and is lifting weights

Names stopped changing on the screen and finally the second pair of the eliminations was revealed: **KOBUSHI GALU versus CHISHIO KUMO**. The young leaf-nin only took a quick glare before jumping down from the platform, yet the moon-nin took his time.

"Just a brat?" asked Kumo a little annoyed. "I was hoping for a challenge… with an opponent like that, I won't even have to use my bloodline limit to win…" and with that statement he jumped down as well, leaving his twin brother with narrowed eyes on the platform.

"Second match!" announced Lee as the two participants stood in front of each other: "Kobushi Galu against Chishio Kumo… BEGIN!" and immediately he jumped away, which turned out to be a wise decision, considering that the fight began right away.

Kumo charged straight at the leaf-nin the moment he heard the command and jumped into the air, aiming a spin-kick at his opponent's face, but surprisingly for him, Galu easily blocked that assault. As the moon-nin began to come down, the Konoha shinobi spun on his foot and lunched a spin-kick of his own, aimed at his opponent's stomach.

As Kumo was send flying back once the kick connected, Galu put his foot down, back on the floor and charged right at the moon-nin, who still haven't landed on the floor and at the same moment when green-haired of the twins hit the ground and bounced of it, the leaf-nin slammed his fist into his stomach again, thus sending him flying once more.

Without wasting a second, Galu jumped into the air and came down with his fist ready. As Kumo crushed against the floor again and laid flat on it, he noticed his opponent coming from above, ready to attack once more. In a fraction of a second the moon-nin flipped back, thus getting out of the leaf-nin's fist way, which hit the floor hard, making it crack slightly due to the impact.

But Galu didn't waste any time and immediately spun around, lunching another kick at his opponent. Kumo was so surprised that he didn't manage to react in time and received a powerful blow in the face, which send him flying yet again.

"Galu-kun seems to be winning…" noticed Mikka quietly with a trace of relief in her voice. Senkou only smirked behind his mask as he stated: "Why do you sound so surprised? It's not like he could lose in the first place…"

"Dammit, I didn't know this Galu guy was that good!" yelled Kai as his grip on the rail tighten slightly. Takaru didn't reply however. He only narrowed his eyes as he threw a quick glare at the green-haired leaf-nin: "_Such speed and strength… he's taijutsu skills are really something…_"

"Doesn't look like your brother's gonna make it…" Tasuki announced with a smirk as he looked at Nobu. The blonde remained silent though, his eyes still set on his twin: "_Don't be stupid, Kumo…_" he asked his brother like he could use telepathy.

Meanwhile, down at the battlefield, Kumo got back to his feet, breathing a little faster then usual and set his eyes on the leaf-nin with fury showing in them. Galu seemed to be unmoved by that however and only announced calmly: "You might wanna give up… you should be able to tell that you can't beat me…"

"Don't underestimate me, brat!" Kumo yelled back and performed an instant set of hand seals. As he did so, Nobu's eyes narrowed, followed by Tasuki's smirk widening: "Well, this just gotten more fun…" and with that he glared at Teela, who still haven't shown any emotions, yet was observing the fight bellow closely.

"Hijutsu: Ketsueki Isshidoujin!" and in a flash Galu felt incredible among of chakra collecting in his opponent's feet and hands. Then, suddenly, Kumo charged forward again, moving much faster then he was before and smashed the leaf-nin's surprised face with his arm. Most people gathered in the room widen their eyes in owe at seeing that, not sure what just happened.

"What's going on?" demanded Tsume as she looked back at her teammates gathered on the platform. "Just a while back that Moon guy couldn't keep up with Galu and now he moves so fast that it makes Galu look like he was standing still be comparison!"

"It's chakra…" replied Kusari calmly, without taking his eyes off the fight as a single drop of sweat run down his face. "That moon-nin transferred large among of it to his feet and hands, thus making himself move more easily and faster, as well as making his punches more devastating then they were before. I've heard about such a clan in Tsuki, but thought it was just a rumor…"

"A rumor?" asked Kogane confused. "What's this all about?"

"It's a bloodline limit…" announced Hinata calmly, yet worried a little about her subordinate. "Galu's opponent has to be a member of the clan that possessed the ability of Blood Brotherhood. It's a special trait that appears in the bodies of twins and triplets of a certain, Tsuki family. Basically, that ability allows the siblings to use one another's chakra by executing a simple chain of hand seals…"

"Meaning that guy just drained his own brother from chakra?" asked Hanamaru nervously. "But isn't that… well, cheating?"

"It may appear a little unfair…" nodded Naruto without looking at the chubby gennin. "But this is still a bloodline limit. Forbidding that moon-nin to use it would be like not allowing the Hyuuga to activate his Byakugan…"

Meanwhile Kumo charged furiously at Galu, forcing the young leaf-nin to make several steps back as he keep on blocking the attacks lunched by the Tsuki shinobi. Finally the Moon twin managed to land a blow on his opponent's stomach, making him once more to take few steps back, just to keep his balance.

"What, done already?" asked Kumo with a smirk. The leaf-nin didn't say a thin however. He just began a quick set of hand seals. To most people surprise though, he didn't complete the technique. He stopped halfway and lowered his arms.

"Giving up already?" asked the moon-nin with a wide smirk. But Galu merely replied, with no emotions showing on his face: "No… there's just no point in me using my thumb card on someone as weak as you…"

"Say what?" now Kumo's eyes narrowed. You could tell he's anger was slowly taking over, as the leaf-nin stayed calmly while announcing: "You're missing something… you see, just now, you only managed to hit me, because I wasn't prepared for that, considering how easily I kicked your butt around just few minutes earlier. Even with the speed-up you received there's no way you can take me down…"

"Stop talking bullshit, brat!" yelled the moon-nin, losing it completely as he charged straight at the green-haired boy. Galu however only bended his knees slightly and as soon as his opponent reached close enough, he lunched a punch into his stomach, making the twin let out air as the attack connected.

Kumo took few steps back while grabbing his stomach. Galu used that time to attack again. In a flash charged with a sliding attack, kicking the legs from bellow the moon-nin, making him fall back on his back. But before he managed to hit the floor, the Konoha shinobi lunched another kick into his back this time, using his other leg and thus sending the green-haired twin of Nobu into the air in stead of hitting the floor.

As Kumo flew up, Galu got back to his feet instantly and jumped after him. Once the two found themselves on the same height, the leaf-nin slammed his foot into his opponent's stomach from above, thus sending him crushing against the floor.

As Galu landed safely on his feet, Kumo made an attempt to get back up, but didn't got further the rising his torso up, for once he did that, he fall back onto the floor, unconscious. Lee slowly walked over to the moon-nin and after a short examination, he announced: "Winner: Kobushi Galu!"

"That's right!" Tsume yelled loudly, throwing her hands into the air. Galu only smiled slightly at that and slowly walked towards the stairs leading back to the platform.

"He doesn't stand out, but that was surely impressive…" stated Ibuki simply, in her 'not really carrying' tone. However the moment Galu got back to his teammates, she threw him a quick glare with her eyes narrowed. "_A lot of strong people gathered here indeed…_"

"What took you so long?" Senkou asked his teammate with a smirk appearing behind his mask, but the green-haired boy didn't reply. In stead, Kokoro just looked at the son of Hokage with a little accusing glare and the masked boy immediately turned around to observe the arena bellow once again.

"That brat was quite interesting…" announced Funbo with an evil smile appearing on his face. "Wouldn't you agree, Hitomi?" and with that he looked at his teammate, who had her eyes set on Galu for a split second, but then trailed of to look at Takai once more. The older Tanken never received the answer to his question.

"Kid stuff…" complained Taka a little bored. "I sure hope that's not the level everyone around here presents, otherwise I'll die of bore before my turn comes…" but none of his teammates seem to pay any attention to his whining, which annoyed him slightly.

"Say, Kumiko, what was that technique Galu wanted to use just now, but in the end decided against it?" Kai asked the brown-haired kunoichi curious, but she only replied: "How should I know? The set of seals he used was something I've never seen before… and the chakra he collected… it seemed a bit strange…"

"Strange?" Ibuki cut in, a little interested. But in stead of the young genius, Kusari was the one to respond this time: "It didn't really seemed like he was executing a ninjutsu technique, even though it required seals and chakra gathering…"

"This just keeps getting better and better…" stated Takaru with a smile as Lee spoke up again: "Let's choose another pair of contestants!" and everyone's eyes turned to the screen again. Reiji just took a quick glare at it, but for some reason he looked away the next moment as if completely uninterested who was up next.

Names began to change on the screen at an incredible speed, just to stop few seconds later, revealing yet another, two gennin: **HOGOSHA versus HOROHORO**. The metal-nin wearing protectors, who stood next to Reiji, only smirked: "Probably just some small fry…"

The blue-haired Leaf shinobi said nothing. He only spun on his foot and headed towards the stairs leading to the arena, receiving one 'good luck' from Taki. Hogosha on the other hand jumped down like the previous, two fighters did. As the two finally stood in front of each other, the atmosphere became a little heavy.

"Third match: Hogosha versus Horohoro!" announced Lee loudly and with a one-second pause, he concluded: "BEGIN!"

_**---winning, losing… every battle has an end and yet another two stand before each other---**_

And so this chapter ends. Hope you liked it. Please leave a review once you're done.

Well, considering this was mostly a taijutsu battle, there's not much to write in jutsu encyclopedia, however there's one thing I can make a description of:

_Hijutsu: Ketsueki Isshidoujin_ (Secret Skill: Blood Brotherhood) – a bloodline limit of the Chishio clan for Hidden Moon Village. This trait can be awaken only in twins or triplets among the family. Basically, it's the ability to 'borrow' your one's sliblings chakra and use it as your own after executing a simple chain of hand seals. Once the user receives that burst, he/she can perform more powerful attack or use the chakra to support his physical skills (like Kumo did)..

And I believe that's really that. Thanks for reading. Hope you'll leave me a comment once you're done.

Best wishes and until next time!


	53. Winter Leaf

It's me again, somehow managing to keep the 'one chapter per week' haste. I'm especially happy, coz I must admit that this chapter is one of my favorites from eliminations and I hope you'll enjoy it at least as much as I do.

As usual, thanks to everyone who reviewed the previous chapter. I'm glad you enjoyed Galu's fight. I'd really like to say something about this chapter, but I believe it's better for you to read it without my spoiling a thing, so…

I believe I covered everything, so without further to do:

**Chapter #53: Winter Leaf**

**_Title Page:_** Horohoro is working in the ice cream truck and sales some ice cream to Kai

"Third match: Hogosha from Kane against Horohoro from Konoha!" announced Lee loudly, raising his right hand up. "BEGIN!" and with that he brought his arm down and moved out of the way immediately, which turned out to be a wise decision, considering that the metal-nin instantly began his first set of hand seals.

"Suiton: Fukahire Bakufuu no Jutsu!" Hogosha called out right before a powerful wave of water shoot out from his mouth. As the liquid run straight at the blue-haired leaf-nin, it began to shape itself into a shark with an opened jaw.

Horohoro seemed unmoved by this however as he only jumped into the air in the last moment, avoiding the attack and landing with his feet on the wall behind the metal-nin. But most of the people on the platform were quite impressed by what just happened. "_Such a powerful, water technique without any water source nearby…_" noted Taki with narrowed eyes. "_That Metal guy is dangerous…_"

"I didn't expect for you to dodge my attack with such ease…" announced Hogosha with a smirk as he turned around to face the Konoha shinobi, whose face was still emotionless. "Maybe I'll have some fun during this fight after all…" and with that he went through another series of hand seals: "Suiton: Suiryuudan no Jutsu!" and in a flash water that was now covering most of the floor raised and formed itself into a dragon this time, before going after Horohoro once again.

The leaf-nin run down the wall and onto the floor as the water attack hit the place he stood just a second ago. He charged straight at his opponent and lunched a punch into his face, only to have it blocked by the metal-nin. In a flash Hogosha grabbed the blue-haired boy by his shirt and tossed him over his shoulder, but his eyes widen at what happened afterwards.

In a fraction of a second Horohoro put his feet on the floor and bending back, he grabbed the metal-nin's hand (_A/N: the one he used to toss him over_) right before performing the opponent's toss himself and sending the protectors wearing gennin against the wall. The Kane shinobi managed to flip in mid-air however and landed safely on the wall with his feet, his smirk widening even more.

"Hogosha seems to be enjoying himself…" stated Futatsu calmly. And with that he looked to his right at Reiji, who stood right next to him, holding the rail with his left hand calmly and barely being interested in the fight. As the swordsman took a glare to his left, he noticed Naginata observing the match with her arms crossed. "How long do you think it'll take Hogosha to finish this?" he asked her.

"Once he'll loose interest in that blue-haired guy, the match will be over…" the redhead girl replied simply, without even giving her teammate a single glare. Meanwhile, down bellow, the fight kept on going. The metal-nin charged at his opponent this time and once he was close enough, he jumped into the air and somersaulting, found himself behind Horohoro aiming a kick into the back of the leaf-nin's head.

However the blue-haired boy avoided the attack by simply bending over, making the kick go right above his head. Acting on instinct, Horohoro propped his hands on the wet floor and blindly lunched two kicks of his own back, where he believed Hogosha should be. Yet, even though his calculations were correct, the metal-nin still managed to block the assault by using his hand and leg. As the protectors wearing ninja landed on the ground safely, the leaf-nin flipped and a second later the two were facing each other again.

Without a second waste the metal-nin charged at the blue-haired boy again, aiming a punch with his right hand into his opponent's left cheek, Horohoro however blocked that attack with his right hand. Immediately Hogosha lunched another punch, this time with his left hand into the leaf-nin's left cheek. Having his right hand occupied, the Konoha shinobi had no other option but to block with his left hand, forming a cross on his chest with his hands. But his opponent was not done yet.

The metal-nin lunched another attack, this time a kick into his opponent's stomach and the blue-haired boy had no choice but to block that assault with his right knee. Tired of being in defense, Horohoro used his left leg (_A/N: that one that was still on the floor_) to jump up and as he spun in mid-air, he lunched a spin-kick with his left leg into the surprised face of Hogosha. Confused, the protectors wearing ninja didn't make it with a block in time and was send flying few meters away before he flipped in the air and landed safely on the wet floor.

"That guy's good in taijutsu…" stated Senkou simply, yet didn't seemed that impressed. He turned towards Galu and with a tiny smile appearing on his face, he teased his teammate: "Better then you…" The green-haired boy didn't reply. He just threw the son of Hokage a quick glare before returning to observing the fight. Kokoro, who stood behind the two, merely rolled his eyes.

"Come on, Horohoro, kick his butt!" Ibuki yelled from the platform, making most of the Leaf shinobi gathered around her to throw her surprised looks. The young assassin looked around and sweating slightly, he explained: "Well, that blue-haired guy is at least from our village and that Metal freak is the one that attacked us with his team when Kusari and I separated from you guys in the forest…"

"Well… yeah, but…" began Takaru confused and not buying that explanation at all. "He's from your brother's cell… and I thought you hate your bro… to skip the fact that this blue-haired dude was also one of those who took our Heaven's scroll…"

"Whatever…" was the only thing the weapon mistress said before turning her gaze back to the arena. Kokoro, who observed her for a while more only smiled before following her example and got back to watching the match.

"I'll admit that defeating you is a pain…" announced Hogosha, yet he kept on smiling. "I suppose I should get serious…" but just then Horohoro began a chain of hand seals of his own. With one hand.

"_Single handed?_" Kakashi's uncovered eye widen slightly. "_I haven't seen something like that since that boy in the Wave Country… and that order of seals… it's not possible!_" but as the blue-haired boy was finished, he only stomped his leg on the wet floor and called out: "Hijutsu: Sensatsu Suishou no Jutsu!" and before anyone knew it water around Hogosha arose and formed itself into tens of needles.

"_That technique…_" Naruto's eyes widen as well at the memory of what Sasuke once told him. And at this time all of the water needles shoot straight at the surprised metal-nin from all directions. Having no way to dodge, Hogosha made a desperate move and jump into the air.

As he started spinning, he placed his hands and legs around the rest of his body, managing to block most of the needles with his metal protectors. Some of the water bullets however still managed to get through his defenses and cut his body in several places, making his landing on his feet a little less graceful then before.

"What the hell?" cursed the metal-nin through clenched teeth. "Since when does Konoha has a clan with water-based bloodline limit?" he asked, his eyes set on Horohoro with rage building up in them. But the blue-haired boy stayed calm and without any emotions showing, he just replied: "And who ever said I was from the Leaf?"

"What those that suppose to mean?!" yelled Kai from the platform. "He wants to say he bought that headband on some carnival or something?" but Naruto didn't reply. He just turned his gaze at Shino, asking the bug user with his eyes.

The head of the Aburame clan caught his glare and speak up, not too loudly however: "Horohoro wasn't born in Konoha. When he was about one year old, he was found on the battleground. It didn't seem like his parents, whoever they were, were coming back, so one of the Leaf chuunin took him and raised him as a Leaf shinobi…"

"A shinobi from another village was raised in Konoha?" asked Kusari a little confused. "How is that even possible? Every, hidden village protects its secrets. I don't suppose something like that is even allowed!" and the moment he said so Toku looked away for a split second.

"So if you were that chuunin and saw a defenseless child in the middle of the forest…" began Akira, his eyes still closed and his face not even turned towards the chain user. "You say you'd just let that kid die, because he wasn't from your village? If that's what you're trying to say, I don't suppose you should be here right now…"

"What's that suppose to mean?!" demanded Kai angry, but Kumiko stopped him, for the first time by not smacking him on the head: "He wanted to say that allowing someone to die just for the good of the mission is not a quality the chuunin should have… that's all…"

Funbo only took a quick glare at the kunoichi and smiled slightly under his nose as he returned to observing the fight. Hogosha just picked out his kunai and charged towards the blue-haired boy again, with an attempt to cut his head off. Horohoro only stood there for a moment and then run at the metal-nin as well, only he was performing hand seals while doing so.

As Hogosha swung at his opponent, the leaf-nin finished the technique and held out his hands. The two went pass each other and now stood with their backs turned at one another. The metal-nin smiled slightly as Horohoro's left cheek suddenly got sprayed with the blue-haired boy's blood, that dripped from a cut the protectors wearing ninja just gave him.

"And so it ends…" stated Hitomi simply with her arms crossed.

"I knew you were good…" announced Hogosha without turning around, still smiling. "To dodge my attack in the last moment… that cut would go across your throat now… oh well, you just delayed the unavoidable… I suggest you surrender, coz I'm not backing…" but then he felt cold gathering around his feet. "_What the hell is this… this sudden coldness… it's almost as if my entire body was going numb…_" and with it he looked to the floor and only then did he saw his feet covered by ice and froze to the floor. "Say what? How is this possible?!"

"I'll let you in on a little secret…" responded Horohoro calmly as he turned around to face his opponent's back. "My bloodline limit is not just about controlling water… I can also form ice. And that jutsu I just performed… well, you do the math…" and the moment he said so, Hogosha's eyes narrowed. "With your feet frozen to the floor, it doesn't matter how fast you are, coz you can't move an inch… I suggest you surrender, coz I won't back either…"

"You little…" began the metal-nin, but at the same moment the blue-haired boy charged forward and punched his face with all the strength he had, sending the protectors wearing boy out cold. Lee slowly walked over to Hogosha and after a short examination he only stood up and showing the leaf-nin with his hand, he announced: "Winner: Horohoro!"

_**---hearts race, noises stop… the battle continues---**_

And so this chapter ends. Hope you enjoyed it and that you'll bless me with a review once you're done reading it.

Now, before I finish this up, I believe jutsu encyclopedia should be made and so:

_Suiton: Fukahire Bakufuu no Jutsu_ (Water Element: Shark Fine Blast Skill) – this jutsu is not so different from Water Dragon Blast Skill (chance a similar name) described bellow. The main difference is that the user forms the water he sends against his opponent in the form of a shark in stead of a dragon.

_Suiton: Suiryuudan no Jutsu_ (Water Element: Water Dragon Blast Skill) - in the manga this jutsu is used by both Zabuza and Kakashi (also the second Hokage if I recall correctly). The user gives his chakra to the water and with the help of the right hand seals shapes it into a large dragon, created by the huge among of spinning water. Then the dragon is sent at the opponent. It can be performed only near a large body of water.

_Suiton: Sensatsu Suishou no Jutsu_ (Secret Skill: Flying Water Needles) – jutsu, which origins come from Hidden Mist Village. The user must first send his chakra into the water and then, with the use of right hand seals, form it into needles. It's basically a skill that's related to a unique bloodline limit. So how can Horohoro use it? Some of you might've already figured out, but this one I'm keeping to myself 

And I believe that's it for this time. Hope you enjoyed it.

Best wishes and hopefully until next time!


	54. The Hand and the Eye

Yes, I'm still capable of keep "one update per week" paste. To be honest I didn't expect to make it this time, considering how much was on my head for the past week (and this weekend alone), but hey, I did it and hope you'll enjoy this update.

Like always, I want to thank everyone who reviewed the previous chapter. It really means a lot to me. I'm even double happy, coz today I passed my driver's exam and in few weeks I'll be able to 'hit the road'. Naturally I encourage you to review this chapter as well (and those who haven't reviewed the previous are welcome to give their comments to this one also… it'd really make my day even better).

Now, before I'll get down to the next chapter, there's one thing I'd like to ask you: a while ago I made two quizzes concerning this fic and wanted to know your opinion. No-one really said a thing about that, so I'm asking openly (well, those who took one of the tests) if you liked the idea. Please tell me what you think of the idea.

And with that, I believe the only thing left for me to do is to invite you to read the newest chapter of "Naruto: Next Generation":

**Chapter #54: The Hand and the Eye**

**_Title Page:_** the mountains: Kai is facing a chamois in a head-bump match, Kusari and Ibuki are using the boy's chain in climbing up the wall, Kumiko is chasing a chamois that is eating their map and Takaru is blowing a hue horn

Horohoro slowly walked back to the platform as the medics finally managed to free Hogosha from the ice and took him out of the room. "For Hogosha to get defeated so easily…" began Futatsu as he observed the blue-haired boy who just his teammates. "Didn't saw that coming…" and with that he turned towards Reiji, who just kept on glaring at Horohoro: "_Seems like the Leaf actually has some interesting shinobi…_" he thought to himself and then turn away.

"Well, that Horohoro dude turned out to be better then I thought…" stated Takaru simply and his statement was quickly followed by Ibuki's loud 'heel yeah!", which instantly woke Rei up. The lazy girl only threw the young assassin a death glare, before returning to doing what she was just a second ago.

"You seem pretty happy seeing that this blue-haired guy won…" noticed Kumiko a little suspicious as she looked at her teammate, who only turned away and began whistling quietly. Kitsune only looked at Rei and then at Ibuki, before sweat dropping and gazing into space.

"Hot damn…" started Kai as he placed his chin on the rail a little depressed, not concern about what happened next to him at all. "I didn't expect to see someone as bad as that Funbo dude… that blue-haired guy is pretty scary…"

"You're just easily impressed…" stated Senkou simply, smiling behind his mask. Just then Lee announced another match and as the son of Hokage looked at the screen, it showed **HARI versus REIN KASUI** and in the next moment the short, blonde, Sand kunoichi jumped down to the arena, followed by the waterfall-nin with wavy, black hair and red eyes, wearing a blue outfit. "_It's that quick-senbon guy from before the first exam…_" the masked boy noticed immediately as he glared at the Bakufu shinobi.

"Hari…" Kankuro called quietly after his subordinate with worry in his voice. Dekai noticed that, but decided to say nothing. He just set his eyes onto the arena bellow, where the next fight was about to start. "Fourth match: Hari against Rein Kasui!" announced Lee loudly. "BEGIN!" and in a flash he jumped away at noticing several senbon fired just a fraction of a second after his command.

The blonde girl immediately jumped to her right, thus avoiding some of the needles, yet still some sunk into her left leg, making her teeth clench in order to keep a cry of pain inside her throat. As she stood back up, pain shoot through her leg. Even though she did her best to hide it, Kasui somehow noticed it anyway and smiling under his nose, he held out a hand with senbon kept between his fingers.

"I'm telling you right now…" began the waterfall-nin calmly. "There's no way you'll be able to keep up with me. You better surrender… otherwise it might get nasty…" but in reply the kunoichi only stuck out her tongue. "As you wish…" and in a flash more needles flew our from his hand.

But surprisingly senbon suddenly flew right at the ones thrown by the waterfall-nin and hitting all of them, made them fall to the floor without causing any harm to the blonde girl. Kasui's eye-brow went up slightly at the sight when he realized Hari was playing with a needle in her hand. "What do you know, it seems like you're not the only senbon expert around here…" she announced with a smile.

"Seems like Kasui found himself an interesting opponent…" noticed Shita as he sat on Tetsu's shoulder. "I wonder how long will it take him to defeat her…" but the hammer ninja didn't respond. His eyes only narrowed at the slight of the senbon user's eye and then looked at Miaka who was scratching Torabaku behind his ears, completely not interested in the fight.

Meanwhile the waterfall-nin threw several more senbon at Hari, making the girl dodge to her left, but as she did so, Kasui only smiled: "Big mistake…" he announced and pulled his arms back. It was only then that the blonde kunoichi noticed thin strings attached to the needles she just evaded and the senbon went exactly the way her opponent wanted them to by moving the strings.

In a flash Hari found herself jumping into the air, which was the only way to avoid the needles that were coming at her from every direction. But once her feet left the ground, she realized she was defenseless, which was exactly what Kasui wanted and in the next moment the waterfall-nin launched even more senbon at her, each sinking into her body, this time making it unable to hold back the cry of pain.

"How disappointing…" announced Tarakudo calmly as he observed Hari landing on the floor with several senbon stuck in her body. "I was expecting something better from Sabure-san's teammate… at this rate, this fight will end sooner then I thought it will…"

Honemaru only threw a quick glare at his teammate and then turned his sight towards the other subordinates of Kankuro. Sabure seemed completely unmoved by what was happening bellow, her face covered behind the mask, while Karame's expression, who's face was covered in bandages, was hard to read. The only one who shown real interest in the fight was Horamaru, who licked his lips at the sight of blood dripping from several, small cuts on his female teammate's body. "Marvelous, just marvelous…" he stated with an evil smile as his fingers on his right hand began moving.

"And you call yourself a senbon expert, even though you fall for such an obvious trick?" asked Kasui with a smirk. "For a while there I actually thought this fight might be fun… boy was I wrong…"

"Well, the difference in level is quite easy to catch here…" stated Ryo as he adjust his glasses. Tsuino didn't pay attention to his announcement however, His eyes only narrowed as he observed Hari who reached out for more senbon.

In a flash the Sand kunoichi threw her needles at her opponent and at an incredible speed she reached out for more, just to throw them less then a second later as well. The senbon were leaving her hand so quickly that many of the spectators didn't even manage to catch a glimpse of them. Kasui on the other hand saw them all and with an amazing agility began dodging all of them, getting just a small cut from time to time, but none of the needles managed to sunk into his body.

But as he kept on dodging the senbon threw by Hari, he suddenly spotted a small, wooden ball that rolled right under his feet. His eyes widen at the sight as in a fraction of a second the ball exploded, sending tens of needles in all directions.

Considering that Hari was still throwing needles from her hand at him, Kasui jumped back spinning as he kept moving his hands and legs in mid-air to avoid as many senbon as he could. He managed to protect all his vital points, but that still didn't change the fact that few senbon sunk into his hands, legs and torso. As he landed on the ground, he send a vicious glare at his opponent, who stopped throwing needles.

"Run out of your toys, haven't you?" he asked coldly with anger showing on his face. He was no longer the calm gennin from a minute before. You could almost feel his bloodlust coming from him. "Shall we see if you can dodge my attacks at least as good as I did yours?" and with that he held out several more senbon.

"_Dammit, only a few more…_" Hari cursed in her mind as she stared at her opponent a little nervous. Meanwhile on top of the platform, Takai only narrowed his eyes, but besides that didn't show any sign that he cared about the match bellow. Torune only took a quick glare at her teammate and felt the need to move away slightly. She knew all too well that the scythe user was getting excited. And every time that happened, it was bad news.

"No man!" whined Kusari a little depressed. "It's sad that this Sand chick is gonna lose…" he announced, making Kumiko's vein pulsate on her forehead from anger. Funbo only smiled and without looking at the rookie gennin, he stated: "Well, I must admit that both of them are quite skilled with senbon, but this is the problem with throwing weapons: once you lose them all, you become defenseless… that blonde girl used her needles too carelessly and now she's gonna suffer the consequences. Simple as that…"

"Not quite…" Hitomi cut in as she observed the arena with her Byakugan. The older Tanken gave her a confused glare, but the white-eyed girl said nothing more. At that time Kasui launched his senbon at the Sand kunoichi in the attempt to finish the fight.

Hari immediately began dodging the incoming needles and pulled out those that were still in her body in order to use them as her own. Concentrating her eyes, she threw the senbon she obtained that way between the needles thrown by the waterfall-nin in hope they'll reach their target.

Absorb in attacking, Kasui didn't manage to saw the incoming senbon before they were too close for him to dodge. With no, other alternative, he stopped throwing his needles and use his hands to grab all the senbon coming right at him. Hari's eyes widen as she saw the waterfall-nin collecting all the needles she threw at him with his hands, not allowing even one of them to sunk into any part of his body.

But the Sand kunoichi didn't had time to be impressed as Kasui instantly used the needles he just caught and threw them at the girl, once more forcing her to dodge his attacks. In order to avoid getting hit, she moved to her left, but that turned out to be ineffective as the waterfall-nin threw his senbon in a way she'd never expect was possible.

Hari's eyes narrowed as she realized that the senbon she was trying so desperately to avoid got hit from the left by other needles threw by Kasui and thus changed their route in mid-air and go after her regardless, sinking into her legs and making her fall to the ground with her face first.

"_He threw his senbon in a way that they'd collide with each other and thus change the direction of flight!_" Ibuki's eyes widen at the realization. "_But this is something even a jounin would find hard to do! Who the hell is this guy?!_"

Close by Uramaru hid deeper behind Tsume's shirt, whining slightly while Mikka hid her mouth behind her hands that she held in front of her. Hanamaru only swallowed his saliva loudly.

"Damn, that guy's good!" announced Tobane loudly and threw a quick glare at Hizoku. A single drop of sweat could be seen running down his face. "_Even for Hizoku to be so moved by someone skills… this doesn't happen too often…_"

Kasui calmly walked over to Hari, who was now laying on the floor. He prepared several senbon and stopped right above the Sand kunoichi, who was still laying with her back turned towards the ceiling, smiling widely. "I told you that you had no chances of winning, but you didn't listen… basically you brought this on yourself. I'm only gonna ask one, last time: surrender, otherwise I'll use my needles to pierce your throat…"

"I'll admit that you're good with senbon…" began the blonde girl slowly as she tried to turn over. "Better then me, that's for sure… but this match isn't over yet!" and with that call she flipped over and now facing the waterfall-nin, she threw several needles at him, which sunk into his hands and legs.

"You little bitch!" yelled Kasui as he began to swing his hands in order to unleash the senbon he held in his hands, but then realized that his body was not moving. At least not the way he wanted it to. "What the…?" he began and only then saw a small smile appearing on his opponent's face, who held her right hand out front.

"It turns out I can't defeat you when it comes to needles…" she stated simply while getting back to her feet. "But there are other ways to win a fight. Now this match is over. Thanks for falling right into my trap…"

**_---an all out battle… and the outcome is?---_**

And so this chapter ends. Hope you enjoyed it. Please let me know what you think of it. It'd mean a lot.

No jutsu encyclopedia this time around (coz no techniques were used really), so I might as well finish this, but before that I'd like to wish all (or at least those who celebrate that holiday) a _HAPPY HALLOWEEN!_ Hope you'll get more treats then tricks.

Take care and until next time, hopefully.


	55. Puppet Master

And here I am, with Halloween over, brining you another chapter of my "Naruto: Next Generation" fic. Hope you find the paste of updating satisfying, especially considering the fact that with the among of things collage dropped on me it's hardly possible for me to update more often.

As always I'd like to thank everyone who read and reviewed the previous chapter. It really means a lot and I'm happy to know that you enjoyed it. All your questions for last time will basically be answered with this chapter, so all you have to do is read it.

I suppose there's nothing left for me to do then to get on with the show:

**Chapter #55: Puppet Master**

**_Title Page:_** Hari is performing a puppet theater on which Kai's look-alike puppet is fighting Takaru's

"This match is over…" announced Hari calmly as she got back to her feet, still holding out her hand. "Thanks for falling into my trap…" and as she said so, Kai began throwing his head left to right: "What the hell happened? Did I miss something?"

"That Sand chick…" began Kusari with a single drop of sweat running down his face. "The senbon… all of that was just a way to reach this point… she's not a weapon mistress…" and the moment he stated that, the blonde looked at him even more confused. The chain master noticed that, but didn't turn towards his teammate. He only continued, without taking his eyes off the arena: "She's a puppeteer…"

"But even if what you're saying is true, how does this relate to the fact that this Waterfall dude didn't finish her off when he had a chance?" asked Hanamaru, still not catching up. "Puppeteers use dolls in a fight and yet I don't see any puppets around…"

"It's worse then you think…" Hitomi, who still had her bloodline limit activated, cut in. "She doesn't use dolls. If you concentrate good enough, you should be able to see that the senbon she threw weren't just wooden needles… each had a chakra string attached to it… including those that sunk into that Bakufu guy's body…"

"Meaning…" Kogane's eyes widen at the realization. The white-eyed girl only nodded: "She's basically using a puppet this very moment… and that Waterfall guy is it…"

"You little b…" began Kasui as he tried to move, but his body didn't listen to him at all. "What the hell did you do?" he demanded, but Hari only picked out a senbon with her free hand and pointed it at his head, announcing: "You're not capable of moving at the moment, so there's no way you can dodge this… I suggest surrendering, if you don't want to die…"

Kasui merely clenched his teeth. He won't allow himself to get defeated by a girl: "Go to hell!" he shouted back angry, yet still couldn't move any part of his body from his neck down. The blonde kunoichi only let out a sigh as she threw the needle at the boy's neck and then released her jutsu, allowing the waterfall-nin to fall to the floor.

Instantly Lee found himself near the Bakufu shinobi and made a quick examination: "_With such a precision… it's rare to see someone her age being able to perform something like this… to put a guy in the clinical death state…_" and with that he threw the kunoichi a quick glance, before announcing out loud: "Winner: Hari!" and in a flash the medics appeared, taking the boy for treatment, while the blonde girl calmly walk back to the platform.

"Now that was scary…" stated Kai as he shivered slightly. "Without even blinking she just killed that guy!" but Ibuki only narrowed her eyes and without looking at her teammate, she calmed him down: "You're overreacting… most likely she just placed him in a clinical death state, considering she aimed at the neck in stead of a heart or the head… if the medics will treat him right, he should be able to survive and kicking in a week or so…"

Takai merely threw a quick glance at the blonde kunoichi, who just returned to her teammates. He could feel excitement building up in himself. A tiny smirk appeared on his face, which made Aoru a bit nervous the moment she noticed it: "_Not again…_"

"Kasui lost to a girl…" Shita, who was still sitting on Tetsu's shoulder, barely managed to held back his laughter. "What a disgrace…" but the Waterfall team leader didn't reply. He only set his eyes on the Sand kunoichi for a moment and then got back to watching the screen.

"I suppose you're happy, Kankuro…" noticed Temari as she smiled to her brother. "After all, your daughter made it through…" and at hearing that Naruto's eyes almost went out of orbits: "That girl's your daughter, make-up guy?!"

"It's Kankuro, dammit!" the older puppeteer yelled back with a vein pulsing on his forehead. "Can't you remember a simple name like that, idiot?!" but after a while he calmed down and then answered the blonde's question: "But yes, she is my child…"

"I guess that explains some things…" announced the whisker-marks with a smirk and winked to the Sand jounin, making him smile back. Meanwhile Kai stood nearby, depressed once more: "A puppeteer who can use people's bodies as dolls, a guy who controls water and ice, a dude that can steal his brother's chakra and some sort of a werewolf… it's one weirdo after another…"

"Like you're the one to talk…" noticed Takaru with a sweat drop. The blonde only threw him a death glare. Then he realized what he just said and turned towards Galu, who was standing behind him a moment ago, yet the green-haired boy seemed unmoved by Kai's statement as he only propped himself against the wall and crossed his arms.

Toku didn't seem to be interested in the conversation at all. He just glanced at the blonde kunoichi from the Hidden Sand Village, who just won her fight and narrowed his eyes. He then looked over his shoulder at the umbrella that he carried before his gaze went to the ceiling.

"Let get down to another, elimination fight!" purposed Lee loudly, gaining most people's attention and with that announcement everyone's eyes turned towards the screen once more.

---That time, elsewhere---

"You're late… Tategamaru..." announced the hooded man as another, mysterious figure appeared before him on the rooftop somewhere in Hidden Leaf Village. "I thought we agreed on the meeting date and you were suppose to leave the eliminations several minutes ago…"

"I did…" replied the other, hooded man. "But therrrre was some otherrrrr, imporrrrrtant business that had to be taken carrrre of beforrrre anything else…" and as he said so, the other man seemed to shiver slightly.

"I never thought you'd actually do it…" stated the first, hooded man. "I always knew you were cold-hearted, but this… even I wouldn't be able to do something like this so freely… I mean, killing Fuma just coz he lost…" and at that he froze for a moment, thinking if what he was about to say wouldn't be pushing it. "Your own son…"

"He lost and became useless…" responded Tategamaru calmly with no emotions in his voice. "That's all therrrre is to it… besides, we didn't came herrrre to discuss my parrrrenthood. Did Saiken handed you the rrrreport?" at that the hooded man merely nodded. "Good… then I expect that the plan has not changed…"

"It hadn't…" replied the other man while taking of his hood and thus revealing that he was a man in his late forties. He had long, black hair and blue eyes and wore a hitae-ate with the slashed leaf symbol.

"You shouldn't take that off…" advised Tategamaru, who kept his hood on. "Afterrrr all, someone might still rrrememberrrrr you… getting caught when we'rrrrre so close to completing ourrrrr mission is unacceptable, Kumoshi…"

"I'm not like you…" the man named Kumoshi announced calmly. "I at least trust my partners to an extend… basically you're the only one who trusts only himself and cares about himself only…" but as he said so no change could be observed in Tategamaru's posture. It seemed like his partner's words didn't move him at all: "Anyway, a little more preparations must be made… he started working a bit more sooner then expected, so we'll have it a little bit more difficult as well…"

"Doesn't matterrrr…" assured Tategamaru. "Eitherrrr way… we'll get that scrrroll…"

---Back to the eliminations---

"Fifth match: Raina from Kumori against Tenka from Tsuki!" announced Lee loudly as Fuma's female teammate stood before the redhead, Moon kunoichi. "BEGIN!" ordered the green beast as he immediately jumped out of the way, which turned out to be a wise decision as Raina instantly charged forward, aiming the claws of her metal glove at her opponent's head.

And in the next second a flash of light blinded most of the people in the room. Mikka covered her eyes as they started burning slightly, while Hizoku narrowed his as black spots began to appear before him, limiting his view. Basically the only people who weren't effected by the flash were Rei, as she was still sleeping, Akira, who this whole time kept his eyes closed, Senkou, who managed to shut his eyes in time, Reiji, for unknown reason, all the moon-nins and jounins.

As their vision became clear once more, Kumiko's eyes widen at the sight bellow: Tenka was standing like nothing happened, holding her right hand, from which small charges of electricity shoot here and there, out front and holding Raina few inches above the floor with it. But what was even scarier was the fact that the shadow-nin's body was burnt in several places, her hair got messed up and her body seemed limb: "Wha…" began the Leaf kunoichi, completely shocked. "What in the world just happened?!"

"That Moon girl…" began Kokoro as a single drop of sweat run down his face. "She used her technique and that metal-gloved kunoichi… the way she looks now… that's how it effected her…"

"Huh?" Kitsune turned towards the blue-eyed blonde. "So what in the world is the thing that she used to mess up that shadow girl so badly?" but Kokoro only shook his head as the answer.

"Interesting…" stated Horamaru as he licked his lips once again. At that time Kusari swallowed his saliva loudly as he took a quick glance at the moon-nins: "_So this is the real strength of your cell, Teela-san?_" he asked himself as his gaze stopped at the blue-haired girl, the leader of the Tsuki team. "_Truly terrifying…_"

Lee observed the redhead Moon kunoichi for a while longer, shocked a little of what he just saw, before he announced: "Winner: Tenka!"

_**---terrifying strength and overwhelming power… the eliminations are only beginning---**_

And so this chapter ends! Hope you had a good time reading it and that you'll bless me with a review. It'd really mean a lot.

With that said, I believe the only thing left for me to do is to wrap this up. Thanks for reading.

Best wishes and until next time, hopefully.


	56. Ultimate Weapon

**Dynamic Updatto!** Surprise! Never thought I'll be able to pull something like that off again, but here I am! Just like the previous time, I'm able to update ALL my "Naruto" fic at the same time! Also this time around it's more of a celebration! Tomorrow I'm turning 21 (boy, am I old or what) and to make it special not only for me but for you guys also, I've decided to sit down to it and wrote new chapters of all my fics. Hope you'll enjoy them!

As always I wanted to thank everyone who reviewed the previous chapter (by the way, I'm a little sad that the number of reviews for it is a little low compared to other chapters). It really means a lot. I'm glad you enjoyed the surprise I prepared with Hari. I hope that you'll enjoy this chapter at least as much and please leave me a review once you're done (maybe as a present?). It'd really make my day.

This chapter is another one of my favorites from the eliminations, though not sure if that's any recommendation. At any point, without further to do, here's the newest chapter of "Naruto: Next Generation":

**Chapter #56: Ultimate Weapon**

**_Title Page_**: tiding up: Kumiko is washing clothes in a big tub, Kai is carrying a huge mountain of dirty clothes towards her, Ibuki is dusting the furniture, Kusari is swiping the floor and Takaru is taking out the trash

"Winner: Tenka!" Lee announced loudly as the redhead kunoichi let go of Raina, allowing the shadow-nin's body to fall motionless to the floor. The Tsuki shinobi walked towards the stairs, leading back to the platform, without even taking another look at her opponent.

"And I thought that Sand kunoichi was a freaky chick…" Kitsune let out a sigh as Tenka walked up the stairs. "I'm sure glad I didn't had to face her…" but while he was saying that, another leaf-nin was observing the redhead Moon shinobi.

"Worried?" Funbo asked Taki with a tiny smirk, noticing a single drop of sweat falling down his teammate's face. The boomerang user only glanced at the young assassin and turning back to look at the screen a little sad, she replied: "Please, don't pretend that you care, Funbo-kun… both you and me know too well that worrying about others is one thing you could never do…"

Tenka finally reached the rest of her cell and received a slight nod from Teela. Nobu officially congratulated her, Tasuki on the other hand seemed completely unaware that she even returned to the platform. It didn't bothered her anyway. She merely settled down near the wall and waited for the eliminations to continue.

"It's not like Raina was very strong…" began Bakara as he stood propped against the rail. "But getting defeated so easily… what is that Moon girl?" he asked his teammate, but Kyuu didn't reply. He only stared at the wall, where the screen was.

Names once more began changing on the screen and everyone raised their eyes to find out who'll go next. Kai's body shivered with both excitement and fear, yet it was not him that got chosen. However, the next pair interested Kusari: **FUTATSU versus TARAKUDO**.

"Finally, my turn…" noticed Takai's bandaged teammate as he jumped down to the ring. The scythe user only narrowed his eyes as he followed his companion with them. Honemaru didn't seem to care much at all, but Torune knew him too well to be fooled by that: "_Just don't go too far, Tarakudo…_" she asked her teammate in her mind.

"It's one of the sand-nins…" Reiji announced to his teammate. "I suggest using extreme caution…" but Futatsu didn't seem to make much of that advice: "Don't worry… I'll finish this quickly…" and with that he joined his opponent bellow. Sentou only shook his head at his companion's behavior.

Yamazaru suddenly became a little nervous. As Aisu turned towards him and Yari, who tried to call their teammate down, the Snow team's leader threw the spearman a questioning glare, before asking: "What's his problem?" and with that she pointed at the helmet ninja with her head.

"I'm not sure…" admitted Yari as he gave the big shinobi a worried look. "But it'd seem he feels something about… one of the two guys that just entered the arena…" and with that he looked bellow at the two contestants with Aisu doing the same soon after, now curious.

"Match six: Futatsu from Kane against Tarakudo from Suna!" Lee announced loudly. "BEGIN!" and as usual, he instantly moved out of the way, noticing that the metal-nin immediately drew both his katana out.

"I'll tell you right now…" announced Futatsu as he pointed the tip of one of his swords at Tarakudo. "I have absolutely no interest in you. What I want is to get that guy…" and with that he pointed at Kusari with his other katana. "But since you're in the way, I don't have much choice but to fight you… I suggest surrendering now, coz later I might not give you a chance to…"

"Damn, what did you do to that sword guy that he hates you so much?" Kumiko asked her teammate, but the chain master only threw a quick glance and then, for the first time, he replied to her without any emotions: "Long story…" Naruto, who stood right behind them, only settled his eyes on Kusari for a moment, but said nothing. Ibuki, who noticed that, gave her sensei a surprised look, but figure it'd be better to keep quiet… at least for now.

"I love when weaklings talk big…" Tarakudo shoot back calmly, thus making his opponent slightly pissed. In a flash the metal-nin charged forward and when he found himself close enough, he brought his right katana down, aiming at the bandaged ninja's head.

Tarakudo however easily dodged the assault by jumping to his right, which itself wasn't strange, but the way he did it made several people in the room surprised: he did that after he hunched a little and allowed his hands to hang freely bellow him. The moment he dodged, it seemed like he didn't had any power over his arms.

Futatsu acted immediately and swung his other katana at him while Tarakudo was still in mid-air, this time making the blade go parallel to the floor and aiming to cut his opponent in half. But to his surprise the sand-nin's hand suddenly seemed to stretched slightly and as they touched the ground, the bandaged ninja pulled himself towards it and crouched flat to it, making the swordsman attack go right above his head.

In an instant, Tarakudo stood up on his hand, his back turned towards the metal-nin, and launched his legs back, aiming two kicks into his opponent's face. Completely surprised by that Futatsu only jumped back, thus avoiding the attack, but it was then that the bandaged ninja moved towards him at an incredible speed, while spinning around, still using his hands to stand.

Before his feet even touched the ground, Futatsu found Tarakudo standing on his hands right next to him and received a powerful kick in the stomach from the sand-nin as he spun on his hands. The impact send the metal-nin flying back even more, but surprisingly for him and everyone gathered in the room, the bandaged ninja bounced off the floor and somersaulting, flew over the swordsman.

Without his feet touching the ground like before, Futatsu realized that Tarakudo was now behind him, falling head first towards the floor. With his back turned towards the metal-nin's back, the bandaged ninja threw his left arm back in an inhuman way and landed a punch into the swordsman spine, making him fall to the floor.

The moment he did so, he flipped and even though he was falling head first and was merely inches before the floor, with that one flip he somehow managed to land safely on his feet, performing a half spin. "_This is unreal…_" realized Lee as he observed the sand-nin. "_This isn't a drunken fist… with such movement several of his bones should break by now… including his spine!_"

Hinata, who had her Byakugan activated for awhile now, only widen her eyes: "_That chakra circulating system… his movement… no human could perform something like that, even that guy from the time I took this exam for the first time!_" Hitomi, who just noticed the older Hyuuga's reaction, also activated her bloodline limit and looked at the bandaged ninja. And once her eyes set on Tarakudo, she was at the lost of words of what he saw.

"What the hell are you?" demanded Futatsu as he slowly got back to his feet and looked at his opponent, who stood few meters away from him with his head bended to the right a little more then his human body should allow it to. The bandaged ninja only smirked (_A/N: though no-one could see that_) before he replied: "I'm special…"

The metal-nin's eyes narrowed as he heard that. He once more charged at his opponent, furiously trying to cut him with one of his katana, yet the bandaged ninja managed to avoid every, single attack.

Finally Futatsu pushed one of his swords forward, aiming to pierce through his opponent's heart, but to his surprise the sand-nin only jumped up and landed safely on the blunt side of the metal-nin's katana that was now extended. Before the swordsman managed to react to it in any way, the Suna shinobi launched a kick, but to Futatsu's surprise, it went right next to his head.

Only a second later did he found out what was Tarakudo's objective as the sand-nin bended his leg in his knee and kicked the swordsman in the back of his head with the leg he just threw next to his face. As the metal-nin lost his balance and made several steps forward to remain on his feet, the bandaged ninja jumped up and somersaulting, once more flew over his opponent and landed safely on his feet.

Futatsu pressed his foot against the floor to stop and in a flash turned around, charging at his opponent yet again. As he brought his katana down again and again, Tarakudo kept on dodging with ease and finally, when the metal-nin decided to change his tactic and cut from his right, once more driving his blade parallel to the floor, the bandaged ninja bended back until his back was located parallel to the ground as well.

"_He dodged my attack the same way!_" Taki realized as she saw the sand-nin's pose and in a fraction of a second the Tarakudo flipped back, using his legs to kick one of the katana out of Futatsu's hands.

As the sword went flying up, the metal-nin reached for a scroll, but to his surprise, his opponent moved at an incredible speed and before he knew it, it was the bandaged ninja that held the scroll in his hand with Futatsu's disappeared. "_He managed to act that quickly?_" a thought hit the swordsman as he picked up the katana that was kicked out of his hand.

"Tarakudo, you're not the only one who wants to fight…" Takai reminded his teammate patiently with his arms crossed and as the bandaged ninja looked up to the platform, the scythe user continued: "Finish this already…"

Temari only threw her black-haired subordinate a quick glance before returning to watching the fight bellow. Tarakudo let out a sigh and then set his eyes onto Futatsu, who was once more charging straight at him. Without rush, the sand-nin threw away the scroll he just stole and spun on his foot, thus avoiding the first attack that was aimed to pierce through him.

In a flash he grabbed the blade of the katana that his opponent just used to attack him between the fingers on his left hand and now stood with his back turned towards the metal-nin. Without a moment of hesitation, the swordsman brought his other weapon down, aiming to chop the bandaged ninja's right hand off, but surprisingly for him, his opponent managed to grab the blade of that katana between his fingers as well, this time using his right hand.

Having immobilized both Futatsu's swords and standing with his back turned towards his opponent, Tarakudo made a motion that seemed like he tripped and began falling on his back. Yet, having the metal-nin on his way, the bandaged ninja's back rammed the swordsman and made him fall down as well.

Instantly Futatsu landed on the floor with Tarakudo dropping down right at him. After a short moment the sand-nin got off his opponent and as Lee walked over to check on the swordsman, he threw the bandaged boy a little suspicious look, before announcing: "Winner: Tarakudo!"

"Why even bother having this fight?" asked Aoru, slightly bored as she observed Futatsu being taken by the medics out of the room. "The result was obvious from the very beginning…" and as she said so, Tarakudo jumped up and landed right next to his teammates.

Hari just looked at the winner with her eyes narrowed before Karame interrupted her thoughts: "You seemed surprised…" but the blonde girl only shook her head: "No, Tarakudo's victory wasn't a surprise at all… after all, how could he lose while being… well, what he is…" and as she said so, the sand in Sabure's gourd began moving so rapidly it was heard from the outside on the gourd.

"Most interesting…" stated Tokame calmly. "Those Sand shinobi… they surely won't be easy to defeat…" and with that he looked at Nezumi, whose rat began running all over her body. The hooded boy knew all too well what it meant: Hamaru was scared. And he wasn't the type of rat that got scared easily. Behind his mask, Taka smiled: "_Indeed… interesting…_"

"Boy, that Suna guy is good…" stated Tsume impressed. Takaru only narrowed his eyes as he responded, without facing the dog kunoichi: "Something's not right… his movement… they just weren't natural… I don't suppose any human could move the way he did… there must be some trick to it… and that fact… actually scares me…"

"I must admit that it was somewhat disturbing…" Senkou agreed. "There must be something behind it all…"Kai only shivered again, but this time not with fear. It was only excitement: "_So many, strong people… I won't lose to any of them!_"

"Well, lets move on!" purposed Lee as he pointed at the screen, where names started to appear and disappear. The atmosphere gotten a little heavy as everyone waited patiently to find out who was fighting next. Toku's eyes narrowed as the next, two names appeared on the screen: **BAKARA versus MANAKO AKIRA**.

And in a flash the boy with the skull mask, the teammate of both Fuma and Raina, jumped down to the arena. Horohoro only elbowed his companion and gaining Akira's attention, he announced: "Your turn…"

With a simple 'thanks' the other boy jumped down, his eyes still closed, and landed safely on his feet. As the tow participants walked towards one another, Lee stepped between them and threw each a quick glance. The seventh match of the eliminations was about to begin.

_**---terrifying foes and mysterious enemies… what awaits Akira?---**_

And that's that for this chapter. Hope you enjoyed reading it at least as much as I enjoyed writing it and that you'll leave me a review once you're done. It'd really mean a lot and make my birthday even happier.

No jutsu this time around, so basically the only thing left for me to say is that I hope you'll have a great day and that you'll come by again.

Take care!


	57. Illusionists

Yup, my big day's behind me already and it's back to reality, where collage is a nemesis… but I'm glad I've managed to find enough free time to finally write this and to upload it. I was a bit afraid how this fight will go, but I must say that I'm pretty satisfied how I wrote it.

As usual I'd like to thank everyone who reviewed last time. It means a lot. I'm glad you enjoyed the previous match and hope you'll like this one at least as much (this one's one of my personal favorites too). To answer the questions some of you asked:

**_Who does Kankuro has kids with:_** she's an OC and a minor character really. I haven't even named her yet, but I can say that she's a sand-nin and a weapon mistress (hence why Hari is capable of using her senbon with such skill)

**_Can you make a chapter with just info about the character:_** sorry, but those sort of chapters aren't allowed on this site. And I'm not sure what information you need. If anyone of you guys (and girls) is confused due to the number of characters, let me know and we can try to think of a way to pass that. For now the only thing I can do is place a list of gennin at the end of this chapter.

I hope that covers all the questions. Sorry if I missed anything.

And now, without further to do:

**Chapter #57: Illusionists**

**_Title Page:_** field: Kai and a mole are looking at each other, raising their heads from the holes they made in the ground. The blonde has a miner's helmet on his head and a small mountain of ground on top of it. In the background you can see Akira walking with a shovel on his shoulder

"Seventh match…" began Lee loudly as he observed the two, next participants. "Bakara from Kumori against Manako Akira from Konoha… BEGIN!" and in a flash the shadow-nin reached to his hostel and threw several shuriken at the Leaf shinobi, making the other boy jump to his left in order to avoid the assault, however that was exactly what the masked ninja wanted.

In an instant Bakara appeared next to Akira, whose feet were still off the ground, with a kunai in his hand, ready to cut the leaf-nin. But to the shadow-nin's surprise, the Leaf shinobi suddenly reached for the floor with his hand and used it to break his flight. In a fraction of a second his body got placed parallel to the ground as the leaf-nin launched a kick at the masked boy, catching him off guard and thus sending him flying back.

As Akira's feet touched the floor, the shadow-nin flipped in mid-air while forming a hand seal and landed safely on the ground as well. At the very same moment tens of Bakara suddenly began appearing around the Leaf shinobi, surrounding him from every direction.

"Kage bushin?!" Kai's eyes almost went out of orbits at the sight. He turned towards his teammates with a questioning glare. The one to answer him, was Kusari: "No, this is just a simple bushin… but still with so many phantoms, it'd be hard to see which is the original… that shadow-nin gotta have some plan…"

In an instant all Bakaras charged forward at Akira, making it unable for him to escape. The leaf-nin however merely lowered his head slightly and still keeping his eyes closed, he spun on his foot and threw a spin-kick at one of the phantoms. As his attack connected, everyone's eyes widen as they realize the one Akira kicked was the original and once the shadow-nin was send flying back again, the other phantoms faded away.

"How was he able to tell the difference with such ease?" demanded Kumiko completely surprised. "Did he used some sort of dojutsu?" (_A/N: in case you don't know, dojutsu is an eye technique… Byakugan and Sharingan are examples of such_) and with that she turned towards the older gennin. Hitomi only smirked before she replied: "It's not that… Akira doesn't have any dojutsu… at least not in the literal sense…"

"Not in the literal sense?" repeated Galu a little interested. "What do you mean by that?" but the white-eyed girl said nothing more. Meanwhile down on the arena Bakara came to a sliding stop after he went flying. In a flash Akira charged at the shadow-nin instantly, not giving him any time to rest and jumped into the air, coming down with a scissor kick from above.

Having not enough time to dodge, Bakara raised his hands to block, but as both of the leaf-nin's legs stopped at his opponent's arms, Akira bended back and propping his hands on the floor, he shoot under kick, which headed straight at the Kumori shinobi's stomach. The masked boy bended back in the last moment, thus making his enemy's assault go right above his face, but in the next second the boy who still had his eyes closed spun on his hand and launched another kick, which once more came from above.

Having no way to dodge nor block, Bakara received a powerful blow in his stomach, which made him land hard with his back on the floor. Instantly he placed his hands to the ground and flipped back, returning to his feet, but at the same time Akira somersaulted as well and landed right before him, with his face merely inches away from the shadow-nin.

In a flash the masked boy launched a punch at his opponent's face, but the leaf-nin simply bended back, thus avoiding the hit and before Bakara could react the Leaf shinobi spun on his foot and swiped the Shadow ninja off his feet, using his leg. In order to not fall to the floor, Kumori shinobi landed on his hand and bounced of immediately, keeping a safe distance from the Konoha gennin. However Akira was far from letting him go.

Instantly the leaf-nin jumped to his left while he spun parallel to the floor and split his legs to left and right. Bakara immediately strafed to his right in order to avoid a direct hit from the kick that came from above at his head, but even as he succeeded in doing so, he had no time to relax as his opponent acted immediately as well.

The moment his feet touched the floor, Akira spun on his foot and launched a spin-kick aimed at his opponent's head. In a flash Bakara bended back, thus making the leaf-nin's assault go right above his head. But the Konoha shinobi didn't stop there, he kept on spinning on his foot and as he made a full circle once more, he launched another kick at the masked boy, this time placing his leg much lower compared to the previous try.

Bakara didn't manage to react in time and as he received a powerful kick in the stomach, he was send flying back once more. Before he hit the floor, he managed to flip in mid-air and yet again land safely on his feet. He glared at his opponent, who this whole time kept his eyes closed.

"Fine, I'll admit that you're a troublesome adversary…" announced Bakara with a tiny smirk appearing on his face. "I guess I'll have to get serious…" and with that he went through a set of hand seals: "Genjutsu: Akuma no Mai!" and suddenly thick mist began surrounding the arena. Before anyone could notice, the masked boy's hand, which still hold the last symbol, began deforming and in an instant changed into hideous, grey skinned snake beasts, which shoot straight at the leaf-nin, who still stood in the same place, his eyes still shut.

Akira didn't even manage to move as the first snake sunk it's teeth into his left arm. Soon another one followed, this time attacking the boy's right shoulder. Before he knew it his entire body was filled with grey snakes that shut their jaws on various parts of his body: legs, hands, torso, neck, even head. He didn't scream, but he felt his body slowly being paralyzed. "_So this is his plan…_" the leaf-nin concluded in his mind.

Meanwhile Bakara slowly walked towards his opponent, picking out his kunai. "_The game ends here…_" he smiled to himself as he aimed his knife at the other boy's throat. Lee only narrowed his eyes, realizing what the shadow-nin was planning. But before the masked gennin manage to shoot his kunai at Akira, the Leaf shinobi surprisingly picked out his in the fraction of a second and tossed it at the Kumori ninja's head, forcing him to bend down in order to avoid certain death.

As he did so, Akira in a flash found himself next to him and before he managed to stood up straight again, the leaf-nin landed a powerful kick in his stomach, which once more send him flying back. This time he landed safely on the wall, sticking to it using chakra in his feet. "_This guy… how in the world?_"

"I guess I should've warned you back then, but it would be stupid of a shinobi to do so…" Akira spoken as he turned towards his opponent and opened his eyes, revealing that they were completely white. "Genjutsu of that level has no effect on me…"

As he saw his eyes, Bakara choked slightly, realizing what was going on: "_This brat…it's impossible!_" At the same time, on the platform, Kogane began throwing confused looks at everyone around her: "What just happened? How come that guy wasn't effected by the illusion? It seemed pretty powerful to me. And what's with those eyes? It's not a Byakugan…"

"Indeed, the genjutsu that Shadow guy used was a high level one…" admitted Funbo with a tiny smirk appearing on his face. "It's not a surprise you saw it as a powerful one… it was. The problem is that Akira possess something like a natural, genjutsu defense system… such illusions doesn't present much of a problem to him…"

"How come?" asked Kitsune curious, which made Funbo smile even wider before he replied: "Can't you see his eyes?" and as Mikka glanced at the older gennin bellow, she hid her mouth behind her hands to not let out a weak scream. Kokoro only narrowed his eyes slightly, before he cut in: "He's blind…"

"What that has to do with anything?" asked Hanamaru, still completely lost. Funbo only let out a sigh as Kumiko joined the conversation: "Genjutsu's main purpose is to trick the target's five senses. The more powerful techniques of that school effect every, single one of them, however there's a special rule to that: no matter what level the illusion is, it always tricks the sense of sight first… since that guy has no sense of sight, any type of genjutsu cast on him will have lesser effect then it should from the very beginning…"

"Above that…" Horohoro cut in calmly. "Akira's chakra control is perfect… even if someone were to trap him in an illusion, he still can easily break out. Considering that this shadow-nin seem like a genjutsu specialist, he couldn't get a worst opponent…"

"Wait a minute…" Kai turned towards the older gennin. "If that guy's blind, how can he so easily tell where his opponent is?" but surprisingly the one replying to his question was Ibuki: "Most likely the loss of sight made his other senses sharper… basically it's safe to assume he can hear things you'll never be able to hear…"

"Akira-kun was blind since he was born…" Taki announced as she observed her teammate bellow with a little sad face. "Being not able to see a thing forced him to learn moving by using other senses. He's capable of locating his enemies by their scent almost as well as the Inuzuka can… heck, he's even able to know where they are by their breathing alone…"

"_Most of all, sharper senses make it harder to trick someone with genjutsu…_" Tsuino, who was listening to the conversation closely, concluded in his mind. "_No wonder that mask guy can't do a thing against him…_"

"I must say that I never expected to meet someone like you during the exams…" admitted Bakara as he glanced at his opponent from the wall. "But the advantage is still on my side… after all, I see perfectly and you have to rely on your other senses…"

"I suppose you're right…" nodded Akira calmly. "Shall we make this a bit more fair then?" and without waiting for the answer, he went through a quick series of hand seals: "Genjutsu: Kokuangyo no Jutsu!" and suddenly the entire room was covered in darkness, making it impossible to see a thing that's even an inch before ones eyes.

"Hey, what happened?" Kai's voice was heard in the shadows. "Who turned off the lights?" Takaru merely narrowed his eyes as a single drop of sweat began running down his face: "My mother told me about this technique… a special illusion invented by the First Hokage… it makes the entire surrounding area one, dark place which covers the view of your opponent… that Akira guy just used it…" and at this point another drop of sweat appeared on his face: "_But above that… how in the world did that guy learned this technique?_" he asked himself in his mind.

Just then a sudden yell was heard and a moment later the darkness cleared, revealing Akira standing right above Bakara, who laid unconscious on the floor. Lee slowly walked over to the two boys and after a short examination, he announced: "Winner: Manako Akira!"

Immediately medics appeared next to the masked boy as the blind gennin slowly headed back to the platform. "_So, I'm the only one left…_" Kyuu concluded calmly as he observed the medics, who were taking his teammate out of the room. His eyes narrowed as he threw a quick glance at the victorious, leaf-nin.

"Great job, Akira-kun!" cheered Taki as she threw her hands to the sky. "I knew you'll win!" the blonde gennin only smiled in her direction and the he felt a hand landing on his shoulder: "Nice fight…" he heard Horohoro's voice coming to his ears.

"Thanks guys…" was all Akira replied with a smile on his face. Even Shino smirked for a split second, but his face instantly turned serious again as the names on the screen began changing once more.

"Damn, for someone who can't see the tip of his nose, that guy is pretty good…" whined Kai as he glanced at the older gennin. He was about to go on, but just then a loud 'bing' was heard and as the blonde stared at the screen, his eyes widen at the realization who'll go next. He glanced at his teammates, who were looking at the two, new names slightly shocked: **MURASAKKI KUMIKO versus SUTARU KURI**.

"Will the next, two contestants, please, get down here…" asked Lee and in a flash the light-blue-haired Snow kunoichi jumped down to the ring bellow. As she did so, Yamazaru took a step forward as if he wanted to take his teammate's place. Yari immediately put his hand on the large gennin's shoulder, which seemed to calm the helmet wearing ninja a bit. Aisu only threw the two a quick glare and then turned towards her female companion once more.

Kumiko only looked at her opponent and slowly walked down the stairs. "Eight match:…" announced the Green Beast as the two girls stood in front of each other. "Murasakki Kumiko from Konoha against Sutaru Kuri from Yuki…" and at this point he took quick glances at both kunoichi, before he called out from the bottom of his lungs: "BEGIN!"

_**---eyes set onto the two kunoichi, who stand before each other… the battle never ends---**_

And this concludes this chapter. Hope you enjoyed it and that you'll leave me a review once you're done. It'd mean a lot.

Now, about the techniques used in this chapter:

_Genjutsu: Akuma no Mai_ (Genjutsu: Dance of the Demon) – what can I say? It's simply an illusion that create snake-like creatures, which attack the target. By confusing his or hers senses (mostly the sense of sight and touch), the target gets paralyzed from the snakes venom, which he thinks got into his body.

_Genjutsu: Kokuangyo no Jutsu_ (Bringer of Darkness) – a jutsu first used by the 1st Hokage. Basically it's a genjutsu that creates an illusion of complete darkness that surrounds the battlefield. The user is unaffected by it, of course.

And lastly, coz I kept on forgetting to do it, here's the list of the eliminations participants (those that failed and got taken by medics are crossed-out completely, those who won are underline and those that lost, yet remained as spectators are written in italics):

**Konoha #7:** Murasakki Kumiko, Tanken Ibuki, Gekido Takaru, Hagane Kusari, Haisha Kai

**Konoha #3:** Konpaku Rei, Rikoteki Kogane, Amagasa Toku, Debano Kitsune, Gusoku Hanamaru

**Konoha #4:** Igaku Mikka, Inuzuka Tsume, Benda Kokoro, Hatake Senkou, Kobushi Galu

**Konoha:** Hamano Taki, Hyuuga Hitomi, Manako Akira, Tanken Funbo, Horohoro

**Suna #1:** Aoru, Torune, Honemaru, Tarakudo, Takai

**Suna #2:** Sabaku no Sabure, Hari, Dekai, Horamaru, Karame

**Kusa:** Hokku Tobane, Kanraku Nezumi, Kuchibashi Taka, Kyohaku Tokame, Wanabi Hizoku

**Ame:** Kasano Youji, Nokogiri Karei, Eshaku Ryo, Furikuzu Tsuino, Hebereke Nazaa

**Bakufu:** Azarashi Kawa, Tora Miaka, Abura Tetsu, Makko Shita

**Tsuki:** Junsei Teela, Tenka, Chishio Nobu, Kihako Tasuki

**Hane:** Naginata, Ono Reiji, Sentou

**Yuki:** Nadare Aisu, Sutaru Kuri, Sarumaru Yari, Urufu Kato, Yamazaru

**Kumori:** Kyuu

And that's really it for this chapter. Thanks for reading and until next time, hopefully.


	58. Pure as Crystal

Wow, I actually managed to pull this off and finish this chappie after what happened today. Anyways, I was tired when I made a double check on this one, so it might be filled with mistakes even more then my chapters usual are, so sorry bout that.

Thanks to all reviewers, both 'old' and 'new'! I'm glad you're enjoying the story (even though I feel slightly depressed that the reviews number seem to be dropping… don't want to scare anyone, but with the among of collage work, if the story won't keep good enough popularity, I'll put it **ON HOLD**, so if you wish to know what happens next, review). There weren't too many questions for last time (to answer the only one I've spotted: no, English isn't my first language), but sorry if I missed any, my mailbox seem to be failing lately. Anyway, I believe the only thing left to do is to get on with the show:

**Chapter #58: Pure as Crystal**

**_Title Page:_** Kumiko is watching her deflection in a huge crystal

"Eight match: Murasakki Kumiko from Konoha against Sutaru Kuri from Yuki!" announced Lee loudly as he stood between the two kunoichi. "BEGIN!" and in a flash the leaf-nin reached out to her hostel and threw several shuriken at her opponent. Yet her eyes widen as she saw the Snow ninja only held out her hands and all the shinobi stars she threw suddenly got thrown off their course, each landing on the floor after reaching only half of their route.

"_What?_" Kumiko thought to herself as she jumped back and reached for her scroll. "_Can she generate some sort of defensive field? But she didn't perform any hand seals… so, what's the trick?_" and with that he bite her finger. In an instant she wrote a single symbol on the scroll with her blood and a second later a Fuuma Shuriken appeared in her hand.

In a flash she threw the huge shinobi star at her adversary, yet the snow-nin kept standing calmly. She performed a quick set of hand seals and the moment the shuriken came close to her, she dropped her right hand down and even though she didn't physically touched the incoming weapon, it was still thrown off course and hit the floor before it reached its target.

Immediately Kuri charged forward, making Kumiko pick out several shuriken, which she threw at her opponent, yet the snow-nin merely swung her right hand before her and in a flash the shinobi stars the young genius threw got deflected by invisible blade. The leaf-nin duck as the Yuki ninja swung her hand at her and then jumped to her right in order to keep a safe distance from her adversary.

"What the hell's going on?" demanded Kusari as his grip on the rail tightened. "How can that Snow chick deflect all of Kumiko-chan's attacks?" and as he looked around, his eyes stopped at Shikamaru, who seemed to realize what was going on. The lazy jounin had his eyes slightly narrowed and as Kitsune took a quick glance at his sensei, he also looked more closely at the Yuki kunoichi. Immediately his eyes widen at noticing what was going on.

"You still don't understand, don't you?" Kuri asked her opponent as a small smile appeared on her face. Kumiko only narrowed her eyes slightly and it was at that time did the snow-nin held out her hand suddenly. Acting on instinct the Leaf kunoichi jumped to her left and as she heard something cutting the air, her right cheek suddenly received a slash.

Horamaru only smiled to himself: "_Ah… most interesting…_" Kumiko only set her eyes on her opponent as she wiped the blood that began to run down her face with her left hand: "_So that's it…_" she thought to her as she looked at the Snow kunoichi.

---Meanwhile, elsewhere---

Saiken narrowed his eyes as he stared at the building before him: it was a high, white tower, that stood above the entire village. A small balcony was located on its top and a large symbol for 'fire' was placed on one of the walls. "_Hokage Tower…_" the headgear wearing boy thought to himself with a tiny smirk. "_I don't really suppose it's of any use to check what defenses it has… that Hatake guy is probably carrying the scroll with himself all the time… besides, it'll be troublesome for me alone to break in, even if there'll be a need to do so…_"

And at that moment his eyes narrowed even more as he took a quick glance over his shoulder without moving a inch. Someone has just appeared on the roof behind him. "What does a boy your age is doing here at this time?" asked a cold voice and as the shadow-nin turned around, he noticed a young man with an ANBU mask on. Saiken set his eyes onto the new arrival, before he replied: "I couldn't participate in the eliminations, so while waiting for them to get over with I've decided to do a little field trip…"

"Is that so…" came a response. The ANBU walked closer and the moment he found himself right in front of the boy, he announced: "Well, you shouldn't walk around here really… may I suggest you leave this area?" the Kumori ninja only nodded and with that he was gone.

Sasuke merely narrowed his eyes as he looked in the direction the boy disappeared to: "_Seems like that's the bat Naruto mentioned… there really is something disturbing about him, even though I can't place a finger… and why was he checking out Hokage's Tower defenses?_"

---Back to the eliminations---

"So this is what's been going on…" stated Kumiko calmly as she wiped more blood that came from her right cheek. "I thought there was some bigger trick into that.." and as she said so, Kuri only set her eyes on her opponent, before she replied with an emotionless voice: "Sorry to disappoint you then… but that's all there is to it…"

"Could anyone clue me in on what are those, two chicks talking about?" Senkou asked his companions slightly annoyed. Surprisingly for him, the one to answer his question was the snow-nin's female teammate: "By sending her chakra into the air, Kuri can freeze water in the atmosphere and form it anyway she desires…"

"And just what does that has to do with anything?" demanded Kai as he looked at the Yuki kunoichi with raised eyebrows. And making even greater surprise then Aisu explaining her companion's ability, the one to speak up was Teela: "Everything, really… the ice she creates by freezing water is thin crystal… kinda like a window…" the moon-nin announced calmly as she 'blessed' the blonde with a glance, making him blush slightly, which again made Mikka 'growl' quietly from the distance.

"Right…" the loud mouth nodded and after a short silence, he added: "Now I don't get it…"

"Don't you have any brain cells between your ears?!" Takaru lost his temper completely at his teammate's comment. "It means that whatever that Snow girl creates, you're not able to spot it because it's really thin and transparent! You see right through it!"

"Man, I've never thought those eliminations will be that exciting!" yelled Hanamaru as he began eating his potato chips even faster. And at this point everyone sweat drop as a loud snore was heard. Kogane turned around to look at Rei, who was still sleeping, completely not interested in what was going on.

Toku on the other hand was troubled by something else: "_Where did he get those chips?_" he asked while sweat dropping as he observed his chubby teammate. And then he turned towards the ring once more as the fight continued.

Kuri once more performed a quick set of hand seals and in a flash transparent, ice blades formed between her fingers. In a fraction of a second the snow-nin unleashed the crystal knives at her opponent, who acted immediately: in a flash she picked out thin strings and swinging her hands in all directions made them fly all around her. As some of them got cut, Kumiko bended to her left as she turned her right hip towards the Yuki shinobi. And in the next second the left side of her torso, right leg and left shoulder got cut by an invisible blade.

"_Clever…_" Ibuki commented her teammate's action. "_She spread those strings in order to locate those transparent knives… once the knife cut the string, she knew from where it was coming from and managed to figure out its route. But she's not a close-range fighter, so she doesn't have the reflex to dodge the incoming blades…_"

Just then Kuri threw few smoke bombs straight at Kumiko and began another chain of hand seals. Unable to see a thing and risking falling under her opponent's blade in case she'd try to get out of the smoke cloud, the young genius made a desperate move and threw some of her kunai into the floor, surrounding herself with knives stuck in the ground. Once that phase was complete, she picked out her scroll again and once more biting her finger, she summoned another Fuuma Shuriken by writing the right symbol on the paper.

Once the huge shinobi star appeared in her hand, she began spinning it, creating a weak wind that blew some of the smoke. As the space around her cleared slightly, she spotted Kuri charging right at her from her left. In a flash she pulled her other hand to her torso, thus revealing that it was holding thin strings, just like a moment before, only this time there were tied to the kunai that were stuck in the floor.

As she pulled the strings, knives flew out of the floor and being completely under Kumiko's command, they were send flying straight at the charging snow-nin. Yet the young genius eyes widen as the moment her kunai struck her opponent, she broke into pieces.

"_A mirror! She used the water to make her own reflection!_" Kumiko noticed immediately and turned to her right, where another Kuri was charging at her. But just then another thought crossed her head. "_That mirror from before… it was bended a little!_" and as she narrowed her eyes, she realized that the snow-nin she was now seeing was a mirror deflection as well.

In an instant she looked over her left shoulder and saw the real Kuri coming right at her with a long, ice sword in her hand. Immediately Kumiko jumped to her right and only thanks to that did she avoided certain death, yet she still got her left arm cut pretty badly and dropped the Fuuma Shuriken she held in it.

Seeing that Kuri was undone, the Leaf kunoichi reached for her pocket and in a flash threw several smoke bombs straight at the snow-nin. As the bombs exploded, Yuki shinobi's sight got covered, thus giving Kumiko enough time to fled and think about her strategy.

"I've been expecting something more…" admitted Kawa as she yawned slightly. Tetsu did not respond in any way. He just set his eyes on Kumiko. Shita, who was still sitting on his shoulder, noticed that and followed his teammate's example. The fight was not over yet.

In a fraction of a second the leaf-nin jumped onto the wall and stick to it using chakra in her feet. Naruto only smiled slightly under his nose as he glanced at his subordinate: "_Kumiko's calculation skills most likely rivals those of Shikamaru himself, however that Yuki girl's ability is quite unique and she doesn't seem to be mindless either… so how are you gonna resolve this, Kumiko?_"

"_This is really a pain…_" Kumiko thought to herself with a smile as the smoke she created slowly began to disappear. "_With all the trouble from the Forest and with this, I only have two, explosive tags, a flash bomb, five kunai and three shuriken… not much of a weaponry… this may be interesting…_" and with that thought she narrowed her eyes while her smile widen.

Kuri looked around as the smoke cleared and a second later her eyes stopped on the wall on which her opponent was standing on. The leaf-nin jumped down and landed safely on the floor. The Yuki shinobi formed a quick set of hand seals and held out her right hand in which a Fuuma Shuriken of crystal ice began forming in it: "Pathetic… attacking mindlessly… and I thought that being one of the Five Great Villages still meant something…"

"Sorry for not putting too much heart into it…" Kumiko shoot back, still smiling as she picked out a kunai. "If it'll make you feel any better, I promise I'll finish this within the next, five minutes… I'll show you what Konoha shinobi can do…"

_**---miscalculation equals defeat… the result?---**_

And that's it for this time. Hope you enjoyed it and that you'll leave me a review once you're done. It'd mean a lot and would help this fic to survive.

Now, before I finish this, just a reminder of the team rooster:

**Konoha #7:** Murasakki Kumiko, Tanken Ibuki, Gekido Takaru, Hagane Kusari, Haisha Kai

**Konoha #3:** Konpaku Rei, Rikoteki Kogane, Amagasa Toku, Debano Kitsune, Gusoku Hanamaru

**Konoha #4:** Igaku Mikka, Inuzuka Tsume, Benda Kokoro, Hatake Senkou, Kobushi Galu

**Konoha:** Hamano Taki, Hyuuga Hitomi, Manako Akira, Tanken Funbo, Horohoro

**Suna #1:** Aoru, Torune, Honemaru, Tarakudo, Takai

**Suna #2:** Sabaku no Sabure, Hari, Dekai, Horamaru, Karame

**Kusa:** Hokku Tobane, Kanraku Nezumi, Kuchibashi Taka, Kyohaku Tokame, Wanabi Hizoku

**Ame:** Kasano Youji, Nokogiri Karei, Eshaku Ryo, Furikuzu Tsuino, Hebereke Nazaa

**Bakufu:** Azarashi Kawa, Tora Miaka, Abura Tetsu, Makko Shita

**Tsuki:** Junsei Teela, Tenka, Chishio Nobu, Kihako Tasuki

**Hane:** Naginata, Ono Reiji, Sentou

**Yuki:** Nadare Aisu, Sutaru Kuri, Sarumaru Yari, Urufu Kato, Yamazaru

**Kumori:** Kyuu

And this really concludes this chapter. Thanks for reading and I hope you'll review.

Take care!


	59. Brains and Beauty

As I stated in the previous chapter: if I wouldn't be satisfied with the number of reviews, I'll put this story on hold. Considering that I'm uploading this chapter, some of you might think I've changed my mind, so let me clear one thing: this chapter got submitted ONLY because there really are few people who wish to know what happens next and I've decided to not interrupt the story in the middle of the fight. But with the lack of reviews, and the rotten humor I got lately due to a certain event, I prefer to concentrate on my MORE popular fics and leave those which are reviewed by few.

Most of the questions concerned 'what happens next' so all you have to do to find out is to read this chapter. Sorry to everyone who enjoyed the story, but unless the number of reviews for this chapter will be high enough, you won't be able to read the next chapter. Seriously: I WON'T UPDATE UNLESS THE NUMBER OF REVIEWS WILL BE SATISFACTORY!

**Chapter #59: Brains and Beauty**

**_Title Page:_** Kumiko is sitting on a hill with a huge hawk next to her, which wraps its wing around her and behind the two stands Takaru, who only sweat drops

"I'll show you what a Konoha shinobi can do…" announced Kumiko as she pointed the tip of her kunai at Kuri. "I'll finish this within the next, five minutes…" and suddenly she tossed her knife straight at the snow-nin, who immediately made the huge, Fuuma Shuriken spin in her hand, aiming to deflect the incoming weapon with it.

As the two weapons collide, the small knife instantly got blown away by the huge shinobi star and Kuri kept on charging forward with an attempt to cut the leaf-nin in half with the shuriken that was still spinning in her hand.

Immediately Kumiko jumped into the air and flying right above the Yuki kunoichi she grabbed the kunai that her opponent deflected as it was still in mid-air and landing safely on the floor few meters away from the snow-nin, she struck her knife into the ground and reached for her two shuriken. "_Five moves… if I miscalculated, things are basically over…_" she thought to herself with a smirk as she threw her shinobi stars at her adversary.

Instinctually Kuri used her spinning Fuuma shuriken as a shield and blocked both attacks with it, making Kumiko's shinobi stars bounced back. It was then that the Leaf kunoichi charged forward, picking out another kunai. The Yuki shinobi merely smirked under her nose: "Useless…" and with that she ran at her opponent as well.

In a flash the young genius performed a quick hand seal and Kuri's eyes slightly widen as now five Kumikos charged at her, each throwing the knife at her. "_A simple bushin? Who does she take me for, a rookie?_" the snow-nin thought to herself as she dodged all the kunai and then spun on her foot, cutting the phantom on her right. The leaf-nin avoided certain death only because she managed to bend back in time, yet still she got her left shoulder cut and her blood sprayed the floor.

"Such tricks won't do…" stated Tsume calmly as she was propping her hands on the rail. "Bushins aren't that hard to tell apart as phantoms doesn't have chakra circulation system… even without a Byakugan one can tell them apart if the number isn't too great and he'd have enough time to look closely… still, that Snow girl told them apart quite fast…"

"Well, it's not like I've expected anything special from brats…" began Funbo with a smirk as he glanced at his sister. "But I was hoping that you guys won't be using kinder garden tricks… how sad…" yet Ibuki only smiled under her nose: "You're quick to judge for someone whose so hot on becoming the head of our clan…" and as the male Tanken turned his gaze to the arena once more, he realized that the phantom on Kuri's left suddenly began running faster.

In a flash the real Kumiko found herself facing the snow-nin's back with a kunai ready in her hand as the one that just got wounded suddenly faded away into nothingness. "_That hag!_" Kuri only managed to curse as she jumped back while turning around in order to get away from her opponent: "_So, she predicted Kuri will manage to tell the phantoms apart and used some other trick to make her real self look like a phantom too…_" Kato conclude in his mind with a smile.

Instantly Kumiko threw the kunai in her hand at the snow-nin, which also got blocked by the huge, ice Fuuma Shuriken, which was still in Kuri's hand, but the Yuki kunoichi's eyes widen as she realize that the knife she just blocked and which began falling to the floor had an explosive tag attached to it.

As the tag went off, the shuriken Kuri held in her hand shattered and broke into pieces while the snow-nin was send flying back and flipped in mid-air, landing safely on the ground. "Way to go, Kumiko-chan!" Kusari cheered from the platform, throwing his hands to the sky.

"_Damn, she broke the flight a little too early…_" the young genius cursed in her mind as the Yuki shinobi slowly stood straight again. Meanwhile, on the platform, Aisu only narrowed her eyes: "Kuri… I've expected better from you…"

"You little…" began the Snow kunoichi as she glared at her opponent while ice swords formed in her hands. And in a flash Kuri jumped forward, spinning wildly, extending her hands in the process.

As the deadly windmill came straight at her, Kumiko kneeled down and picked out her last, two kunai. Once Kuri's spinning body was close enough, the leaf-nin jumped forward flat, surprising everyone, and managed to flew under her opponent's attack, having her back cut few times however.

The moment she found herself near the floor, Kuri came to a sliding stop with Kumiko's blood covering her blades. She smiled widely as she glanced at her opponent's back, which now had several, deep cuts on it and the outfit was ripped. The young genius turned around and set her eyes onto the snow-nin, who only licked the blood off her ice swords.

At this point Yamazaru got slightly excited and made a step forward, almost as if he wanted to jump down to the arena and join the 'fun'. Once more Yari had to make a great effort to calm him down and once he succeeded, he glanced onto his female teammate, who was in the middle of her fight: "_If Kuri-chan will keep on acting like that, I may not be able to hold him down much longer…_" he thought to himself as his eyes narrowed.

Meanwhile, at the same time, Takai's body shook slightly from the excitement as well. Torune, who was now standing next to the scythe user gulped quietly as a single drop of sweat run down her face: "_He's really starting to loose it… that other side of his…I don't want him to go crazy like that time…_" and with that she shivered at the memory.

"Yeah, that was good!" cheered Tarakudo, who was now standing on his hands and clapped with his feet. "I like that Snow girl already!" he announced with a satisfactory voice, while Dekai merely glanced at him and then turned to the arena once more. His eyes narrowed as he observed Kumiko, whose grip on her kunai tightened.

"_It all settles now!_" the leaf-nin decided as she suddenly threw one of her kunai at Kuri's right shoulder and immediately reached for her final shuriken. The Yuki shinobi only smiled as she dodged the attack by moving to her left. Kumiko only charged forward with her other knife ready.

As the distance between the two kunoichi shortened, the young genius swung her kunai at Kuri's throat, only to have it blocked with the ice blade that the snow-nin carried in her left hand. In a flash the Yuki girl aimed to pierce Kumiko's stomach with her other blade, yet surprising most of the people gathered in the room, the other female stopped that assault by hitting the blunt side of the sword with her foot and thus making the transparent weapon flew out of her opponent's hand.

Without wasting a second Kumiko retreated her kunai and aimed another attack at the snow-nin's throat, yet the Yuki shinobi managed to avoid the assault by moving aside while spinning on her left foot. Before the young genius noticed, her opponent was already behind her and prepared to cut off her head.

In an instant Kumiko bended over, making the ice blade which Kuri swung at her go above her head and the moment it did so, the young genius turn around and threw her shuriken at the snow-nin's face. Acting on instinct, the Yuki girl jumped back, thus making the shinobi star flying right before her eyes without causing her any harm, yet she wasn't prepared for what was coming.

"_Gotcha!_" Kumiko thought with a smile as she performed a quick hand seals. It was only then that Kuri realize she stood right next to the kunai her opponent stuck in the floor earlier. And that kunai had an explosive tag attached to it. By performing the 'ignition seal', the young genius activated the tag, giving the snow-nin only enough time to jump back to avoid serious damage.

As the tag went off, smoke covered most of the area around Kuri. Having no way to see, the Yuki girl performed hand seals of her own and in a flash a shield of ice appeared on her free hand. Once the smoke cleared, she searched for Kumiko with her eyes and located the other kunoichi charging right at her from her left.

"You just lost your chance…" announced Kuri with a smile as she ran towards her opponent with her sword ready. It was only then that she noticed Kumiko had one hand hidden behind her back and before she realized what was going on, the young genius threw whatever she carried in that hand before her. It was her only flash bomb.

Kuri's eyes widen as she the incoming bomb was a bit off-track and then realized what was going on a second too late. "_That b…_" she only managed to think as the bomb exploded with light, completely blinding her.

After a second she blinked her eyes several times, but that wasn't helping at all. In was then that Kumiko's voice came from behind her: "One of the basic laws of shinobi: always use your enemies strength against them… you sealed your own faith…"

"Those mirrors you created when you used those smoke bombs…" the leaf-nin continued calmly as she came close to her opponent's back. "I realized that only your reflection was shown in them and it got me thinking why that was so. And then it hit me that it was all about the angle they were under: dependable on which side they're turned to, they'd deflect certain things… that gave me the idea. Back when you used them, I only broke one of them…"

"You…" Kuri's eyes widen at the realization, yet she still could not see a thing. "When you charged at me and I at you, there was my mirror between us!"

"Preciously…" Kumiko nodded calmly. "I've located myself in a way so that neither of us would get reflected in it. The light bomb itself isn't that powerful, but funny thing about glass is that when used correctly, it can concentrate light and make it stronger… when my light bomb exploded near your mirror, the flash was much more powerful then it should've been. The fact that your creations are transparent became the nail to your own coffin… you didn't saw your own mirror…"

"So that kunai with the explosive tag…" concluded Kuri, still blind. "It was just a distraction to cover yourself from me… once you charged forward, I was too busy to noticed that there's a mirror between us!"

"Exactly…" Kumiko nodded again. "Everything I did since my statement that I'll finish this in five minutes was to bring you to the place I left my explosive tag and use the moment when smoke will cover your sight for a short while to 'put' the mirror between us… that flash was only suppose to blind your for a short while, so that I would have enough time to do this…" and so she went through a series of hand seals: "Odori no Sendo!" and in the next moment Kuri collapsed to the floor, screaming.

Lee immediately appeared next to her and after a short examination, he announced: "Winner: Murasakki Kumiko!" and as the young genius headed back to the platform, the fuzzy eye-browed jounin glanced at Kuri, who was taken away by the medics: "_She used a pretty powerful genjutsu just now… but what's more, with good tactics, she managed to make a harmless flash bomb a dangerous weapon… that flash was so strong that even though I closed my eyes in time, I still got slightly effected by it… no wonder that Snow girl became defenseless after that flash hit her eyes…_"

"Go girl!" Tobane cheered from the platform as she threw her hands to the sky and then rubbed her eyes slightly: "She could give us some kind of heads up though… I still see spots before my eyes…" Taka only glanced at the young genius and narrowing his eyes behind his mask, he only thought to himself: "_Those brats are interesting…_"

Hizoku just smiled under his nose at his teammates behavior. His eyes then set on Kai and then narrowed before he turn away. "Nice job, Kumiko!" Kai complimented his companion as she reached the rest of her cell.

"That's my Kumiko-chan!" announced Kusari as he held out his hands in the attempt to hug the kunoichi, but just then he received a powerful kick in the stomach from the young genius: "Stay back…" and with that she gave him a dead glare. But a second later she smiled and thanked her companions.

"I heard that love can hurt, but this is getting slightly overboard…" whined the chain master as he held his stomach. Takaru only sweat dropped at the whole situation. He took a quick glance at Naruto, who simply shrugged with a wide smile on his face.

"Well, this was boring…" stated Youji annoyed. "When's my turn, dammit?" and with that she glared at Nazaa, making the redhead boy take few steps back, a little scared. Ryo merely adjust his glasses as he glanced at Kumiko. "_Most interesting…_" he thought to himself with a smirk.

"Lets move on to another, elimination fight!" purposed Lee loudly, making everyone turn towards the screen again. Names began flashing before Kai's eyes at top speed, making it impossible to read them as they appeared. Seconds turned into minutes and those into hours as the young gennin awaited the choice of the ninth match participants. And then, finally, the choice was made…

_**---fate rolls the dice… who goes next?---**_

And so this chapter ends. Hope you enjoyed it.

Since this is might be the last chapter of this story, I'd like to thank everyone who read and reviewed it all this time. It's been fun and I hope you had at least as much fun reading it as I had writing it. Sorry to cut the story in a moment like this. I hope you'll understand.

Take care everyone.


	60. Inborn Talent

Well, due to the large number of responds for last time, I've decided to keep this fic going at least for the time being. But be aware that my collage work is still crushing on me and the rule about me not updating until I get reviews stays. So IF YOU WANNA KNOW WHAT HAPPENS NEXT, REVIEW.

Also, thanks to everyone who reviewed the previous chapter. I'm glad you enjoyed it and the story so far. Hope you'll like what's coming. And now to answer some of the questions mentioned in the reviews… okay, there was actually just one thing that seems like a question I can reply to:

**_The eliminations take too long. Why not put more fights into a chapter?:_** well, the whole eliminations are planned out from the very beginning (meaning who fights who, who advances, what happens during the fight). I made a quick calculation and I'll admit that the eliminations itself will take a really long time. I could try putting more fights into one chapter, but that would result in making the chapter long and thus taking me more (most likely much more) time to update then once a week. If you want, I can try doing this, it's your call, but if you want me to try, be prepared that you'll have to wait longer for the next chapter.

I believe that covers it. Now, before I start, just once more I'd like to remind you that I WON'T UPDATE UNLESS YOU REVIEW, SO IF YOU WANNA KNOW WHAT HAPPENS NEXT, REVIEW!

**Chapter #60: Inborn Talent**

**_Title Page:_** a huge tree in the middle with Rei sleeping on one side of it and Kai covering his ears in hope to block the sound of the kunoichi's snoring on the other

Kai's eyes set on the screen for a short moment and the he turned towards one of his Leaf comrades. Kitsune only took a quick glance at the screen and then gave a weak kick to a girl that was sleeping under the wall. As the kunoichi shoot him a dead glare, he only pointed the screen with his head, making his teammate realize what was going on: **KONPAKU REI versus JUNSEI TEELA**.

With a quick stretch, Rei headed towards the stairs and calmly walked down to the arena with a word. Kusari merely narrowed his eyes and then turned towards the moon-nins, who stood just few meters away. "_So it's your turn, Teela…_" he said to himself as his eyes stopped at the blue-haired girl.

"Finally something interesting…" stated Tasuki with a smirk as he glanced at his teammate. "So, how are you going to cook this one, Teela?" he asked, but the kunoichi merely threw her opponent a quick look and without showing any sign that she even listened to her companion, she jumped down to face her adversary. "_She's ignoring me again…_" the green-haired boy thought to himself annoyed as he glared after his cellmate.

"Come on Rei, we're counting on you to send that girl to the moon!" Kogane cheered for her teammate from the platform, but as she thought about it for a bit, she added quickly: "I mean the one in the sky, not her home village!"

"_It's that girl from the Konpaku clan…_" noticed Kakashi as his eyes stopped at the young Leaf kunoichi. "_This should be very interesting…_"

"Ninth match: Konpaku Rei from Konoha against Junsei Teela from Tsuki!" announced Lee loudly as the two kunoichi stood in front of each other without any emotions showing on their faces. "BEGIN!" and in a flash he jumped out of the way, yet this time it turned out to be unnecessary as none of the two girls moved an inch.

A minute has pasted and none of the kunoichi did a thing to start the match. Some of the people above really began to get annoyed: "At least move so that we'd know you're still alive!" yelled Tsume pissed as her annoyance reached its peak. However none of the kunoichi bellow seemed to listen to her.

"Well this sucks…" whined Kai as he placed his chin on the rail from boredom. "But they are going to move, right?" and with that he turned towards his teammates. Kusari rose his hand in gesture that would say he was about to reply, but then he stopped for a moment and after a short consideration, he only shrugged.

"That girl's behavior sure brings back some memories…" stated Naruto as he turned towards Shikamaru. "You sure you're not related?" he joked, making the lazy jounin shoot him a glance. Keeping his calm, the pineapple head shinobi only replied: "Rei isn't the one to act recklessly… nor does she gets into a fight that she's not positive to win…" and after a short pause, he added: "And yeah, she's not really motivated to do anything…"

"Umm, I don't want to burn down your spirits of youth, but the match has already began…" Lee reminded quietly as he moved closer to the two kunoichi. Finally Rei let out a sigh and with both sleep voice and eyes, she turned towards her opponent: "You're not gonna charge in first, are ya?" the blue-haired girl only shook her head calmly. "Me neither… but one of us will have to break sooner or later…"

"I just hope it'll happen sooner, coz I haven't ate a thing since breakfast…" announced Naginata depressed as she bonk her head against the rail. Reiji only narrowed his eyes slightly as he set them on the two girls bellow. A little further away Karame's eye twitched: "And I thought there can't be anything more boring then a chess match…"

Finally the fight truly began as Teela suddenly jumped forward and appeared right in front of Rei in a blink of an eye. Before her feet even touched the ground, the Tsuki shinobi launched a kick aimed at her opponent's head, yet the leaf-nin managed to avoid the attack by bending over.

As the kick went over her head, Rei spun on her right foot and launched a spin-kick on her own, but to her surprise it was easily blocked by Teela, who stopped the assault with her opened palm. In a flash the moon-nin pushed her opponent's leg away, making the sleepy kunoichi lose her balance and aimed an attack on her chest with an opened palm. This time however it was the Leaf shinobi who surprised her adversary as even off balance Rei managed to grab the blue-haired girl's hand before it reached its target and tossed the Tsuki ninja over her shoulder.

Instinctually Teela flipped in mid-air, landing safely on her feet few meters away from Rei. Or so she thought as the leaf-nin charged at her immediately and before the moon-nin even manage to turn around, the sleepy kunoichi was already behind her with a kunai ready in her hand.

Teela acted instantly and bending her knees slightly she hit Rei's extended hand, that was aiming to pierce through her, from below with an opened palm, thus making the leaf-nin's hand shoot up against its owner's will. The Leaf's kunoichi's eyes didn't even manage to widen in surprise as Tsuki ninja's left elbow fired straight at her and hit her hard in the stomach, making her bend to the front a little.

In a flash Teela's other hand launched another opened-palm attack, this time aimed at Rei's face, which was now closer to the floor. The sleepy kunoichi however saw that assault in time and bended back instantly, making the blue-haired girl's attack go right before her face. At this point the leaf-nin decided to counter by launching a kick in the direction her opponent stood, yet still Teela seemed to be too fast.

Before Rei even knew what happened the moon-nin deflected the incoming attack with her right knee and once she achieved that, she straightened her leg, thus delivering a powerful kick in the kisser to her opponent, which send her flying few meters away.

The leaf-nin flipped in mid-air, just like Teela did few seconds before, and upon landing on her feet, she set her eyes onto her opponent. Meanwhile, on the platform, Kumiko was stunned by the match bellow: "That Moon girl's good…" she announced impressed. "She seem to have quite an advantage in this fight…"

"Well, you're right about one thing…" stated Toku calmly without even looking at the young genius. "She seems to have an advantage… it's true that Tsuki girl's strong, but I assure you that Rei is far from losing this fight…"

"What makes you so sure?" asked Takaru curious and at this point the other boy just smiled: "Because Rei, if she wasn't so lazy, could easily become the strongest kunoichi in Konoha…" and once he said so, Tsunade's son eyes set onto the brown-haired girl who was in the middle of her match.

Suddenly Rei bite her finger. The moment she did so strange symbols began appearing on her right arm and with a quick motion, the kunoichi draw a straight line with her blood that went right through the symbols with a call: "Hijutsu: Hitokage Tougou! Aid me, Hishu!" and at that both Ibuki's and Funbo's eyes widen at the hearing of the name.

Horohoro, who noticed his teammate's behavior, turned towards him and with a questioning glance, he asked what was wrong. But the weapon master didn't reply. Hitomi shoot the young Tanken a worried look and then turn back to watching the fight bellow. Meanwhile Nobu turned towards Tasuki and with a wide smile on his face, he only said: "Well, what do you know…"

Green chakra began escaping Rei's body. Teela's eyes slightly narrowed as she stared at her opponent: "_This feeling… there's no doubt about it. This should be interesting…_" In a flash the leaf-nin reached to her hostels and picked out tens of kunai tied to one another with a thin string.

"_This is odd…_" Kokoro thought to himself as she glanced at Rei, who made a quick motion and in an instant all the knives shoot straight towards Teela. Acting on instinct the moon-nin crawled down, making the first few kunai flew above her and as more came at her, she bounced off the ground using her hands. As she flew into the air, making some of the knives that came at her fly bellow her, she flipped in mid-air and kicked the weapons that were flying at her with her feet from their blunt side, surprisingly not getting wounded even once.

As Teela landed safely on her feet, Rei was already behind her, carrying a metal chain with small spikes all over it in her hand. With a quick swing on her hand, the chain came right at the blue-haired girl's back, moving like it wanted to wrap around the Tsuki kunoichi. The moon-nin acted immediately and while jumping into the air, she somehow managed to grab the Leaf shinobi's chain without getting her hand pierced by any of the spikes and spun in mid-air, taking Rei, who still held the chain, with her.

As Rei's feet left the ground, the leaf-nin let go of her weapon and once she began falling head first towards the floor, she flipped and now facing Teela, who also started to come near the floor, she threw several shuriken straight at her. Having no way to dodge in mid-air, the Tsuki shinobi did the only thing she could to avoid the assault; she swung the chain she held in her hand, deflecting every, single one of the shinobi stars that came at her with it.

As both kunoichi landed safely on the ground, Teela threw away the chain, her face still as emotionless as it was at the beginning of the fight. Taka merely smiled under his nose as he observed the fight from the platform.

"I don't get it…" announced Taki, slightly confused. "That Rei girl used some sort of ninjutsu technique, but I don't see any effect… and what was that green chakra from before?" and with that she turned towards her teammates. Akira, who stood nearest to her, replied almost immediately, turning his face at her: "I wouldn't be so sure… something's different… her chakra flow and it specific… it's not the same as it was at the beginning of this match…"

"What does it mean?" asked Galu curiously as he glanced at the blind gennin with his arms crossed. The older boy didn't turned to him however. He only lowered his head slightly as he replied: "I don't know… but it's almost as if she was a different person…"

"She is…" Hanamaru cut in as he ate some more chips. At this point Senkou glanced at him confused with his eyebrows raised: "She's not herself? What, she's schizophrenic or something?" he asked, but it wasn't the chubby boy who answered his question. It was Ibuki:

"When she performed that technique it got me wondered…" announced the young assassin as a single drop of sweat run down her face. "She mentioned the name Hishu, which sounded familiar… my father's brother carried the exact same name… he died during an assassination mission, several years ago, so I never got to know him, but I heard he used a very specific weapon… one that wasn't used by anyone else in the Leaf…"

"And that was…" rushed Kai as his teammate felt silent for a moment. The weapon mistress glanced at him with her eyes narrowed and then replied slowly: "A chain filled with spikes…"

"A chain filled with spikes?" repeated Mikka as her eyes widen. "But that's the same…" she began, but never got to finish as Kitsune cut in: "That's Rei's bloodline limit… her clan isn't too well-known, but it's rumored that it grew out of the Yamanaka family…"

"What's that got to do with anything?" asked Takaru curious, not sure what his companion meant. And it was at this time that Toku joined the conversation: "The Yamanaka are known for being able to take control over their opponent's body by using their chakra combined with their soul… I'm not sure how this works, but I don't suppose it matters… the thing is that Rei's clan is capable of using other people souls in stead of their own…"

"What's that suppose to mean?" asked Kai completely confused. Toku only let out a sigh as Kitsune decided to answer the blonde's question this time: "To put it simply Konpaku clan can make an alliance with the souls of the dead… that way, by integrating with them, they are capable of using the techniques of the people they make a pact with…"

"So it's something like a Konoha version of hitokugutsu…" Hari concluded calmly as she set her eyes on Rei. Kai only glanced at her, still not understanding any of it: "Hito-what?" he asked, making the blonde kunoichi let out a sigh before replying: "It's a special technique used by the most skilled Suna puppeteers… it allows the puppet users to transform the human body into a doll, thus creating a puppet with chakra inside… the puppet can use any technique known to it from the time before it became a doll…"

"So you mean Rei-chan is currently using the soul of that Hishu dude like the puppeteers used hitokugutsu?" Kusari asked, confused almost as much as Kai. Kitsune only shook his head in disagreement before he replied: "Not exactly… it's more that she placed his soul inside herself and thus learned all the techniques known to him before he died… you might say that currently she's consisted of two people: one is herself and the other is Tanken Hishu…" Funbo only narrowed his eyes as that announcement reached his ears. Takai, who also heard it, only smiled under his nose.

"This is really scary…" stated Kumiko as shivers run down her spine. "It's almost as if she was some sort of a necromancer from those fantasy stories… it's something like that other Tsuki guy did during his fight with Galu… that blue-haired girl is basically facing two opponents now…"

"Not quite…" corrected Kogane with a smile. "You haven't seen anything yet…" and as she said so the Leaf gennin turned their sight towards Rei, who once more bite her finger. The same symbol as before began appearing on her arm, only this time on her left one and as the young kunoichi once more drew a straight line, going through the symbols, she called out: "Hijutsu: Hitokage Tougou! Aid me… Hiashi!"

_**---unique power unleashed… battle continues---**_

And that's it for this time. Hope you enjoyed it and that you'll review, otherwise I won't update.

It's been a while since I had a chance to do this, so here's another jutsu encyclopedia:

_Hijutsu: Hitokage Tougou_ (Secret Skill: Soul Integration) – a special technique, used only by the Konpaku clan. By performing a special ritual, the member of the clan can form an alliance with the soul of a dead person. By doing so, the user gets a possibility to integrate his or hers body with the soul they made an alliance with and by doing so, the user can use any technique performed by the person who's soul he/she used.

And to wrap this up, here's the list of all the participants of the eliminations (updated, naturally):

**Konoha #7:** Murasakki Kumiko, Tanken Ibuki, Gekido Takaru, Hagane Kusari, Haisha Kai

**Konoha #3:** Konpaku Rei, Rikoteki Kogane, Amagasa Toku, Debano Kitsune, Gusoku Hanamaru

**Konoha #4:** Igaku Mikka, Inuzuka Tsume, Benda Kokoro, Hatake Senkou, Kobushi Galu

**Konoha:** Hamano Taki, Hyuuga Hitomi, Manako Akira, Tanken Funbo, Horohoro

**Suna #1:** Aoru, Torune, Honemaru, Tarakudo, Takai

**Suna #2:** Sabaku no Sabure, Hari, Dekai, Horamaru, Karame

**Kusa:** Hokku Tobane, Kanraku Nezumi, Kuchibashi Taka, Kyohaku Tokame, Wanabi Hizoku

**Ame:** Kasano Youji, Nokogiri Karei, Eshaku Ryo, Furikuzu Tsuino, Hebereke Nazaa

**Bakufu:** Azarashi Kawa, Tora Miaka, Abura Tetsu, Makko Shita

**Tsuki:** Junsei Teela, Tenka, Chishio Nobu, Kihako Tasuki

**Hane:** Naginata, Ono Reiji, Sentou

**Yuki:** Nadare Aisu, Sarumaru Yari, Urufu Kato, Yamazaru

**Kumori:** Kyuu

And with that, this chapter really ends. Hope you enjoyed it.

Take care and until next time, hopefully.


	61. Three Souls

TADAM! I'm back with another chapter of "Naruto: Next Generation"! Collage is still on my back and just won't get off, but I somehow managed to dig enough free time to finish this. However I still have a lot of things to do for collage, so the rule that I WON'T UPDATE UNLESS I GET REVIEWS stays, I'm afraid.

As usual I'd like to thank everyone who reviewed the previous chapter. It's good to know you guys are still enjoying the story and I hope you'll like what's coming. Since most questions for last time concerned Rei's ability and her call at the end of the previous chapter… well, all you have to do is read this and you'll basically know everything.

With that said, I believe the only thing left for me to do is to get on with it:

**Chapter #61: Three Souls**

**_Title Page:_** Rei is laying on the ground, propping her back on the gravestone and is staring to the sky, while souls in the form of small, white balloons, are flying around her

"Hijutsu: Hitokage Tougou!" Rei called out as she drew a straight line that came through the symbols on her left arm with her blood. "Aid me Hiashi!" and the second she said so, Hinata's eyes widen in surprise: "_H… Hiashi?_"

In the next moment the lazy girl went into her fighting style: she bended her knees slightly and leaned forward, extending her right hand out front, near the floor and her left hand behind her back. Hitomi instantly recognized the position she took: "_But… that's impossible!_" she thought to herself completely surprised as a single drop of sweat run down her face.

"_This fighting stance_…" Teela narrowed her eyes slightly as she set them onto her opponent. "_I've heard about it… it's the Jyuken. But I thought the only people capable of using it were the Hyuuga… could she…_" but at this Rei charged straight at her, interrupting her trail of thought.

In a flash the leaf-nin launched an attack with an opened palm, aimed at the blue-haired girl's chest. Before the attack connected however, Teela managed to make a quick motion and hitting Rei's wrist with the tip of her hand, she put it off track, thus making her opponent's assault miss its target.

Rei acted immediately however and attacked with her, other hand, this time from bellow, aiming at the moon-nin's chin this time, yet also this time Teela was quicker and after grabbing her opponent's hand by the wrist, she twisted it, making the Leaf shinobi eyes widen as her body moved on its own, in order to avoid getting her hand broken. Before she knew it, Rei was already flipping in the air and landed hard on her back.

Without wasting a second, the leaf-nin used her hands to bounce off the floor and instantly got back to her feet. In a fraction of a second she spun on her foot and launched both her hands at her opponent's back, in both cases with the extended middle and index finger. The first attack, with her left hand, was aimed at her adversary's head, while the assault with her right hand went straight at her spine.

However Teela felt her opponent perfectly and in a flash she reached with her right hand over her left shoulder, grabbing Rei's left hand by the wrist yet again and putting some effort into it, she pulled the leaf-nin forward. As the Konoha kunoichi lost her balance and uncontrollably took several steps forward, the Moon girl acted immediately and landed a powerful blow into her chest with an opened palm of her left hand.

As Rei was send flying back slightly, she gathered chakra in her right palm and throwing her right hand forward, she called out: "Hakke Kuushou!" and acting on instinct, Teela jumped back. As it turned out, she made the right choice as less then a moment after she did so, the floor in the place she stood went into pieces.

In a flash Teela pulled out two kunai and threw them straight at Rei, who was in mid-air. However as the knives came close to he, a strange, chakra sphere suddenly appeared around the leaf-nin. As the incoming weapons stopped on it, the kunoichi began spinning and as both knives suddenly got blown away, she just called out: "Hakke Shou Kaiten!"

"Go girl!" Kogane cheered from the platform as her teammate landed safely on her feet. She then turned towards Takaru, who stood right next to her: "I assure you, Takaru-kun, that I'll do even better!"

The son of Tsunade only glanced at her, keeping his arms crossed, sweat dropping. He then looked to his right at Kumiko in hope to get some help from her, but the young genius only smiled evilly and shrugged, showing him 'what can I do'. Before the scar-face even manage to throw her a death glare, Kogane wrapped his arm and began making big eyes to him. Kusari, who stood right behind the two, only exchange glances with Kai, before they both burst out laughing seeing Takaru's face, which seemed to say 'somebody kill me'.

"I must admit that I'm impressed…" stated Senkou, who made nothing of the whole fuss around Takaru and just kept on observing Rei bellow. Hanamaru only smiled as he placed more, potato chips in his mouth: "From the way she acts you'd never thought she's that good, would you?" he asked the masked boy. But as the son of Hokage glanced at him, the chubby gennin continued: "Rei has an inborn talent… people say that in the entire history of her clan no-one had so much potential… however, she is who she is… she's lazy and unmotivated… if she'd work a bit harder, that Moon girl would already be out cold…"

"_So true…_" Shikamaru only let out a sigh at hearing his subordinate's comment. And just then he noticed Naruto was staring at him with a wide smile. With a single drop of sweat, the lazy jounin just told him, turning back towards the fight bellow: "Not a word…"

"Most interesting…" stated Nobu with a smile as he once more turned towards his teammate. "I thought you said it takes a lot of time to master integration with a soul and yet that Leaf girl is only around twelve years old… this sure makes you look pathetic…"

"You know very little…" Tasuki shoot back calmly. "So she managed to make an alliance with two souls… it's not gonna give her much since she's only using one-fifth of the souls full power at best… she only knows the skills souls she possessed used, but she has no idea how to perform them with the highest efficiency…" Tenka didn't react to the conversation in any way. She just glanced at her teammates and then returned to observing the match bellow.

Rei charged at Teela once more and launched another attack with her opened palm at her opponent's face. Acting on instinct, the moon-nin bended to her right, thus making the Leaf kunoichi's attack go right next to her face, and launched the attack with an opened palm of her own.

In an instant Rei used her other hand to knock her opponent's assault of track by hitting Teela's hand with an opened palm in the wrist. However the moment her attack failed, the Moon kunoichi bended over and spun around, aiming to swipe the leaf-nin off her feet by attacking with her leg.

Acting on instinct, Rei jumped into the air, however that turned out to be a mistake as Teela kept on spinning and after turning the whole 360 degree, she simply raised the leg she tried to swipe the leaf-nin off her feet with and landed a powerful kick into the Konoha shinobi's stomach, sending her flying back once more.

Surprisingly for Teela however, Rei instantly flipped in mid-air and placed her hands on the floor. In a flash, she spun on her hands and aimed a kick into the moon-nin's face, yet the blue-haired girl managed to block the assault in time by using her left hand. Immediately the Tsuki kunoichi launched another attack with an opened palm into her opponent's back and as the attack connected, the Leaf shinobi was send flying away regardless.

Seeing no, other choice, Rei flipped in mid-air while she bite both her thumbs. As she did so, symbols Teela knew all too well appeared, this time on both her hands, and in a fraction of a second, the Leaf kunoichi repeated the same motion she did earlier: "Hijutsu: Hitokage Tougou! Aid me… Naraku!" and with that she came to a sliding stop and glared at the blue-haired girl. The Moon-nin only narrowed her eyes at the turn of events.

"_She managed to form an alliance with three souls at her age…_" Teela concluded in her mind, though her face stayed emotionless. "_But didn't Tasuki said that it took around five years to master one soul integration?_"

"What the hell?" asked Kai as he looked around. "Just how many souls can she use?" noticing the blonde's confusion, Kitsune only smiled under his nose before replying: "Three, so this one is basically the last one… however it's also the most powerful of the three… to be honest, I can't recall Rei using it until now… but since she did, that Moon girl can consider herself defeated…"

"_So this is Rei's power… truly scary…_" Kusari thought as he glanced at Konpaku's heiress. "_Will you manage to win regardless, Teela-chan?_" and with that the chain master set his eyes onto the blue-haired girl.

"_Well, even with all this…_" Toku thought to himself with worry in his eyes as he looked at his teammate that was in the middle of a fight. "_At her current level Rei is capable of using just one soul at the time and it drains a lot of chakra from her… plus she's not able to use the techniques her souls used on the same level… this match may not be over yet…_"

Suddenly Rei went through a set of hand seals and with the last symbols she took a deep breath before letting out air. Teela's eyes only widen as a powerful ball of fire came right at her, escaping her opponent's mouth: "Katon: Doragon no Kokyuu!"

Having no way to dodge, Teela acted on instinct and releasing chakra from her body, she began spinning. In a flash the air around her began spinning wildly as well, creating a small tornado. And then fire covered the moon-nin. As the flames burnt down, all the spectators saw the blue-haired girl standing as she was with few, small burns around her body and breathing slightly heavier then she was before.

"_Such powerful technique…_" Ibuki thought to herself as she glanced at the two kunoichi that were currently fighting. "_Not only did Rei was able to unleash so much fire, but that Moon girl managed to created a strong enough wind current to blow the flames in every direction in such a short among of time… those two… are dangerous!_"

"Oh, you actually managed to avoid serious damage…" noticed Rei with her usual, not carrying voice. "It's a bit troublesome, coz I was hoping this will be the final blow…"

"Sorry to disappoint you then…" Teela replied calmly, her face still emotionless. "But no harm done really… it's getting slightly tiresome for me as well… I suppose I should finish this soon… best prepare yourself, coz I won't be holding back…" and as she said so, she went through a series of hand seals.

"Well then, allow me to do the same…" Rei responded and began a chain of hand seals of her own. Both kunoichi finished at the same time and with the last symbol, the leaf-nin called out, letting out a huge among of fire from her mouth: "Katon: Kasai Tsunami no Jutsu!"

In the exact, same moment, huge among of water escaped Teela's mouth as the Tsuki girl called out: "Suiton: Mizu Hebi no Jutsu!"

_**---two powers collide… and the outcome is?---**_

And with that this chapter ends. Hope you enjoyed it.

Now, time for the usual, jutsu encyclopedia:

_Katon: Doragon no Kokyuu_ (Fire Element: Dragon Breath) – jutsu originally used by Naraku, one of the souls Rei possessed. Basically you might say it another version of Uchiha's Grand Fireball Skill. The main difference is that this technique is weaker, however at the same time it also requires less chakra to perform.

_Katon: Kasai Tsunami no Jutsu_ (Fire Element: Fire Tidal Wave Skill) – another technique originally used by Naraku, who's one of Rei's souls. Basically the user first gathers chakra in his mouth (like in the previous case) and then, by using the right hand seals, releases it in the form of fire. Once the flames escape the user's mouth, they form into a huge wave of fire, that charges straight at the target, burning everything in its way.

_Suiton: Mizu Hebi no Jutsu _(Water Element: Water Snake Skill) – technique used by Teela. In a way it's similar to Zabuza's Water Dragon Blast. The main difference is that to perform this jutsu the user don't need any nearby water source and the liquid he creates shapes itself like a snake in stead of a dragon. The technique however is weaker then the one performed by the swordsman.

Also, as usual, here's the list of the gennin that are still in the game (underlined are the characters that already won their battles and those who don't appear on the list were taken away by medics):

**Konoha #7:** Murasakki Kumiko, Tanken Ibuki, Gekido Takaru, Hagane Kusari, Haisha Kai

**Konoha #3:** Konpaku Rei, Rikoteki Kogane, Amagasa Toku, Debano Kitsune, Gusoku Hanamaru

**Konoha #4:** Igaku Mikka, Inuzuka Tsume, Benda Kokoro, Hatake Senkou, Kobushi Galu

**Konoha:** Hamano Taki, Hyuuga Hitomi, Manako Akira, Tanken Funbo, Horohoro

**Suna #1:** Aoru, Torune, Honemaru, Tarakudo, Takai

**Suna #2:** Sabaku no Sabure, Hari, Dekai, Horamaru, Karame

**Kusa:** Hokku Tobane, Kanraku Nezumi, Kuchibashi Taka, Kyohaku Tokame, Wanabi Hizoku

**Ame:** Kasano Youji, Nokogiri Karei, Eshaku Ryo, Furikuzu Tsuino, Hebereke Nazaa

**Bakufu:** Azarashi Kawa, Tora Miaka, Abura Tetsu, Makko Shita

**Tsuki:** Junsei Teela, Tenka, Chishio Nobu, Kihako Tasuki

**Hane:** Naginata, Ono Reiji, Sentou

**Yuki:** Nadare Aisu, Sarumaru Yari, Urufu Kato, Yamazaru

**Kumori:** Kyuu

And that's really it. Hope you enjoyed it and that you'll leave me a review before going.

Take care and until next time!


	62. Desert Wind

Yup, it's me again. This time I'll make this short: thanks to everyone who reviewed the previous chapter. It really means a lot. I hope I've replied everyone via e-mail, but if I missed anyone, then sorry… it's just that a lot of things are on my head right now, including a very unpleasant, family situation, and lately I've just been walking like I was half asleep.

Now, as before, I WON'T UPDATE UNLESS I GET REVIEWS, however I should also warn you that the next chapter might take longer then usual and that's mostly because my grandma's condition has gotten REALLY bad… basically nothing can be done anymore and… well, I guess you can figure the rest.

And now, without further to do, here's another chapter of my "Naruto: Next Generation":

**Chapter #62: Desert Wind**

**_Title Page:_** Temari is propping her right hand on Shikamaru's shoulder while she holds her opened fan in her other hand

"Katon: Kasai Tsunami no Jutsu!" Rei called out as a large among of fire escaped her mouth and formed itself into a huge tidal wave. At the same time Teela let out a yell: "Suiton: Mizu Hebi no Jutsu!" and water burst out from between her lips, taking a shape of a powerful snake with long and sharp teeth.

As the two attacks collide, tons of steam covered the whole arena, making it impossible to see a thing. After a short moment the air cleared slightly and all the spectators saw both kunoichi standing in the same place they did before executing their technique, each glaring at their opponent. Rei breathed heavily as she narrowed her eyes slightly. Teela kept an emotionless expression on her face, yet she had her eyes narrowed as well.

"Didn't thought you'll manage to counter that attack…" announced Rei calmly as she let out a sigh. "You're a really tiresome opponent… sorry Hishu… Hiashi… Naraku… you did good, but I'm afraid this is my limit…" and after a short pause, she added: "I give up…"

As the lazy girl's word reached the platform, Kai's grip on the rail tightened: "What? Why the hell is she giving up all of a sudden? She had that Moon girl cornered!" but Kitsune only shook his head in disagreement: "Soul integration requires great among of chakra to both perform and maintain… I suppose she used most of it by now and she just doesn't have any strength left… to skip the fact that this blue-haired girl seemed to be unaffected by any of her previous attacks… dragging this any longer would most certainly be pointless…"

"_To skip the fact that her motivation leaves a lot to wish for…_" Shikamaru added in his head as he let out a sigh. But as the lazy jounin lowered his head while shaking it, Rei spoke up again, drawing Teela's attention, who was already heading back towards the platform: "However I promise you this: the next time we'll meet, I'll be much stronger…" and at this point even the moon-nin couldn't help but smile as she nodded slightly.

"I'll hold you to it…" Teela responded before jumping onto the platform. Lee only glanced after the Tsuki kunoichi before he announced loudly: "Winner: Junsei Teela!" and then he looked at Rei, who was slowly walking up the stairs: "_But this girl… even with the soul integration it's pretty surprising she managed to mimic the Hyuuga movement with such precision… with a little training, she could surpass even Tsunade herself!_" and then he once more raised his voice: "Lets move on to another elimination match!" and again the names began to appear and disappear on the screen.

"_So Teela won in the end…_" Kusari concluded in his head with a worried expression showing on his face. He lowered his sight slightly, thus attracting Kumiko's attention: "Is something wrong?" she asked her teammate, yet the chain user didn't say a word.

"Nice fight…" stated Senkou, glancing at Rei the moment she reached the platform. The lazy girl only threw him a quick look and with a short 'thanks' she settled under the wall and went back to sleep. "You could at least pretend that you care about anything!" yelled Kogane at her teammate's behavior, but calmed down after a short moment and with a sigh, she said to no-one in particular: "Why do I even try?" and then her sight trailed back towards the screen, where the new pair of contestants was already chosen: **NAGINATA versus TORUNE**.

"Finally, how long can you wait?" announced Torune with a relief as she jumped over the rail and landed right next to Lee. Takai only glanced after his teammate and then narrowed his eyes slightly with his face still emotionless and his arms crossed.

"Hey, look, Torune's next…" noticed Karame with a smirk appearing behind his bandages. "This may be fun…" he added. Sabure didn't reply. She merely glanced at Takai for a split second and then turned back to observing the Sand kunoichi that was about to fight. Dekai only let out a sigh at his companions behavior, yet said nothing.

"_It's another of those sand-nins from before the exams…_" Horohoro thought to himself as his eyes narrowed while they set on Torune. Taki noticed that, but she just stopped on glancing at her teammate and then watched as the blonde Suna shinobi made her way towards the center of the ring bellow, where Lee stood.

"Took them long enough to choose me…" whined Naginata as she headed towards the stairs, but she got stopped by Sentou, who placed his metal arm on her shoulder: "That blonde is the teammate of that weird guy who defeated Futatsu… You should watch out…"

"You don't really think I'll lose to some small fry, do you?" the redhead shoot back before continuing walking. Reiji just glanced behind her and shook his head before turning back to observing the arena, where the next fight was about to begin.

Shikamaru exchanged glances with Temari as the two kunoichi stood at the center of the ring, waiting for Lee to start the fight. Toku noticed that, but decided to say nothing. "Tenth match: Torune from Suna against Naginata from Kane!" announced the Green Beast loudly. "Ready and… BEGIN!"

Immediately Naginata jumped forward, picking out her staff. Before she knew it, Torune was forced to retreat while blocking the metal-nin's furious attacks with the metal protectors she had on her hands. Suddenly the redhead girl bended her knees slightly and attacked the blonde's legs in the attempt to swipe her opponent of her feet.

Acting on instinct, Torune jumped up and flipping in mid-air, she located her body in the way her legs were above her head. In a flash she grabbed Naginata's weapon with her hand and launched a kick into her opponent's face, but to her great surprise, the metal-nin managed to block that assault by suddenly separating her staff into two parts and placing the part the Suna shinobi wasn't holding in the blonde leg's way.

As Torune froze for a split second in mid-air, Naginata threw her hands to her sides, thus pushing the blonde away. The sand-nin once more flipped and managed to land safely on the ground, but it was then that she noticed the redhead was charging at her again, this time with two sticks in her hands.

Aoru narrowed her eyes as she observed the fight from the platform. She didn't even paid any attention to Tarakudo, kept on emitting strange sounds, showing that he was enjoying the match bellow, nor to Takai, who stood with his arms still crossed and not even bothering to watch the battle. The redhead girl glanced to her left, where Honemaru stood. The white-haired boy also threw her a look, but his face shown no emotions, as always: "_They'll never change…its actually pretty scary, especially considering who they are…at times like this I wonder if Kazekage-sama made the right decision…_"

Meanwhile Naginata reached Torune and brought the stick she held in her right hand down, aiming to hit the top of her opponent's head. In a flash the sand-nin jumped back, thus avoiding the attack and making the stick hit the floor where she just stood a moment ago. Without wasting a second the redhead swung her other stick at the blonde, but the Suna kunoichi managed to block the assault with her hand by using the metal protector on it.

Before Naginata could react to that, Torune grabbed her by the shirt and tossed the redhead over her shoulder. As the metal-nin flew towards the other end of the ring, the blonde performed a quick set of hand seals and suddenly a powerful wind began blowing beneath her feet.

In a fraction of a second Torune got blown several feet into the air and picked out a scroll in the process. As she was spinning wildlydue to the tornado that shoot her to the air, she bite her finger and draw a quick symbol on the scroll she just unwrapped. Meanwhile, down bellow, Naginata flipped in mid-air and landed safely on her feet.

"_A wind user…_" Ibuki realized as her eyes narrowed while following the blonde kunoichi. She then took a quick glance Funbo, who surprisingly smirked under his nose. The older Tanken noticed his sister stare and widen his smirk even more. The weapon mistress didn't needed anything else. She knew perfectly what her sibling was thinking. And this one time, she had to agree with him.

With rage in her eyes, Naginata looked around in order to spot her adversary, but Torune was nowhere in sight. It was then that she noticed a shadow falling on the floor from above and as she looked up, she saw the blonde kunoichi drawing the last line on her scroll, thus finishing whatever it was she was planning.

As the word on the scroll was complete, Torune went through a quick set of hand seals and with the last symbol she called out: "Fuuton: Kamaitachi no Jutsu!" and in a flash a powerful tornado flew right from the scroll she still held in her hand, right at the surprised metal-nin.

"_Kamaitachi?_" Lee's eyes widen as he recalled the name of the technique. "_But isn't that Temari-san's skill? And wasn't it impossible to perform without that huge fan of hers?_" and as he thought that the tornado hit the surprised Naginata, lifting her into the air and cutting her skin in several places, making the redhead girl cry out in pain.

A second later the Kane kunoichi felt to the floor, tornado that hit her already gone. As she hit the ground, Lee immediately appeared next to her. The green Beast realized that the girl was unconscious and still a little surprised, he stood up and glancing at the blonde he announced: "Winner: Torune from Suna!"

"Look at that, she actually won…" stated Horamaru with a wicked smile as he licked his lips. Hari only shook her head slightly before announcing: "You're sounding almost like you believed that there was any chance for Torune to lose…"

"Well…" began Horamaru with a big smirk as he observed Torune, who already headed towards her teammates. "It would've been so much more interesting if she did… wouldn't it?" and with that he turned towards the puppeteer, once more licking his lips.

"You're really disgusting…" announced Hari, slightly annoyed, before she looked away from her companion. Tsuino only narrowed his eyes as he took a quick look at the blonde girl, then turned towards Torune, only to finish his sight tour on Naginata, who was already being taken away by the medics: "_This battle didn't even seem to cost her a thing, though this whole time she was on the defensive… those sand-nins are strong…_"

"And just when I started to like that stick girl…" whined Funbo with a smirk. Hitomi only glanced at her teammate and with a little irritated voice, she responded: "Considering she's using the same weapon you are, I'm sure you two would be happy together…"

"Before your flame of youth will distinguish, lets move on to another match!" purposed Lee and once again everyone's eyes turned towards the screen. In just a blink of an eye the names stopped changing and the next pair of contestants was revealed: **WANABI HIZOKU versus YAMAZARU**.

"_Wanabi?_" Naruto's eyes widen at the name that appeared on the screen. He instantly glanced at Kakashi, who also seemed to realize the same thing he did, yet the Rokudaime didn't allow himself to show his surprise. "_So, after twenty years fate decided to play a joke on Konoha, eh?_" the blonde thought to himself as he glanced over towards the grass-nins. "_It's amazing how things can turn the way they do…_"

As the choice was made, Taka only smirked behind his mask before elbowing his teammate. The redhead only glanced at him and immediately he realized what his companion was thinking. He let out a sigh and then felt a hand landing on his right shoulder. As he turned his head in that direction, he saw Tobane smiling warmly to him: "Do your best, Hizoku-kun…"

"Yeah, keep in mind that if you still wish to do what you came here for, you need to advance to the final…" Tokame reminded him calmly with no emotions heard in his voice. Hizoku only nodded at the two and then jumped down onto the arena. "_It's him…_" was Takaru's only thought as he glanced at the redhead grass-nin.

"Well, this should be entertaining…" stated Aisu with a smirk as she looked over her shoulder at her huge teammate. Yamazaru just roared loudly, showing that he couldn't wait to begin the fight. Yari only gave his companion a worried glance as a single drop of sweat run down his face. "_He completely lost control over himself…_" the spearman realized in his head. "_This is bad… right now even talking to him is dangerous… I don't know who that grass-nin is, but one thing's for sure: he'll get crushed!_"

Kokoro's eyes widen as he took a quick glance at the huge snow-nin. He felt a single drop of sweat running down his face as his body trembled slightly. Mikka, who stood right next to him, noticed that and with a quiet: "What's wrong, Kokoro-kun?" she hoped to gain her teammate's attention, yet the blonde seemed to completely ignored her question.

In an instant Yamazaru jumped down onto the arena and landed safely on his feet, bending his knees slightly. Galu's eyes narrowed as he saw the floor crack around the helmet-wearing gennin after the snow-nin's landing. And then, without even waiting for the starting signal, the Yuki shinobi charged straight at Hizoku, aiming his mace at the grass-nin's head.

_**---the one guided by rage furiously attacks… what will become of Hizoku?---**_

And this concludes this chapter. Hope you enjoyed it and that you'll leave me a review once you're done.

**SPECIAL NOTE TO SAVE ME FROM BEING CRUCIFIX:** okay, considering the reviews for last time, I could tell most of you would prefer for Rei to win the match in stead of Teela. In my defense I can only say that the result was planned since the beginning AND such an outcome was important to the story (especially for Rei herself). Sorry guys.

There was only one technique used in this chapter, which you all should know (and yes, I know it should be "Ninpou: Kamaitachi…"), so I'll just give you a translation:

_Fuuton: Kamaitachi no Jutsu_ (Wind Element: Slashing Wind Skill)

And now once more a list of the gennin that are still in the game… notice Rei's name written in italics. That means she lost, but remained in the room to watch (well, in her case 'watch' may not be the right word) the rest of the matches:

**Konoha #7:** Murasakki Kumiko, Tanken Ibuki, Gekido Takaru, Hagane Kusari, Haisha Kai

**Konoha #3:** _Konpaku Rei_, Rikoteki Kogane, Amagasa Toku, Debano Kitsune, Gusoku Hanamaru

**Konoha #4:** Igaku Mikka, Inuzuka Tsume, Benda Kokoro, Hatake Senkou, Kobushi Galu

**Konoha:** Hamano Taki, Hyuuga Hitomi, Manako Akira, Tanken Funbo, Horohoro

**Suna #1:** Aoru, Torune, Honemaru, Tarakudo, Takai

**Suna #2:** Sabaku no Sabure, Hari, Dekai, Horamaru, Karame

**Kusa:** Hokku Tobane, Kanraku Nezumi, Kuchibashi Taka, Kyohaku Tokame, Wanabi Hizoku

**Ame:** Kasano Youji, Nokogiri Karei, Eshaku Ryo, Furikuzu Tsuino, Hebereke Nazaa

**Bakufu:** Azarashi Kawa, Tora Miaka, Abura Tetsu, Makko Shita

**Tsuki:**Junsei Teela, Tenka, Chishio Nobu, Kihako Tasuki

**Hane:** Ono Reiji, Sentou

**Yuki:** Nadare Aisu, Sarumaru Yari, Urufu Kato, Yamazaru

**Kumori:** Kyuu

And this is really it. Hope you enjoyed it and that you'll leave me a review.

Also I'd like to wish everyone MERRY CHRISTMAS and a HAPPY NEW YEAR! I don't know if I'll manage to finish the next chapter this year, so I hope you'll all have happy holidays in case I won't be able to update before the 1st of January!

Take care and jingle bells to you all!


	63. Battle Rage

Wow, I actually managed to write something before this year ended! I so rock! And I'm so modest. I'm really happy that so many of you enjoyed the previous chapter! I hope that your Christmas was good and that you all found lots of presents under your Christmas Tree.

As usual I'd like to thank everyone who reviewed the previous chapter. Glad you enjoyed it. Since many of you wanted to know how Hizoku vs. Yamazaru fight will go, all you need to do is read this chapter to find out. Also, some of you asked about Kai's match… well, I have it already planned and basically I know around which chapter it should take place. Since the question got repeated, I'll do this: I hate to be a spoiler, so those of you who prefer NOT to know anything, should skip the rest of this paragraph and for all those who want to know regardless – **SPOILER WARNING (don't read, if you prefer to find out on your own):** Kai's fight will be the 24th match of the eliminations and it should take place somewhere around the 80 chapter of the fic **SPOILER ENDS!**

And now, before I get onto the show, just a reminded that I WON'T UPDATE UNLESS I'LL BE SATISFIED WITH THE NUMBER OF REVIEWS, SO IF YOU WISH TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS NEXT: REVIEW!

**Chapter #63: Battle Rage**

**_Title Page:_** Kai is sitting on a large crate with 'danger' sign on it and is looking inside a hippopotamus mouth, holding a huge toothbrush on his shoulder

"Hey, I didn't gave you the starting signal yet!" Lee yelled as Yamazaru charged straight at Hizoku with his huge mace ready to smash the grass-nin's head. The redhead instantly jumped back, thus avoiding the mace that came from above and smashed hard into the floor where he stood only a fraction of a second ago.

Immediately Hizoku reached for his spear and dropped it down on Yamazaru's mace, thus forcing it even harder into the floor. As the huge gennin tried to lift his weapon up, he found it impossible to do. Just then the redhead used his weapon and jumped forward, still pushing his opponent's mace into the ground.

In a flash Hizoku launched a kick into the snow-nin's stomach and once the attack connected, Yamazaru bended slightly due to the impact. It was then that the grass-nin delivered another kick, this time with his other leg, into his opponent's head and landed safely on the floor, still holding the huge mace on the floor by using his spear.

Hizoku's eyes widen however as he realized his second kick didn't make the effect he wanted it to. Yamazaru seemed to be unmoved by the redhead's last assault. He just glared at him from the eye-holes of his wooden helmet and, still unable to lift his mace up, he launched a punch into the grass-nin's face. Only thanks to his reflex was the spearman able to place his weapon in the snow-nin's fist way, but still the impact made him slide slightly back, thus allowing the helmet-wearing gennin to lift up his mace and once more charge at his opponent with it in his hand.

"_Damn, that helmet guy's good…_" Hizoku thought to himself as he kept on dodging furious attacks of his opponent, backing out. "_His physical strength is really something and even though he seems like a doodle brain, with brute force alone he may corner me… blocking his attacks won't give me a thing, the only option is a counter…_"

"That helmet guy is just charging in blindly!" noticed Tsume, slightly annoyed, with Uramaru barking loudly as if an agreement. "Then you have something in common…" joked Senkou with a tiny smile appearing behind his mask. The dog kunoichi instantly snapped at this and if glare could kill, Hokage's son would be laying on the platform dead at this point. Kokoro didn't paid a lot of attention to the whole argument that took places seconds later. He just kept on observing the huge snow-nin, sweating slightly.

"Kokoro-kun, are you feeling alright?" Mikka repeated her question with even more concern in her voice. The blonde didn't even turned towards his teammate, but at least this time he decided to reply: "That helmet guy… this whole Yamazaru… he acts on instinct… he's not analyzing the situation nor is he thinking ahead, he just charges in, controlled completely by his rage… that sort of opponent… he won't stop unless you'll force him to…"

"It's more then that…" Kato cut in, gaining the two's attention, along with Kai's, who suddenly got interested. "Yamazaru is not a typical shinobi… he lives to fight, so even if he were to die, he'll keep charging forward… I don't know how good that Grass guy is, but one thing's for sure: he couldn't have got the worst opponent… isn't that right, Yari?" and with that he turned to the spearman, who stood right next to him, with a wide smile on his face. The other boy only lowered his head, yet said nothing.

"You shouldn't worry about that…" Taka announced calmly with his arms crossed. "No matter who his opponent will be, Hizoku won't lose…" and with that he narrowed his eyes, setting them on his redhead teammate, before adding in his mind: "_Especially since he has THAT thing to take care of…_"

Hizoku bended his knees, thus lowering his body at the same moment Yamazaru swung his huge mace at his head. As the massive weapon went right over his head, the redhead counterattacked and cut the snow-nin's torso shallowly, only to realize his opponent made nothing of it and was already dropping his mace down in the attempt to crush the spearman under it.

Without wasting a second Hizoku jumped flat to his forward right, making the huge mace hit the floor once again. The redhead rolled on the floor and at the very same moment he came to a stop, he found himself standing with his back turned towards his opponent's back. In a flash he spun on his foot and cut Yamazaru's back, this time deeper then before, yet also now the helmet-wearing gennin didn't seem to be effected by the attack at all as he also spun around and swung his mace at the spearman.

Hizoku instinctually jumped back, avoiding the attack, and narrowed his eyes: "_Nothing seems to work on him… that first time I held back, but the cut I left him on the back should have at least some effect… can he block his nerves in order to stop pain?_"

As his feet touched the floor, he saw Yamazaru's huge mace coming at him from above yet again. In an instant Hizoku jumped back, making the large weapon crush into the floor once more. The redhead acted immediately and breaking his flight by sticking his spear into the ground, he jumped forward and landing on the snow-nin's mace, he cut from above in an attempt to split his opponent's head in two.

However that plan completely backfired as Yamazaru only charged forward and rammed the defenseless Hizoku with his elbow, thus sending him flying back few meters. The redhead flipped in mid-air in order to land safely on his feet, yet the snow-nin was already running straight at him, again with his mace ready.

As the huge weapon came down again, Hizoku jumped to his left and flew parallel to the floor, spinning wildly in the process. As he landed on his feet, he went into a fighting position with the blade of his spear aimed at his opponent. His eyes narrowed as the helmet-wearing gennin turned towards him, breathing a little heavily, yet shaking from excitement.

Hamaru (_A/N: it's Nezumi's rat, which you most likely forgotten_) began running around Nezumi's body, searching for a hideout. Finally it found its way into her jacket and then under her shirt. The kunoichi could feel it trembling. Hanamaru, who was standing right next to the grass-nin, glanced at the girl curiously and then asked out loud: "What's wrong with him?"

"Well, Hamaru is capable of sensing people intensions…" Nezumi began explaining calmly as she stared at the place her pet hidden itself. "Whenever someone has an urge to kill or do something low, he is able to sense it in time and gets a little nervous… though I have never seen him this terrified before…"

"It's no wonder though…" Kusari cut in, without even looking at the kunoichi, as his grip on the rail tightened: "That snow-nin is really scary… it's almost as if we didn't care if he lives or die, as long as his opponent will get defeated… just like that other Yuki guy said…"

"I've heard about people like that from my father, but I always thought that they were just a fairy tale…" Ibuki announced, gaining everybody's attention. "In every fairy tale there's a grain of truth…" Akira cut in simply, but the weapon mistress didn't paid much attention to his comment and in stead, she just continued: "People who gets carried away by their rage alone, without seeing the difference between allies and enemies… such people were called berserkers…"

"Berserkers?" Kumiko repeated, slightly confused. "This isn't some stupid, fantasy story! There's no way such people exist in real world!" but the moment she said so, Aisu chuckled: "You're right, Yamazaru isn't anything like that… since he's not even human to begin with…" and as she announced that, Kai turned his gaze at her, his eyes widen:

"_He… isn't human?_" he repeated in his mind as he turned his eyes back to the arena bellow, where Hizoku was still doing his best to avoid Yamazaru's furious attacks. "_What's that suppose to mean?_"

Meanwhile the huge snow-nin swung his mace yet again, making Hizoku bend his knees slightly to avoid the assault. As the large weapon flew right above his head, the redhead spun on his foot and attacked his opponent's legs, in hope to make him lose balance. As the Kusa gennin's attack connected, Yamazaru let out a wild cry, which didn't seem to contain any pain in it, and felt to his knees loudly.

Seeing this as a rare opportunity, Hizoku kept on spinning on his foot and tried to chop the snow-nin's head off, only to realize the helmet-wearing gennin already lifted his mace up and just as fast brought it down. He huge boy missed the redhead by inches, but still the impact was so great that the air wave created in the moment when the mace hit the floor blasted the Kusa shinobi away and made him hit the wall with his back.

"Hizoku-kun!" Tobane only managed to yell with worry as she saw her teammate landing on his feet, yet holding his back with his free hand. Tokame only narrowed his eyes under his hood before glancing at Yamazaru, who was now slowly getting back to his feet.

"_Without even landing a blow on his opponent, that snow-nin still managed to inflict some damage on that redhead…_" Karei thought to herself with her eyes narrowed as she observed Yamazaru charging at Hizoku, who was still slightly shocked by the impact.

As the snow-nin swung his mace from his right down, the redhead bended over to his left, thus making the huge weapon got merely inches above his body. But this time Yamazaru acted immediately and once his first attack failed, he changed the route of his mace and made it come at the redhead again, this time aimed at the grass-nin's right side.

Hizoku, still a little dazed after hitting the wall, wasn't fast enough to react and received a powerful blow into his right side, which send him flying. Instantly he clenched his teeth to keep a cry of pain that was gathering in his mouth from coming out. "_With a single attack… how many of my ribs just broke?_" the redhead thought to himself as he flipped in mid-air and landed safely on the ground, making pain shoot from his side.

"_And so it ends…_" Kyuu thought to himself with a tiny smirk appearing on his face.

"I told you that redhead had no chances at defeating Yamazaru…" concluded Kato, crossing his arms as the helmet-wearing gennin charged at his opponent yet again. Naruto only narrowed his eyes, which were set on the grass-nin, while Takaru did the same: "It'd seem that this is it…" stated the son of Tsunade calmly,

Kai only clenched his teeth as he glanced over at the rest of the Kusa team. None of the grass-nins seemed to had the will to cheer for their teammate anymore. The blonde turned his attention back to the arena and with anger building up in him, he yelled from the bottom of his lungs: "Hizoku, for crying out loud, what are you doing?! Didn't you promise just a while ago that you won't hold back during the exams?! Finish this already!"

The redhead only glanced at the blonde for a split second and then smiled under his nose: "_Yeah, you're definitely Chitose-san's son, Kai…_" he thought to himself as the snow-nin came closer. "_And you're right, I did say that… I hate to be a liar…_" and with that he bended his knees slightly, prepared to dodge the incoming attack.

Yamazaru swung his mace parallel to the ground in the attempt to break few of Hizoku's ribs, yet the redhead simply jumped over the weapon with one, smooth motion and landed safely on top of the snow-nin's mace. The helmet-wearing gennin was so surprised he didn't manage to react in time.

In an instant Hizoku swung his spear at his opponent, aiming to cut him open. As Yamazaru noticed the redhead's weapon coming from above, he instinctually jumped back, for the first time trying to avoid the assault, yet he wasn't fast enough. While the grass-nin's blade hit the floor, ending the attack, the Yuki shinobi breathed heavily with a big cut going from the top to the bottom of his helmet.

"_I cut too shallowly…_" Hizoku realized as his eyes narrowed. For some, strange reason he felt slightly relieved: even though that snow-nin was his enemy, he didn't want to kill him. But it was then that a loud crack was heard and as the redhead set his eyes on Yamazaru, as well as everyone else gathered in the room, the wooden helmet the huge Yuki gennin wore broke in two and fell to the floor, thus revealing his face.

In an instant Hizoku took a single step back, shocked at what he saw. Galu's eyes only widen in surprise as Taki's grip on the rail tightened. Kai only swallowed his saliva loudly, realizing what was hidden behind the helmet: "_That snow-nin… what the hell?_"

_**---the mask is off… and behind it…---**_

And so this chapter ends (I know, I'm evil to end it like that). Hope you enjoyed it and that you'll leave me a review once you're done. As usual, before I'm finished, here's the list of all the gennin that are still left on the battlefield:

**Konoha #7:** Murasakki Kumiko, Tanken Ibuki, Gekido Takaru, Hagane Kusari, Haisha Kai

**Konoha #3:** _Konpaku Rei_, Rikoteki Kogane, Amagasa Toku, Debano Kitsune, Gusoku Hanamaru

**Konoha #4:** Igaku Mikka, Inuzuka Tsume, Benda Kokoro, Hatake Senkou, Kobushi Galu

**Konoha:** Hamano Taki, Hyuuga Hitomi, Manako Akira, Tanken Funbo, Horohoro

**Suna #1:** Aoru, Torune, Honemaru, Tarakudo, Takai

**Suna #2:** Sabaku no Sabure, Hari, Dekai, Horamaru, Karame

**Kusa:** Hokku Tobane, Kanraku Nezumi, Kuchibashi Taka, Kyohaku Tokame, Wanabi Hizoku

**Ame:** Kasano Youji, Nokogiri Karei, Eshaku Ryo, Furikuzu Tsuino, Hebereke Nazaa

**Bakufu:** Azarashi Kawa, Tora Miaka, Abura Tetsu, Makko Shita

**Tsuki:**Junsei Teela, Tenka, Chishio Nobu, Kihako Tasuki

**Hane:** Ono Reiji, Sentou

**Yuki:** Nadare Aisu, Sarumaru Yari, Urufu Kato, Yamazaru

**Kumori:** Kyuu

And this is really it. Hope you enjoyed it. Also, since Xmas done, I can still wish you to have a GREAT NEW YEAR'S PARTY and that the incoming year will be your best one so far!

Take care and until next time, hopefully.


	64. Behind the Mask

Welcome all in the New Year! Hope so far this whole 2007 isn't a nightmare for you guys!

Now, I know it took me longer to update then usual and sorry about that, but collage has been a total horror for me lately and basically I shouldn't even manage to finish this in another week or so. I know one thing: it won't be easy to write the next chappie till the end of the next week. But on the other hand, the number of reviews for last time left me a little disappointed, so…

Thanks to everyone who review and **SORRY** to all who I haven't replied up till now! FF seemed to screw up a little lately and I got confused in all of it (since I wrote something for my FictionPress account as well). So in case I haven't replied your review, I'm really sorry and I hope it won't happen again. Luckily, in most cases, you just wanted to know what's behind Yamazaru's helmet, so the answer is here… finally.

As usual: I WON'T UPDATE UNLESS I GET REVIEWS.

Without further to do, here's the newest chapter of "Naruto: Next Generation":

**Chapter #64: Behind the Mask**

**_Title Page:_** Ibuki dressed in a classical, ninja outfit (a black one) and is taking of her mask

As Yamazaru's helmet split in two and both parts of it felt to the floor, Kai's eyes widen in surprise: "_That snow-nin… what the hell?_" and with that his eyes set on the huge gennin's face, that was now revealed.

Hizoku took a single step back, shocked at the sight. In stead of a human face, which he expected to see, his eyes now stared at the head of a white-furred gorilla with sharp, white fangs growing from his lower jaw and a pair of bloody red eyes was watching him almost as it the glare was supposed to pierce right through him.

"What the hell is this?" demanded Kai as he pointed at Yamazaru. "What's with the King Kong? Can a monkey even be a ninja to begin with?" he asked and then glanced over to Kumiko, who only sweat dropped the moment she noticed his stare: "Why are you looking at me? What am I, a walking, shinobi encyclopedia?!" she shoot back irritated.

Just then Yamazaru charged at Hizoku again, roaring even louder then before, which send shivers down Mikka's spine. Tsume noticed that and only narrowed her eyes as she turned back to observing the match bellow: "_Well, it's no wonder she's moved by all this… above anyone gathered I know best that an opponent like that is bad news… when fighting human you can always try to predict his moves… after all, we're all thinking about winning… but while fighting a wild beast, those rules just don't fit, coz in the end you never know what it'll do… it's not logic nor emotions that push it to do this or that… it's pure instinct…_"

Yamazaru swung his huge mace right at Hizoku. The redhead acted immediately and bended over, placing his spear onto his back and only thanks to that did he managed to avoid getting his spine break as the snow-nin's mace got deflected by the Kusa shinobi's weapon. The spearman instantly counter attacked and this time it was him who swung his weapon at his opponent, but to his great surprise, the huge gorilla suddenly jumped up and flipping in mid-air, he landed behind the young Wanabi.

"_Why start dodging all of a sudden?_" Tobane's eyes widen at the sight, while Yamazaru was already swinging his mace again, aiming at his opponent's back. Hizoku however reacted in a flash and spun around on his foot, launching his spear, yet this time he wasn't aiming to pierce the huge gennin. This time, his weapon pierced right through the gorilla's huge mace.

"Enough child's play…" he announced annoyed as he spun on his foot again and having the blade of his weapon stuck deep into Yamazaru's mace, the snow-nin felt his weapon trying to escape his hands. In a flash the Yuki shinobi's weapon followed the redhead's spear and shoot out of its owners hands.

Before Yamazaru could react to the circumstances in any way, he received a powerful blow in the face from the handle of Hizoku's weapon. The redhead didn't stop spinning however and in the next moment elbowed the gorilla in the stomach, making it bend over slightly. It was then that the grass-nin threw a kick at his opponent's face, which was now closer to the floor. As the attack connected, the huge gennin was forced to take few steps back in order to keep his balance.

At that time Hizoku swung his spear as fast as he could and due to that the mace that was still stuck on the redhead weapon's blade was released and flew straight at its owner. The snow-nin was too surprised to react and got hit by his own mace in the face, which forced him to take another, several steps back. With the last one, he brought his foot hard, making the floor crack under it a little.

"Hizoku seems to have an advantage here, but that monkey-man just won't fall down…" noticed Takaru calmly as he observed the match bellow. "So even though Hizoku surpasses his opponent with skills, he can't win…"

"There's gotta be some way to bring that ape down…" stated Kusari, glancing over at his teammate. The son of Tsunade only narrowed his eyes, but didn't reply. The chain master returned to gaze down at the ring. He was positive that there was a way to defeat the huge beast… only he couldn't see it.

Yamazaru picked up his mace and once more set his eyes onto Hizoku. The redhead only lowered his head slightly as he gazed into his opponent's bloody red eyes: "I see you still refuse to surrender… and I don't suppose you even understand what I'm saying, but at least I'll warn you: I'm not the one to break my promises and if I'd lose to you, I'd broke two that I gave to two people, so be aware that if you won't give up, I won't hold back anymore…"

"Won't hold back anymore?" Nezumi repeated a little confused and then her eyes widen at the realization while she turned her head towards Taka: "He's not thinking of using one of the Dances, is he? Those are forbidden techniques!" but the masked boy didn't reply. He only narrowed his eyes behind his mask as he stared at the redhead: "_Are you really willing to go this far only to fulfill your father's will, Hizoku?_" he asked himself, for the first time worried about his companion.

"_Dances?_" Ibuki repeated in her mind as she glanced over to the grass-nins.

"It would seem Yamazaru can't keep up anymore…" stated Aisu calmly with her arms crossed. Kato didn't reply, yet his eyes narrowed with a little joy showing in them. Yari didn't pay attention to his teammates at all however. He just stared at the large gorilla that stood in front of the red-haired grass-nin with a sad expression on his face: "_Yamazaru…_" he closed his eyes as a memory of an event from several years back echoed in his mind…

---Nine years ago in the Snow Country---

A seven-year-old boy with spiky, black hair and violet eyes, wearing a violet smock with a white vest on that and wide, violet pants filled with fur from the inside. He carried a large bag in his hand as he walked through the village streets with snow covering every roof and wooden huts being closed. Although there was no such thing as 'warm season' in this country (_A/N: just as a reminder to all of you who forgotten: I've invented the snow-nins before I watched the first movie and above that, I still don't acknowledge the motion picture_), it was still the middle of the so-called 'spring' and the temperate was only a little bellow zero (Celsius). The boy wondered what all those people will do when 'winter' will come.

He couldn't wait to get out of this place. Soon he will turn eight and when that happens, his father promised to take him to Hidden Snow Village. Since he was little, Yari was always impressed by the stories other kids told about shinobi and it was always his dream to become one. However when you're not a child of ninja, one is allowed into Yuki Gakure only after turning eight.

But his trail of thoughts suddenly got interrupted by a roar that came from his right, straight from the bushes. Yari looked around, but didn't saw anyone. "_What was that? It sounded like some sort of wild beast, but I could swore there was some pain in that scream…_" and at this point the same roar hit his ears again.

With a moment of hesitation, Yari jumped into the bushes and after a short run, he reached a place where some hunters set a trap, in which prey got its foot stuck. And the prey turned out to be a human-sized, white-furred monkey with sharp fangs and bloody red eyes. "_Wha… what is that? I've never seen an ape like that… could it be…_" and only then did the boy's eyes stopped on a trap the large beast was stuck in.

"It hurts, doesn't it?" Yari asked gently as he took few steps forward, thus gaining the monkey's attention. He slowly held his hands forward, which made the ape roar again, this time, besides pain, with anger. The boy immediately retreated his hands and still gently, yet with his voice shaking this time, he announced: "I don't want to hurt you… look, I'll help you…" and with that he reached out his hands again.

The beast stayed silent, almost as if it understood, yet its eyes were settled on the boy as he grabbed the trap and used all the strength he had to open it. As the trap opened, the monkey immediately retreated its leg and move aside, while Yari let go, thus making the trap snap again, only this time the only thing it grabbed was air.

The two stared at each other for awhile, with Yari's breath getting faster and faster, while the ape just stood there, looking at him confused. "Why don't you go back to your… um… well, whatever it is that you belong?" the boy asked, yet the monkey either ignored the question, didn't understood it or at the very least decided not to do anything about it. "You…" the boy finally seemed to understand. "You don't have anywhere to go, do you?" he asked and surprisingly for him, the beast nodded slightly like it figured out what he was asking.

"You must be pretty rare…" Yari announced as he took few steps forward the beast. "I've never seen a white-furred monkey… though my mother spoke of them in some of my bedtime stories… and you're quite big…" and then he hesitated for a moment. The ape stayed silent, almost as if it awaited for the boy's decision: "I have an idea! Come with me! My mother always said that we could use a pet, so you'd do! (_A/N: keep in mind Yari's only 7 at this point, so he's not the smartest_)" and at this point the beast roared again, only this time it didn't seemed to be filled with pain or anger… it was more… pleasant.

"But I can't just call you 'ape'…" stated the boy after a moment of thought. "I know, I'll call you Yamazaru! It fits you (_A/N: as far as I remember I didn't make Yamazaru's profile, so for all of you who haven't checked it until now, I can say that 'yamazaru' can be translated as 'monkey'_). Now come on, I'll take you to me house…" and with that Yari guided the beast to his village.

However the moment they've entered the town, several screams hit their ears as young girls panicked at the sight of the human-sized monkey. Immediately some of the boys grabbed small stones that laid on the ground while the elder people reached for anything that could be used as a weapon. Before Yari knew it, stones were already hitting Yamazaru. He wanted to do something, however he never got a chance to as one of the rocks hit him right above his left eye and made him lose consciousness

As he woke up, he noticed Yamazaru sitting besides him with something that could be taken as a worried expression on his face. Yari slowly sat up and looked around only to see the huts that surrounded them got devastated. There was no-one in sight: "Yamazaru, what did you do?" he asked, turning to the monkey, yet the beast said nothing.

After a short while the boy let out a sight and as tears began gathering in his eyes, he got back to his feet: "I can't go back anymore… everyone knows about what you did by now… but I'll turn eight soon and I'll be allowed in Yuki Gakure… maybe I'll manage to find a home there… Yamazaru, will you go with me?" he asked, forcing a smile. Whether he liked it or not, the huge ape was now his only companion.

The beast nodded slightly again, as if it understood and then got back to its feet as well. "Lets get going then!" announced Yari. "The Hidden Snow Village is few days marsh from here… but before that, we need to do something about your looks… if ninja would see who you are, they might kill you on the spot… lets cover that scary face of yours!" and with a little more truthful smile, the boy run into the forest, followed by his new friend.

---Flashback end (_A/N: I could've made it longer, but decided to shorten it in order to not stretch things_)---

Hizoku cut his thumb with the blade of his spear and then drew a quick symbol on his weapon. Tokame merely narrowed his eyes at the sight: "_There's no doubt about it… he's really going to…_" but he never got to finish that sentence as his redhead teammate performed a quick set of hand seals and with the last one he called out: "Ekibyougami no Mai!"

In a flash he charged straight at Yamazaru so fast, that even Lee's eyes widen: "_Such speed…_" Naruto only felt his heart beating slightly faster as he glanced over to Kakashi. The Rokudaime has set his eyes onto the fighting redhead and for the first time in a really long while, he had his left eye uncovered, thus revealing it was red and spinning.

Kogane's eyes almost went out of orbits at the sight as Galu's only widen slightly. Kitsune's grip on the rail tightened as he bended over it a little: "What the hell's with that speed?" he asked shocked. Meanwhile, at the moment Hizoku charged at the huge snow-nin, Hanamaru choked on his chips and gasping for air, he took several steps back, thus stepping on Rei's leg, which caused the sleeping girl to wake up.

"Watch what you're doing!" she yelled, smacking Hanamaru in the back of his head, which resulted in him swallowing the chips and thus being able to breath again. Meanwhile Funbo narrowed his eyes, not paying any attention to the whole fuss near him: "_That technique…_"

"_Such speed…_" Senkou thought to himself with a single drop of sweat falling down his face."_Even I…_" but he never finished the thought. Kokoro only glanced at his masked teammate for a moment, like he knew what he was thinking, but decided to say nothing.

Yamazaru made an attempt to smash his opponent, yet missed him by a mile as Hizoku was moving at top speed. The beast tried to keep up with its eyes, yet the redhead seemed like nothing more then a blur to him at this point. Before anyone knew it, the grass-nin appeared behind the huge Snow ninja and with a quick slash, cut the monkey's back, making it scream in pain, before slowly collapsing to the ground.

"Sorry buddy…" announced Hizoku calmly as he retreated his spear. "You fought well, but this fight… I'm the victor…"

_**---A man that feels no pain got hurt… as darkness covers his vision, an even more powerful opponent appears on the battlefield---**_

And that's that for now. Hope you enjoyed it. And remember: I WON'T UPDATE UNLESS I GET REVIEWS, so…

Now, since I don't have that much time (I have 4 exams soon and have to study), I'll just give you a translation and write the proper description next time. Sorry:

_Ekibyougami no Mai_ (Angel of Death Dance)

And that's all for now. Take care and all the best in the New Year!

Until next time, hopefully!


	65. Deadly Blade

I'm back again! My exams are finally over (still have collage stuff to do, but that shouldn't be so time-consuming) and so I was capable of writing this (actually, it was done the other day, but my internet screwed up back then xx). Hopefully the next chappie will be done in a typical, one-week time (if the number of reviews will be satisfying, that is).

As usual I'd like to thank everyone who reviewed the previous chapter. Glad I managed to surprise most of you about who… or rather what Yamazaru was. Also, about the technique Hizoku used at the end of the previous chapter, you'll find some info in the jutsu encyclopedia (I'm not giving away all the details though). With that said, I believe the only thing left to do is to invite you to read this chappie.

And just before that, the usual warning: I WON'T UPDATE UNLESS I GET REVIEWS.

Now on to the story:

**Chapter #65: Deadly Blade**

**_Title page:_** the circus: Ibuki is throwing knives at the balloons that are tied all around Kusari, who's tied to a large, spinning bull's eye, above Takaru is juggling on a rope near the top of the tent, Kumiko is sitting high above the stands on a trapeze smiling and Kai is in the cage, running away from a lion

Yamazaru let out a yell of pain which echoed in the entire room as he collapsed to the floor with his face first. As his large body hit the ground, everyone gathered managed to see a strange symbol on his back that was cut by Hizoku's spear. Mikka only shivered at the sight, while Ibuki narrowed her eyes: "_That technique just now… it was the one mentioned by my father… one of the famous Five Blade Dances… but how can this be? According to my father, there was only one person in the entire world who managed to perform them… and he was a Leaf shinobi!_" and with that she gave her brother a questioning glance, yet the older Tanken merely smirked under his nose: "_This is fun…_"

Lee checked the unconscious snow-nin and after a very short examination, he stood up and glancing at Hizoku, he only announced, much quieter then before: "Seem like this is it for this match…" and at hearing that, the redhead reattached his spear onto his back and slowly walked up the stairs back to the platform while Yamazaru was taken away by the medics.

Takai's body shook slightly from excitement, making Torune's heart beat faster then usual. She moved away from her teammate with fear showing on her face, yet she didn't took her eyes from the scythe user. Aoru, who stood right behind the two, notice that and glanced over at the younger boy as well. Realizing what was going on, she lowered her head with a worried expression crossing her face: "_This is not good… if things will go on like this, Takai might go out of control… if he won't get his match soon, the opponent he's gonna face will surely die!_"

"So, Yamazaru actually lost…" concluded Aisu, crossing her arms and smirking under her nose. Yari only glanced at her a little angry, but said nothing. In stead he turned his eyes onto the huge gorilla, which was now disappearing behind the door. The spearman's eyes narrowed as he looked back at the screen, awaiting the next match.

"Good job, Hizoku-kun!" yelled Nezumi, giving the redhead a powerful pat on the back, which made the Grass spearman bend over a little in order to keep his balance. Seeing this, a sad expression crossed Hanamaru's face. Kogane, who stood right next to the chubby gennin, noticed that and for some reason also felt a little sad, but immediately she shook it off and elbowed her teammate softly: "What's with that face, Hanamaru? You're sad you didn't got a chance to fight yet?" she asked with a smile and as the overweight boy looked at her, a tiny smile crossed his face as well.

Taka only give Hizoku a small nod as a recognition that his teammate won his match. The redhead nodded back, but could've swore that the masked boy acted a bit different then he usual did. Only Tokame narrowed his eyes as he set them on the spearman. The young Wanabi knew exactly what he had in mind: the hooded boy didn't approve him using one of the dances.

"Not bad, Hizoku…" stated Kai with a wide smirk appearing on his face. "But you won in a real lame way… your style needs a little work" and at this point the redhead smiled under his nose as well, before he replied: "I'm counting on you to show me how it should be done then, Kai-kun…"

"_So you even taught your son the Five Dances…_" Naruto concluded in his mind as he observed Hizoku from his standing point. "_Was it really wise to throw such a burden on him? Do you really want your own son to finish the work you couldn't have… Nakamoru?_"

"Lets proceed to another, elimination fight!" announced Lee loudly, thus making everyone turn their gazes onto the screen again. After another, short lottery of names, the next two participants were revealed: **NOKOGIRI KAREI versus HOKKU TOBANE**.

"My turn already?" Tobane's eyes widen slightly at the sight. She glanced over her shoulder at her companions and after received a 'good luck pat' from Nezumi and a nod from Tokame, she jumped down onto the arena, awaiting for her opponent to arrive. Kumiko set her eyes onto the Grass kunoichi and studied her closely: "_She's one of Hizoku-kun's teammates… those that managed to collect a scroll even though they separated into pairs… after seeing what Hizoku-kun is capable of… what she'll show?_"

"Good luck…" Tsuino said to his teammate, a girl with short, brown hair, carrying a long chain ended with a round saw. "That blonde girl is on the same team as that redhead from just now, so you should stay alert…"

"Don't worry, I don't intend to hold back…" Karei responded before jumping down to face her opponent. Ryo only adjust his glasses, which felt slightly, as he glanced after his female companion. His eyes narrowed as the two kunoichi reached the center of the arena, ready to begin the next match. Youji merely crossed her arms and propped herself against the wall, not really interested in the fight. Nazaa let out a sight: "_This isn't how you should act when your teammate is about to fight…_" he announced in his mind, but decided against lecturing the umbrella-carrying girl and just concentrated on the battle that was about to begin.

"Twelve match: Nokogiri Karei from Ame against Hokku Tobane from Kusa!" announced Lee loudly as the rain-nin grabbed her chain, that was still wrapped around her arm, while the Grass kunoichi settled her hands near her belt, where she carried strange, metal weapons that could be easily describe as hooks. "Ready and… BEGIN!" and in a flash he jumped out of the way as the two girl immediately charged at one another.

In a fraction of a second Karei unwrapped her chain and send the saw that was at its end spinning towards Tobane. The blonde only widen her eyes in surprise as she saw the round blade shooting off the rain-nin's weapon and coming right at her, leaving a long cut on the floor behind itself.

Without wasting a second Tobane picked out her hooks and kept charging forward, only running a little to her right in the process. As she run pass the saw that came from her left, she jumped into the air and came down straight at Karei with an attempt to stab her with her weapons. Surprisingly for her however, the rain-nin only smirked under her nose and performed a quick hand seal single-handed while flipping her chain. At the very same moment the blonde heard a buzzing sound coming from behind her and as she looked over her shoulder, she saw the round blade she just dodged flying right at her.

Having no way to dodge in mid-air, Tobane flipped and hit the flat side of the incoming saw with the tips of her hooks, finding it surprisingly hard to move her weapons the way she desired. As sparkles flew all around her, the blade got thrown of its course enough to not cut the Grass kunoichi in half, yet it still managed cut the blonde's right side, making her cry out in pain as she hit the floor, landing hard on her left arm.

"Tobane!" Hizoku yelled from the platform as he saw his teammate got badly wounded.

The saw continued its flight and finally got back to the end of Karei's chain, just like it was being controlled by an invisible force that choose its route. Tobane slowly got back to her feet, holding her right side with her left hand, yet still holding both her hooks tight as she felt like they were trying to escape her grip. Horamaru merely smirked at the sight and then glanced over to Sabure and then Takai, who still stood just like they were the whole time, yet the blonde sand-nin could feel their urge to fight.

"Hey, how the hell did that rain-nin did that?" demanded Kusari as he looked around. "She just did that seal with her hand and all of a sudden that saw of hers switched directions! What's going on?"

"It's magnetism…" replied Taki with a single drop of sweat falling down her face. "That's the reason why she uses that long chain as well in stead of the saw alone…" Hitomi merely narrowed her white eyes as he glanced over to her teammate, awaiting for her to reveal more, but the boomerang user stopped at that. The first one to lose his patience was Kai, naturally: "What's that stupid chain has to do with anything?" he yelled more then asked.

"When you charge metal with electricity, it releases a magnetic field around itself…" explained Taki calmly as she glanced at the blonde. "And that field attracts other metal objects… it's simple Physics…"

"Yeah, I still don't get what all this has to do with that chain…" stated Kai hesitantly.

"To put it simple…" Horohoro cut in with his arms crossed. He didn't even looked at the blonde, his eyes were focused on the match bellow: "That Rain girl's ability is creating electricity. She charged her chain with it, thus making it emit magnetic field… because her chain is so long, the area its magnetic field works in is quite wide. Thus by moving her chain alone, she's can determine her saw's route…"

"So why wasn't that Grass girl's hooks effected by that field anyway?" asked Tsume a little confused, while Kai said nothing, even though he still understood very little of it all. The one to answer the dog kunoichi's question was Kitsune: "Most likely they were, but that Kusa girl managed to hold them tight enough so that they didn't flew out of her hands…"

"_So that hand seal she performed just then was to charge her chain with electricity…_" Takaru concluded in his mind as he set his eyes onto Karei. Reiji only smirked as his eyes set on the Rain shinobi as well: "_Most interesting…_"

"Time to finish this…" stated Karei with a little bored voice as she flipped her chain again, thus sending her saw flying straight at Tobane once more. The Grass kunoichi only smirked under her nose as she replied: "I couldn't agree more…" and in a flash she threw her hands to the sides.

Before anyone could yell something, all the spectators notice the flying saw started shaking and then, all of a sudden, it got blown of the course again, bouncing off the floor and flying right above Tobane, leaving the blonde girl save.

In a fraction of a second the grass-nin charged forward with her hooks ready. Karei immediately called her saw back, which flew right after Tobane, yet it wasn't fast enough as the Kusa girl managed to cut the Rain shinobi's hands with her weapons. She then immediately jumped to her left, thus making Karei be the one in her own saw's way.

The Ame kunoichi didn't manage to act in time and found her own saw sinking deep into her left side. She cried out in pain as she collapsed to the ground, with her blood spraying the floor around her: "What… what the hell did you do?" she demanded, glaring at her opponent.

"I just used the same forces you did…" replied Tobane calmly, once more holding her left side. "I realized you used magnetism the moment I felt my hooks were trying to fly out of my hands. That's the main reason why I've decided to block your previous attack the way I did… the tips of my hooks scratched the whole top of your spinning saw…"

"You mean…" Karei eyes widen in surprise as she realized what just happened.

"That's right…" nodded the blonde with a smile. "You know what happens to metal when you scratch it fast and hard against another metal? It produces the magnetic field of its own… when you attacked me with your saw for the second time, your chain wasn't the only thing that effected its flight. It came at me, heading for my hooks that were charged… when I suddenly changed their place, your saw had three, magnetic sources that attracted it… I used your own technique against you…"

"Winner: Hokku Tobane!" announced Lee loudly as medics took Karei away. The grass-nin simply jumped back to the platform and didn't even bother to give her opponent a last glance. Once she was there, Hizoku hit her cheek with his fist softly as a sign of 'good job'. Taka nodded to her just as he did to their redheaded teammate a while ago and Tokame didn't seem to be moved at all. Nezumi turned out to be the most energetic as she started to congratulate the blonde and shook her hand widely.

"You should get a medic to look at that…" announced Tokame, glancing at Tobane's left side. The kunoichi followed his sight and a worried expression crossed her face as the wound she received began burning. "Yeah, I guess you're right…" she agreed with a little sadness in her voice, but just then Kai cut in:

"Mikka can treat you!" he announced with a wide smile as he gave a pat on the shy girl's right shoulder. The Grass kunoichi glanced over at the now blushing girl, who only nodded softly. Tobane smiled warmly towards her and walked closer: "Thanks…"

Senkou only shook his head in disagreement slightly: "_She just can't resist that Dead Last…_" he thought to himself as he glanced at his teammate. Hinata only smiled under her nose as she looked at her female subordinate.

With all the fuss going on, no-one even realized that the next pair of contestants was chosen. Toku glanced up at the screen and his eyes widen slightly at spotting who was going next. He turned towards his companions and stopping at Hanamaru, he announced: "Your turn…"

The chubby gennin glanced at the screen to see if his teammate wasn't joking. Kitsune rested his hand on the overweight boy's shoulder as he saw who was his comrade's opponent: "Best watch out, man… that guy doesn't look like someone you can take lightly…"

Kai looked at them a little confused before turning his eyes towards the screen as well. It was only then that he realized who Hanamaru was going to fight. Ibuki only narrowed her eyes at the realization: "_It's him!_" and with that thought she glanced at Kusari, on whose face she saw a single drop of sweat falling.

The screen showed: **GUSOKU HANAMARU versus ONO REIJI**.

_**---The opponent that brings fear… who dares to challenge him? ---**_

And that's it for the time being. Hope you enjoyed it and do keep in mind that I WON'T UPDATE UNLESS I GET REVIEWS, so you know what to do.

Also, since I promised, here's the jutsu encyclopedia with the description of Hizoku's technique:

_Ekibyougami no Mai_ (Angel of Death Dance) – the technique used by Hizoku. Basically it's a forbidden jutsu, which was used by only one person: Wanabi Nakamoru. To put it simply the user must first release chakra into both his feet and his weapon, Once that is done, he or she becomes faster then before and the chakra that surrounded the weapon's blade becomes more deadly as it is capable of cutting almost anything. The reason this technique has became a forbidden one however rests in the way it was used by its inventor. What was it that made it so dangerous? Sorry, but that I won't be telling you… not yet at least.

And, since things happened lately, here's another list of the chuunin exam participants, just so that you won't get confused as to who's who (it includes the result of the fight that occurred in this chapter):

**Konoha #7:** Murasakki Kumiko, Tanken Ibuki, Gekido Takaru, Hagane Kusari, Haisha Kai

**Konoha #3:** _Konpaku Rei_, Rikoteki Kogane, Amagasa Toku, Debano Kitsune, Gusoku Hanamaru

**Konoha #4:** Igaku Mikka, Inuzuka Tsume, Benda Kokoro, Hatake Senkou, Kobushi Galu

**Konoha:** Hamano Taki, Hyuuga Hitomi, Manako Akira, Tanken Funbo, Horohoro

**Suna #1:** Aoru, Torune, Honemaru, Tarakudo, Takai

**Suna #2:** Sabaku no Sabure, Hari, Dekai, Horamaru, Karame

**Kusa:** Hokku Tobane, Kanraku Nezumi, Kuchibashi Taka, Kyohaku Tokame, Wanabi Hizoku

**Ame:** Kasano Youji, Eshaku Ryo, Furikuzu Tsuino, Hebereke Nazaa

**Bakufu:** Azarashi Kawa, Tora Miaka, Abura Tetsu, Makko Shita

**Tsuki:** Junsei Teela, Tenka, Chishio Nobu, Kihako Tasuki

**Hane:** Ono Reiji, Sentou

**Yuki:** Nadare Aisu, Sarumaru Yari, Urufu Kato

**Kumori:** Kyuu

And this is really it for the time being!

Until next time!


	66. Of Shields and Axes

It's me again! Finally with the newest chapter of "Naruto: Next Generation"! Never thought it'd take out so much of me to finish this one, but then I was also working on my original, manga-based stories on FictionPress, so... Actually, it's still slightly different from how I've planned it, but I think it's even better then it was in the first version.

As always I'd like to thank everyone who reviewed the previous chapter (at the same time hoping they'll do the same this time) and would like to encourage all the others to do so as well! SLIGHT SPOILER: for all of you, who can't wait for more team 7 matches, I can say that Kusari's fight is coming pretty soon, so just be a little more patient. SPOILER END.

Also, at this point, I'd like to ask all of you who likes to draw and would be interested in doing few drawings for me, to give me a note. Basically I'm looking for anyone, who would be willing to make drawings of some of the characters from this fic (not title pages… but as I wrote before, you can draw those anytime you like).

And as usual I WON'T UPDATE UNTIL I GET REVIEWS, SO YOU KNOW WHAT TO DO.

Now, without further to do, here's the newest chapter of the story:

**Chapter #66: Of Shields and Axes**

**_Title Page:_** Kai and Hanamaru are seating next to each other, eating ramen at the Ichiraku

"May the participants of the next, elimination fight, please come down so that we could see your spirits of youth explode?" Lee asked in his usual, loud voice, making Hanamaru swallow his saliva even louder once more. The bald, metal-nin jumped down to the arena already and walked towards the Konoha's Green Beast with a wide smirk appearing on his face.

"Watch out, Hanamaru…" Kusari warned his companion as he glanced at the chubby gennin with a worried expression on his face. "That guy… is strong…" and at this point the overweight boy began sweating heavily. Kogane patted him several times on the shoulders with a soft 'there, there' and then threw a death glare at the chain master.

Finally Hanamaru walked down the stairs and reached the center of the arena, where Reiji already awaited him with his arms crossed and a big smirk on his face: "Looks like I got lucky…" he stated confidentially. "This shouldn't take too long…"

Kitsune only let out a sigh as he realized his chubby teammate was shaking uncontrollably: "He's gonna give up…" he announced calmly, shaking his head. Shikamaru only glanced at him for a split second, but said nothing. Kogane widen her eyes at the boy's statement and then set them onto her other companion, whose match was about to begin.

Toku gave Rei a soft kick in the legs, thus waking her up: "What?" she asked in a sleepy voice, looking at the blonde. The umbrella-carrying boy only pointed at the ring bellow with his head and as the lazy kunoichi followed his sight, she realized one of her teammates was about to fight: "And this is why you woke me? Hanamaru's not gonna fight… he'll give up the moment that eyebrow guy will say 'begin'…" and with that she returned to sleeping, making Toku sweat drop slightly.

"Thirteenth match: Gusoku Hanamaru from Konoha against Ono Reiji from Kane!" announced Lee loudly. "Ready and… BEGIN!" he called out, as usual getting out of the two gennin's way. Only this time, surprisingly for the Green Beast, in stead of charging at each other, one of the participants raised his hand.

"Sorry, but I, Gusoku Hanamaru, would like to…" began the chubby gennin nervously, making Reiji's smirk widen a little. Kai, who heard the whole conversation between the overweight boy's teammates, grabbed the rail tighter and yelled from the bottom of his lungs: "Don't give up without even trying! What's wrong with you, Hanamaru, do you really want to become a chuunin, when you're not ready to take a challenge? Are you a chicken?"

"Shut up!" the chubby gennin shoot back annoyed as he glanced at the blonde on the platform. "You're not the one fighting some bald bozo with a huge axe! What the hell do you expect me to do? I know when I'm outmatched!" and at this point Kai wanted to shout something back, but his mouth got suddenly covered by Kogane, who only smirked:

"This is how it's done…" she whispered with a devilish smiled and then coughed before making sweet eyes and continuing with the cutest voice she was capable of performing: "Hanamaru-kun, if you'll do your best, I promise to give you a kiss…" and at this point Kumiko smacked her own head with her hand: "_You gotta be kidding me!_" she thought to herself sweat dropping.

"Alright, let's fight!" yelled Hanamaru, throwing his hands to the sky as he turned around to face Reiji once more. Kumiko instantly face-fallen, while Takaru's eyes widen as he sweat dropped in the meantime. Toku only glanced at his female teammate and with his usual, straight face, he announced: "You're evil…" but Kogane only smiled and gave him the v-sign.

"You're really weird…" announced Reiji as he reached for his axe. Without wasting a second, Hanamaru charged right at him, performing a quick hand seal in the process: "Bubun Baika no Jutsu!" and in a flash his right hand grew bigger, becoming almost as huge as the chubby boy. Naruto's eyes only widen in surprise at the sight, while Shino's narrowed behind his glasses. The bug user then turned towards Shikamaru with a short question: "Isn't that Akimichi's technique?"

The lazy jounin only smiled under his nose as he lowered his head slightly: "Yeah, it is… you see, Hanamaru is the first shinobi in his family, so he didn't had any special skills when he became gennin… considering his physical treats resemble those of the Akimichi so much, I asked Chouji to give him a special training…" and at that point he paused. "However it seems that in this case… the student may surpass his teacher…" and as he said so, the other jounin's eyes turned back to the ring bellow.

Reiji jumped back as the huge fist hit the floor where he stood just a second ago. He kept on smiling as he flew back: "_Now that's interesting…_" he thought to himself as Hanamaru continued his assault. In a flash the chubby gennin used his huge hand to bounce off the ground and flying straight at the metal-nin, who was still in mid-air, he performed another hand seal: "Baika no Jutsu! Nikudan Sensha!" and before the bald boy knew it, his opponent's body became a huge ball that started spinning wildly as it came flying right at him.

"_What the…_" Reiji's eyes widen in surprise at the sight. "_Shit, I can't dodge!_" and with that thought he gathered chakra in his axe. In the next second the metal-nin cut the air and before anyone knew it, Hanamaru let out a cry of pain as he suddenly got blown away, with some of his blood escaping his body.

"_It's that technique!_" Ibuki's eyes narrowed at the sight.

"Hey, what the hell just happened?!" demanded Kogane, completely surprised. The young assassin glanced at her, ready to reply, but surprisingly for her, the one to answer the blonde's question, was Akira: "That metal-nin gathered chakra in his axe and once he swung it, he released it into the air…" announced the blind gennin calmly. "Simply put it, with such an ability, he's capable of extending the range of his attacks. Basically, if someone gets hit by the chakra he released into the air, the result will be the same as if he was hit by the axe itself…"

"_So that was what he was doing that time in the forest…_" concluded Kusari in his mind before glancing over to Teela, who just stood there with her arms crossed. She caught the chain master's gaze, but the moment their eyes meet, she looked away again. Tasuki only smirked under his nose: "_So this is what Tenka mentioned…_" and so he looked at the redhead kunoichi, who kept on observing the match bellow with a straight face.

Hanamaru slowly got back to his feet with a big wound on his torso. His breath became faster while he glanced at his opponent, who now had his axe rested on his shoulder and was smiling widely: "Hocus-pocus, brat…" he announced with satisfaction. The chubby gennin's eyes narrowed at the statement as he charged at his adversary again, once more performing his standard technique: "Nikudan Sensha!"

"Useless…" stated Reiji as he once more swung his axe at the incoming, spinning ball. However this time, to his surprise, the huge cannonball jumped into the air, thus avoiding the attack, which hit the wall behind it, leaving a large slash on it. Nobu only narrowed his eyes as he realized what happened: "_Of course…even with an attack like that, the chakra that's released into the air can only go in the direction it was launched at… as long as you get out of its way, you'll be safe…_"

As the huge ball of meat came flying down on him, Reiji just tightened his grip on his axe: "Still… useless…" he stated, swinging his weapon at Hanamaru again. In a flash the leaf-nin stopped spinning and with his back facing the bald gennin, he reached for the floor with his hands, which suddenly grew bigger. The shield that the chubby boy carried on his back stopped the attack (_A/N: in case you've forgotten I mentioned Hanamaru carried a golden shield on his back when he first appeared in chapter 29_) and in an instant the Konoha shinobi bounced off the floor again, with an intension to smash his opponent under his huge hands.

Reiji managed to jump back in time, thus avoiding the attack, which crushed the floor. Hanamaru didn't slow down however and was once more charging at his opponent with his right arm still bigger then it should be. Having no time to dodge, the metal-nin blocked the assault with the blunt side of his axe. "What?" Kogane's eyes nearly went out of orbits. "How can he withstand Hanamaru's strength?"

"Fighting you is really annoying…" stated Reiji with a smirk as he glanced at his opponent, who was now right next to him, still pressing his huge arm against the metal-nin's axe. The chubby gennin only smirked under his nose: "Don't worry then, coz I'll be finishing this right here and now…. Ninpou: Shuuki Bakudan!" and in an instant the axe user's nose got attacked by a horrible smell, that made it impossible to breath.

Miaka immediately closed her mouth as she felt like vomiting that very moment. A disgusted expression crossed Nezumi's face as Tsume covered her nose: "_What's with that smell?_" she asked, feeling a little dizzy. Toku only sweat dropped at the realization what have just took place: "_He actually used his own stink… that's… disgusting…_"

Reiji felt tears gathering in his eyes as he jumped away from his opponent, covering his nose with his left hand: "_What the hell did that brat just do?_" he asked himself as he was still in mid-air. It was then that he saw Hanamaru charging right at him while he placed an explosive tag on his shield: "This ends now!" announced the chubby gennin as he jumped forwards, once more performing Baika.

In a flash Hanamaru hid his hands, legs and head inside his huge body and began spinning, while the explosive tag went off, blasting him straight at the surprised metal-nin. "_Now I get it!_" Kokoro smiled under his nose. "_The shield protected him from receiving any damage from the explosion, but still when the tag exploded so near him, the blast itself was enough to send him flying! He used the tag to speed up!_"

"_Shit!_" was all Reiji managed to think before the huge, spinning ball crushed hard into him and send him crashing into the wall behind the metal-nin. The bald gennin caught out blood before he collapsed to the floor, bleeding in several places and having some of his ribs broken.

Hanamaru placed his hands on his knees as he tried to keep standing. His breath was getting faster and faster as exhaustion slowly began to take over. This was his limit.

"Great job, Hanamaru!" Kogane cheered from the platform, but before she could finish, she noticed Reiji slowly getting back to his feet. In an instant the chubby gennin took his shield off his back and used it to cover himself. The bald ninja breathed heavily as blood run down his face.

"No more mister nice guy…" he stated calmly as he wiped some of the blood from his face and used it to write something on the blade of his axe. He once more gathered chakra in his weapon and swung it right at the chubby gennin, who immediately placed his shield on the way. Surprisingly for most of the people gathered in the room, the golden shield suddenly broke in two and a wide slash appeared on Hanamaru's torso.

The chubby boy took a single step back in order to keep his balance, but Reiji kept on swinging his axe and before Hanamaru could react, new slashes began appearing on his entire body. The smelly ninja let out a cry of pain as he collapse to the floor, barely breathing. "To be pushed so far by a rookie…" the metal-nin spoke up, spiting out blood. "How shameful of me…"

"_I…_" began Hanamaru, trying to catch his breath. "_I can't go on… I can't even stand up… that guy is just too strong… in the end I just…_" but before he could finish his thought, Kogane's voice echoed in the entire room:

"What the hell are you doing, Hanamaru? You're going to just lay there like that? What about the promise you made?" and as her last words hit his ears, Hanamaru's eyes widen at the memory of the event that took place several years ago…

**_---Victory that was in the grasp of the hand slips away… but the match has not ended yet---_**

And this concluded this chapter. Hope you enjoyed it and that you'll review after you're done reading.

Now, as usual, time for the jutsu encyclopedia. I won't describe the technique that are from the manga itself, however Hanamaru did use his own, original skill, which I figure could use some explanation:

_Ninpou: Shuuki Bakudan _(Ninja Art: Stink Bomb) – Hanamaru's original idea. As some of you might recall, the chubby fellow smells and that's what gave him a thought to turn it into his own weapon. By concentrating chakra around his entire body, he's capable of making the stink he emits to gather around him (without getting cleared by air) and then 'blasts' it away by releasing the chakra he gathered in his body. The effect creates a sphere of unpleasant gas, that attacks the victims nose, making it hard to breath and in case of more sensitive organism can even make the target vomit, feel dizzy etc. In a way it's a biological weapon (though, as Toku said, a very disgusting one).

And that's really that for this time. Thanks for tuning in and hope to see you next time.

Take care and to all you love birds: HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!


	67. Reason to Fight For

It's quite amazing what a bit of inspiration can do. I would never guess I'll actually managed to write most of this chapter in less then an hour. I so rock! And what else is new :D Seriously though, during the week I sorta got stuck at the flashback a bit, even though I knew what was suppose to be in it. But I managed to reach my goal and finish this before weekend. Hopefully it's the sign of the one-chapter-per-week haste return.

Thanks for all the reviews for last time. It really means a lot, especially now that I have to concentrate on my original stories on FictionPress as well (and I encourage you to read and review them as well… since this is my fic, I guess I'm allowed to place a free commercial every once in a while in it).

**ANNOUNCEMENT (PLEASE READ):** also I want to announce that once more I'm looking for any drawers that are interested in doing some pics for me. It's not a great paid job, but at least it's taxes free! Seriously though, anyone who likes to draw and won't mind drawing some of the characters from my fic is welcomed. One already volunteered, but there's still plenty of space. Everyone is welcomed.

Oh yeah, I WON'T UPDATE, UNLESS I GET REVIEWS! Almost forgot to write that :D

And with that said, lets get down to the story:

**Chapter #67: Reason to Fight For**

**_Title Page:_** simply Hanamaru eating shashlik

"Hanamaru, dinner's ready!" a young woman called out from her hut, making a seven-year-old, chubby boy run right towards her. "My, ain't you lively today!" she announced with a warm smile, placing her hand n the boy's head. "Could it be that you're this excited about your upcoming birthday?"

"Of course!" the boy replied enthusiastically. "Once I'll turn eight, I'll be allowed into a shinobi village! Isn't it natural to be happy when one's dream is close to becoming reality?" he asked with a grin, on which his mother responded with another smile: "Do remember that just be getting accepted into the village you won't become a ninja. Now lets go or else the dinner will get cold" and with that the two went inside the house.

"And why are you so into becoming a ninja anyway?" his mother asked the boy as she glanced the soup before him. "It's a dangerous profession, especially for someone as young as you. You still have plenty of time to think what you wanna do…"

"I've already decided!" stated Hanamaru firmly. "I wanna become a ninja and help you, mom!" and as he announced that, the woman glanced at him surprise as he continued, lowering his head over the plate: "Ever since dad passed away, you've been working hard, but we're still short on money. A shinobi gets paid for doing missions and quite much at that and the harder the task, the more money he'd earn! If I'll manage to become one, you won't have to worry about anything anymore, mom!"

The woman only looked at her son and managed a weak smile: "Just don't get yourself killed. And start eating, otherwise your soup will really get cold…"

---Few years later---

"Okay, so you guys managed to graduate from the Academy" stated a man with a toothpick in his mouth and long, black hair, made in a way his head resembles a pineapple. "And although it's troublesome, it'd be helpful if you guys would tell me something about yourselves… you know, the usual: your name, likes, dislikes, plans for the future, dreams…"

"And what's the poin… zzzzz" began a twelve-year-old girl with markings on her face and long, brown hair, as she slowly drifted off to sleep. A boy with her age with medium-length, black hair, wearing a fishnet, who sat right next to her, only glanced at the kunoichi and then, turning back towards the man, he announced: "What she said…"

A blonde with a umbrella on his back only shook his head while he sweat dropped. Meanwhile came Hanamaru's turn: "My name is Gusoku Hanamaru! I like eating, sleeping and Kogane-chan!" and with that he suddenly smiled to the blonde girl seating next to him. In a flash the girl smacked him on the head with a loud 'not interested' and after rubbing the back of his head, he continued: "I dislike diet and my dream… is to become a respective, Leaf shinobi and get enough money to help my mom!" and the instant he said to, the blonde girl glanced at him with her eyes widen.

A little late the team was dismissed and Hanamaru went on his way home, but before he managed to reach it, a familiar voice reached his ears: "So, you're planning to become a respective shinobi of the Leaf, eh?" he looked to his left as saw Kogane, drinking some juice from the bottle. "Sounds like a dream to be respected…"

"Well, it's the only one a peasant boy can think off" replied the chubby gennin. "A pretty simple one…"

"So what if it's not very original?" demanded the blonde kunoichi, making a little angry face. "A dream is a dream and no-one has the right to laugh at dreams, even those who dreamt them! It just so happens that my dream is the same as yours…" and at this point Hanamaru settled his widen eyes at her. "And since we both want to become shinobi acknowledged as Leaf ninja, what do you say we make a deal; no matter the obstacles, we'll always give our best effort to pass them? That's what real shinobi do…" and with that she held out her hand towards him.

Hanamaru stared at her for a moment, still surprised, and then shook the girl's hand, blushing slightly: "Sounds good… lets do that…"

"Well then, what do you say he train a bit for tomorrow's exam?"

---End flashback---

"_That's right_" Hanamaru thought to himself as he slowly struggled back to his feet. "_I made a promise! I can't back out now! I still have one, last thing I can try_" and with that he gathered the last of his chakra with Kogane's cheer 'go get him, fatso' hitting his ear.

"Why do you even bother standing up?" Reiji asked, both amused and slightly annoyed. "The outcome will still be the same" but the chubby gennin wasn't listening. He just bite his thumb and with a quick set of hand seals, he slammed his palm to the floor, calling out from the bottom of his lungs: "Kuchiyose no Jutsu! Come forward Inosu!" and suddenly a huge cloud of white smoke covered the overweight boy.

Galu's eyes widen in surprise, while Hizoku narrowed his: "_At this age, he's capable of performing that technique?_" he asked himself with a tiny smirk of approval showing on his face. Tokame only glanced at his teammate and then returned his gaze to the arena bellow, where the smoke already cleared, revealing Hanamaru sitting on a huge, brown-furred boar with long fangs and a scar going through its left eye.

"Hey, Takaru, you and that pig got something in common" joked Senkou with a chuckle, making the son of Tsunade hold back his anger. Funbo only smirked at the masked boy's comment, which resulted in Taki shaking her head in disapproval.

"_That little guy is full of surprises…_" concluded Kankuro with a smile as a rumbling sound began appearing in Sabure's gourd. Hari moved away from her, slightly worried, while Horamaru only smirked, joined by Takai, who followed his example as he settled his eyes on Hanamaru.

"Hey, that technique he just used…" began Kai, turning around to his teammates. "Didn't you used it against that Kataki guy in the Rock Country, Naruto-sensei?" he asked the jounin, making the Kyuubi vessel nod in agreement: "Yeah, it is… but it's rare to be able to perform it at that age… Hanamaru certainly isn't your everyday gennin…"

"I knew that guy was good!" announced Kusari with a wide smile as he crossed his arms confidentially, making Kumiko sweat drop: "_Wasn't he the one who told Hanamaru that he should watch out?_" she asked herself, looking at the chain master.

"Lets go, Inosu!" yelled Hanamaru as the boar charged forward, straight at the metal-nin, who still stood calmly under the arena wall. A tiny smirk crossed his face as the chubby gennin and his beast came closer: "I told you that no matter what you do, the result won't be changed!" he repeated, jumping high into the air and thus flying right above his opponent's head, somersaulting in the process.

Inosu didn't manage to stop in time and so his fangs ended up deep in the arena's wall, immobilizing him. Meanwhile Reiji landed safely on the ground behind Hanamaru's back and turned around instantly, swinging his axe at the chubby gennin once more.

As the attack connected, another slash appeared on Hanamaru's body, sending him flying back in the process. The overweight boy crushed hard against the wall with his right shoulder, making the huge boar disappeared in the cloud of white smoke. The leaf-nin collapsed to the floor with pain shooting from every inch of his body.

"Hanamaru!" Kogane only managed to call out as her teammate laid on the ground with Reiji rising his axe for the final blow. But before the Kane shinobi brought his weapon down to unleash another assault, his hand was grabbed by someone and as the bald gennin turned around, he saw Lee standing right behind him with a serious face, his grip tight on his wrist.

"This match is over" the Leaf's Green Beast announced, surprisingly calm for him. "There's no need for you to continue…" and as he said that, Reiji's eyes settled on the taijutsu specialist. A moment later the metal-nin lowered his axe and throwing Hanamaru, who still laid on the floor with many wounds all over his body, he reattached his weapon to his back and slowly headed back to the platform.

Lee only throw a quick glance after him and then announced in his usual, loud voice: "Winner: Ono Reiji!" and instantly Kogane jumped down to the arena with Toku and Kai following her. Mikka also prepared to go down, but this time she was stopped by Kokoro: "Don't… although I understand your feelings, you mustn't forget that this is a competition and you're one of the participants. You can't go using your chakra on everyone. Besides, with your current level, I don't suppose you'd be capable of treating Hanamaru's wounds anyway…" and with that the medic-nin only lowered her head and after a moment of hesitation, she returned to her place.

As Reiji headed back to his place, he walked past Ibuki, exchanging quick glares with her. A tiny smirk appeared on the boy's face, which made the weapon mistress' eyes narrowed. It was obvious that the bald gennin just declared a war against her.

Upon arriving back to his place, Reiji received a quick glance from Sentou, who then got back to observing the events bellow and said calmly, gaining his teammate's attention: "I've never thought you'll be forced to use a forbidden technique in the eliminations… was that fatso really that good?" he asked, but the only answer he received was a cold 'shut up'.

"Hanamaru, are you okay?" asked Kogane with concern as she bended over her laying teammate, while the medics rushed towards them. The chubby gennin opened his eyes and with a weak smile, he replied: "Not really… skipping the fact that I feel like after fighting a horde of crazy squirrels with sharp claws… I lost. I couldn't fulfill my end of the deal, Kogane-chan…"

"What are you talking about?" the blonde kunoichi shoot back, slapping him in the fact, which made the overweight boy yell in pain due to his injuries. "You fought well! You just happened to face someone stronger then you, that's all! There's no shame in such defeat!"

"Yeah, Kogane has a point" nodded Kai with a wide smile. "That axe freak took both Kusari and Ibuki at once, without getting injured and you've managed to push him to his limits. If anything, the ones who suck are Ibuki and Kusari" and the instant he said so, the chain master clenched his teeth as his grip on the rail tightened, making it deform slightly. The young assassin only narrowed her eyes with an evil thought appearing his her head: "_Kai… you better be ready to die…_"

Toku only smiled at the two blondes behavior. Soon after the medics pushed them all aside and took Hanamaru for treatment, while Lee asked the trio to go back to the platform, where Miaka smiled under her nose: "Well, what do you know, fat guys can be strong too" and with that she glanced at Tetsu.

The hammer wielder didn't reply in any way, although Shita, who was still sitting on his shoulder, began scolding the kunoichi for what she just said, announcing that she lacks respect. Tetsu didn't made anything of it as he only settled his eyes on Lee, who announced loud enough for everyone to hear him: "Lets move on to another, elimination match!"

_**---determination isn't enough… welcome to reality---**_

And this concludes this chapter. Hope you enjoyed it and that you'll bless me with a review once you're finished with reading this.

And now, once more, a list of participants of the eliminations, who are still in the game:

**Konoha #7:** Murasakki Kumiko, Tanken Ibuki, Gekido Takaru, Hagane Kusari, Haisha Kai

**Konoha #3:** _Konpaku Rei_, Rikoteki Kogane, Amagasa Toku, Debano Kitsune

**Konoha #4:** Igaku Mikka, Inuzuka Tsume, Benda Kokoro, Hatake Senkou, Kobushi Galu

**Konoha:** Hamano Taki, Hyuuga Hitomi, Manako Akira, Tanken Funbo, Horohoro

**Suna #1:** Aoru, Torune, Honemaru, Tarakudo, Takai

**Suna #2:** Sabaku no Sabure, Hari, Dekai, Horamaru, Karame

**Kusa:**Hokku Tobane, Kanraku Nezumi, Kuchibashi Taka, Kyohaku Tokame, Wanabi Hizoku

**Ame:** Kasano Youji, Eshaku Ryo, Furikuzu Tsuino, Hebereke Nazaa

**Bakufu:** Azarashi Kawa, Tora Miaka, Abura Tetsu, Makko Shita

**Tsuki:**Junsei Teela, Tenka, Chishio Nobu, Kihako Tasuki

**Hane:**Ono Reiji, Sentou

**Yuki:** Nadare Aisu, Sarumaru Yari, Urufu Kato

**Kumori:** Kyuu

And this is really it for this time. Thanks for tuning in and hope to see you again!

Take care!


	68. Tom & Jerry?

Actually, I was hesitant about updating this, coz the number of reviews wasn't as pleasing as I'd wish it to be, but just this once I've decided to let it go. However the statement that I WON'T UPDATE UNLESS I GET REVIEWS stays, so you know what to do once you're done reading.

Thanks to everyone who reviewed the previous chapter. I'm glad you enjoyed it. Hope you'll keep on putting me in a good mood. Also, any drawer that wants to help me out is still welcome, so just let me know if you're one of them.

I must admit this one actually gave me a bit of a headache, as I sorta got stuck on it several times. The battle itself ended up being different then what I first planned it to be, but in the end I'm more happy with how I finished it.

I honestly have no more ideas as to what to write, so I'll just encourage you to read & review my other fics and possibly my original stories and get on to the story:

**Chapter #68: Tom and Jerry?! **(I know, but I couldn't think of anything better)

**_Title Page:_** out front Kumiko dressed as a cat with a wide smile, showing the 'v' sign and a little in the back Ibuki in a mouse outfit with her arms crossed, slightly pissed

"Lets move on to another, elimination fight!" announced Lee, making all the gennin turn towards the screen once again, where the next, two names already got chosen: **TORA MIAKA versus KANRAKU NEZUMI**.

A second later the girl from Bakufu team jumped down with her white tiger following her, and walked confidentially to the center of the arena. Meanwhile Nezumi simply looked up to the top of her head, where her rat stick out its head from her hair, and with an encouraging smile on her face, he announced: "Looks like it's our turn, Hamaru…"

"Do your best, Nezumi-chan!" Tobane suddenly burst out, almost giving Taka, who stood beside her, a heart attack. As the masked boy grabbed his chest, breathing slightly faster then usual, the rat girl prepared herself to jump down, only to be stopped by Kogane, who grabbed her hand. As the Grass kunoichi glanced at the blonde, the leaf-nin only said: "Hanamaru would probably wish you luck, but since he isn't here, I guess I'll have to do it… so, good luck…"

"Thanks" Nezumi responded after a short moment of shock and then jumped down to face her opponent. Toku only gazed at his teammate with a raised eyebrow and then, upon returning to observe the match, he announced: "Out of all the people gathered here, you're the last one I'd expect to wish her luck…"

"Shut up" was the blonde's only replied as she crossed her arms annoyed. Ibuki only narrowed her eyes: "_Cats and rats… I wonder what the outcome will be…_" she thought to herself as the two kunoichi now stood in the center of the arena, allowing Lee to start the match, which he did an instant later.

Immediately Torabaku (_A/N: that's the name of Miaka's tiger, in case you don't recall_) lunged forward, aiming to cut the Kusa kunoichi with his claws, yet Nezumi managed to avoid the assault by simply bending over, making the tiger fly right above her. As the predator came to a sliding stop few meters behind her back, the grass-nin reached to her hostels and picked out several kunai and shuriken.

In an instant she unleashed the shinobi stars at her opponent, making the waterfall-nin dodge to her left. Seeing a opening, Nezumi went for an attack with her kunai ready, but before she managed to reach her target, Torabaku appeared between her and its master, slashing his claws as the Kusa shinobi. Acting on instinct, the kunoichi stopped and jumped back, avoiding certain death, yet still got her torso cut shallowly.

As she flew back, the tiger jumped after her, once more preparing to attack with its claws. Nezumi used the knives in her hands to block the beasts assault and as her feet rested on the floor, she placed her body mass on them. The two struggled against one another for a short while, before Hizoku's teammate tried a desperate move by bending her body to her left, with Torabaku's claws still pushing hard against her kunai.

By placing the knives in the right way, the grass-nin managed to carry the tiger by its front paws with her body and thus threw it over her left side, but the beast quickly came to a sliding stop, using its claws, and once again dashed at the rat girl, slashing her back.

Nezumi jumped forward, flipping in mid-air, in order to get away from the beast, yet the tiger kept on charging at her, not giving her any time to rest. It slashed again, this time cutting her left side shallowly. The grass-nin clenched her teeth and narrowed her left eye in pain, but kept on retreating none the less, throwing her knives at the tiger, thus making it slow down a bit.

"Gotcha!" she suddenly heard a voice coming from behind and acting on instinct, she jumped away again as she felt her body being slashed by another pair of claws. As she looked in the direction the attack came from, she saw Miaka standing there with a wide smirk on her face, wearing gloves with long claws on them, out of which one was soaked in blood. Her blood.

"_So that kitty cat's job is to occupied the enemy to allow its master to go for the kill_" Kumiko concluded in her mind as she observed the fight bellow. "_That way that Waterfall girl stays on the safe side by keeping away from danger and is still capable of winning… at this point, it'd seem that Grass girl is gonna lose…"_

"Miaka seems to have the upper hand" noticed Shita as he glanced at his teammate, that was still carrying him on his shoulder. Tetsu only narrowed his eyes at that statement, but said nothing. Kawa just shut her eyes, propping against the wall: "In actuality, you seem to make the same mistake Miaka just did, Shita…" was all she said, making the masked boy gaze at her confused.

"Come on, Nezumi-chan, kick her butt!" Kusari yelled, throwing his fist to the sky. Takaru only sweat dropped as he glanced at his teammate and with his arms still crossed, he asked calmly, not wanting to make eye contact: "What ever happened to your devotion to Kumiko?" and the instant he said so, the chain master realized what he just done. He looked over his shoulder, where the young genius stood and notice she was already cracking her knuckles.

And as Kumiko was beating the hell out of Kusari, Kai turned towards Hizoku with a little confused face: "I suppose it's none of my business, but that teammate of yours is always carrying that weird rat around… I kinda figured she teamed up with it during the fight, so why don't she use it?"

"Actually" the redhead replied with a tiny smirk appearing on his face. "Hamaru has already taken action…" and as the grass-nin said so, the blonde turned towards the arena once more, even more confused then he was a second earlier.

Meanwhile Miaka leaned forward, making her resemble more a predator ready to jump forward at its prey then human. Torabaku slowly walked towards her and passed behind her back with its eyes stopped at Nezumi, who was now breathing heavily as she looked through sweat at her two opponents.

"I say it's high time to finish this" announced Miaka with a smirk, yet to her surprise, Nezumi smiled under her nose as well and setting her eyes on the waterfall-nin, she replied: "Actually… I couldn't agree more" and at the same instant something blew up on the left side of Torabaku's neck, knocking the tiger out and covering the cat girl's view with smoke.

"_Explosive tag?_" was Miaka's first thought as she jumped back in order to stay clear from the smoke, but that resulted in falling straight into Nezumi's trap as the grass-nin suddenly appeared behind her and struck several senbon into her back. "What the…?"

"Those senbon were sunk in a very special poison" announced the rat girl calm as the waterfall-nin collapsed to her knees, feeling her legs got paralyzed while her back started burning. "It instantly attacks the targets nerves system, paralyzing the body from the legs up. In few minutes you won't be able to move at all. However it also has another effect: it increases the temperature inside the body. Once the body gets completely paralyzed, the temperature rises so high, even the blood starts to boil. After that it's not long for the organs to give in to the stress and you'd die from internal effusion… so I suggest surrendering while you still have the time to…"

Miaka clenched her teeth from anger and hesitated for a moment, but as her hands got numb and she started sweating uncontrollably, she only lowered her head and with a weak 'I give up' she collapsed to the floor. Instantly the medics appeared on the arena and took her for treatment with Nezumi giving them a strange, small bottle of green liquid, saying that it was the cure.

"Winner: Kanraku Nezumi!" Lee announced loudly as the grass-nin kneeled down and allowed her rat to run up her hand back to the top of her head: "Nice going, Hamaru" she announced with a smile before jumping back to the platform to reunite with her teammates.

"Okay, I may turn out to be an idiot, but…" began Horohoro as he still stood with his arms crossed before his chest. "What just happened?" and with that he turned towards his companions. The one to answer him was Hitomi:

"That time, when that Grass girl stopped the tiger with her kunai, her stinking rat used the sleeve of her shirt to get on the tiger without being spotted. It was also carrying a small, explosive tag in its mouth. Once it got onto the cat, it hid in its fur, just like it does with the girl's hair. After that, all that Kusa girl had to do is wait for the tag to go off…"

"So this is what happened?" asked Kai amazed as he glanced at the white-eyed girl, who merely gazed back, basically ignoring the blonde. Funbo only smirked under his nose: "_That poison just now… it'd seem I have to find a way to neutralize it before I'll be forced to go against that Grass wench…_"

"Well, that's three" concluded Tokame, making Hizoku glance over at him. "Taka and me are the only ones left in the eliminations" and the moment he said so, Taka narrowed his eyes as he looked over to his red-haired teammate, yet his masked covered that from his companions.

"Well then, lets see who the next pair of participants will be" Lee purposed, once more drawing everyone's attention to the screen. After a short moment, the names stopped changing, announcing who'll go next: **BENDA KOKORO versus URUFU KATO**. "May the next, two participants, please come down!"

"Took them long enough" complained the huge snow-nin as he jumped down to the arena, followed by his huge bulldog. Yari only glanced after him and then gazed at Aisu worried, but she only smirked, showing that she couldn't care less about the next match. Kokoro on the other hand only shut his eyes for a split second and then slowly walked down the stairs to meet his opponent.

"Good luck, Kokoro-kun…" Mikka called quietly after him, not even sure the blonde managed to hear it, but he still turn around and gave the young medic-nin an approving nod. Senkou only smirked behind his mask and turned towards the shy girl: "You're saying it like he'd need luck to win this. You know, just as well as I do, that there's no way he can lose…"

"That doesn't mean you can't show your teammate support" Galu cut in with his arms crossed. The masked boy's eye twitched at that, but after a short moment, he decided to let it go and glanced down at the arena: "Whatever" he replied calmly. "No matter what we say… that Snow guy just can't win…"

"Fifteenth elimination match: Benda Kokoro from Konoha against Urufu Kato from Yuki!" announced Lee as the two fighters stood before each other. The blonde didn't show any expression on his face, yet the snow-nin just kept on smiling. The tension build up between the two and then, finally, they heard the command: "BEGIN!"

**_---everything calms down as the two stands in front of each other---_**

And another chapter ends. Hope you enjoyed it and that you'll leave me a review once you're done. It'll keep this fic rolling. Especially since the next chappie has few surprises in stored for you guys… and that's all I'm saying it that matter.

No techniques this time around, so I'll just wrap this up with the list of elimination participants (as usual):

**Konoha #7:** Murasakki Kumiko, Tanken Ibuki, Gekido Takaru, Hagane Kusari, Haisha Kai

**Konoha #3:** _Konpaku Rei_, Rikoteki Kogane, Amagasa Toku, Debano Kitsune

**Konoha #4:** Igaku Mikka, Inuzuka Tsume, Benda Kokoro, Hatake Senkou, Kobushi Galu

**Konoha:** Hamano Taki, Hyuuga Hitomi, Manako Akira, Tanken Funbo, Horohoro

**Suna #1:** Aoru, Torune, Honemaru, Tarakudo, Takai

**Suna #2:** Sabaku no Sabure, Hari, Dekai, Horamaru, Karame

**Kusa:** Hokku Tobane, Kanraku Nezumi, Kuchibashi Taka, Kyohaku Tokame, Wanabi Hizoku

**Ame:** Kasano Youji, Eshaku Ryo, Furikuzu Tsuino, Hebereke Nazaa

**Bakufu:** Azarashi Kawa, Abura Tetsu, Makko Shita

**Tsuki:** Junsei Teela, Tenka, Chishio Nobu, Kihako Tasuki

**Hane:** Ono Reiji, Sentou

**Yuki:** Nadare Aisu, Sarumaru Yari, Urufu Kato

**Kumori:** Kyuu

And so this chapter truly ends. Hope you enjoyed it and please, leave me a review once you're done. Until next time!


	69. Sixth Sense

And I'm back! Boy, I must admit that halfway through this chappie I was positive it's going to be a long battle. But in the end I'm quite found of how it turn out in the end. It's not the exact way I pictured it from the start, but…

As usual I'd like to thank everyone who reviewed the previous chapter. It really meant a lot.

Also, since lately I've been getting into a good mood (ironically really, considering how much work collage dropped on me), I had an idea. Now I figured I'll try to make a deal with you guys. Here's the thing: if everything goes well, I'll have some extra time during this incoming week to write some, so I figured I could try finishing two chapters of N:NG. Now, if I'd manage to do that, I could upload them both at one time, giving you more stuff to read for a week. However, in return, I expect that you'll bless me with reviews for this chappie (and, naturally, I won't mind if you'll decide to review both chapters that would be submitted next week). So if you want a double update next week, review!

And now, lets get down to the story:

**Chapter #69: Sixth Sense**

**_Title Page:_** a dark room: Kokoro is sitting on a chair and right in front of him stands Kai with a flashlight shining in the other blonde's eyes, like they were in the middle of interrogation

"BEGIN!" Lee's loud voice was heard an instantly Kato picked out his sword, charging straight at his opponent. Kokoro however didn't move at all at first, only to easily dodge the first attack that came from his adversary, by bending back. The snow-nin seemed unimpressed by that however as he kept on swinging his katana, but the blonde still managed to dodge every, single attack.

Kokoro suddenly jumped back, picking out several shuriken in the process, and unleashed them at his adversary, who merely stopped in his tracks and used the huge blade of his sword to block all the incoming, shinobi stars.

Upon landing on the floor, the blonde immediately placed his right hand on it and threw his legs into the air, now standing on his hand. Instantly he bounced off the ground, thus avoiding Kato's bulldog, which suddenly jumped at him from behind. As Kokoro flew above the canine, somersaulting in the process, he delivered a power kick into the back of the mutt's head, making it whine in pain.

Tsume's eye twitched at the sight, while Kai's widen: "That was nice!" he announced excited. "I'd have never thought he'd manage to predict that that bulldog will come at him from behind!" but even as he said so, Senkou only let out a quiet chuckle, gaining the blonde's attention: "Kokoro didn't had to predict anything" he stated simply, making the loud mouth look slightly confused. "He knew that attack was coming from the start… it's just as I said: there's no way Kokoro can lose…"

Meanwhile Kato charged at his opponent again and swung his katana parallel to the ground, yet the leaf-nin seemed to saw it coming all along and jumped into the air, somersaulting. As his head located itself beneath his body, Kokoro spun in mid-air and delivered a powerful kick into the Yuki shinobi's face, making the huge man take a single step back.

Before Kato could do anything, his adversary propped his palm on the flat side of his katana and spun on it reversely to the direction he just did, delivering another kick into the snow-nin's face, this time in the swordsman's left cheek.

Kato managed to pull himself back together quickly however and letting go of his weapon, he aimed a spin-kick into Kokoro's face, yet the blonde avoided the assault by simply bending over. The leaf-nin then propped both his hands on the floor and spinning on them, he delivered a powerful kick into his opponent's stomach, making the larger gennin take few steps back and bend over due to the impact.

Seeing this as an opportunity, the blonde spun a bit more and this time launched a kick with his other leg at Kato's face, which was now closer to the floor. As the attack connected, the swordsman was send flying back. A moment later Kokoro bounced into the air, spinning parallel to the floor as the snow-nin's bulldog jumped at him again, yet due to the Leaf shinobi's maneuver, the mutt came right bellow him.

While he was still spinning, Kokoro grabbed the dog by its collar, thus taking it into a spin as well. The animal only managed to let out a whine before the blonde made its face crush hard against the floor, thus sending the mutt into unconsciousness. At that time the leaf-nin landed on the ground and glanced at his opponent, who was now slowly getting back to his feet.

"That leaf-nin's actually pretty good" stated Aisu, though her voice didn't show she was really impressed. Yari only threw her a gaze and then got back to observing the match. Kato was now standing back up, breathing a little faster then usual.

"_That brat!_" he cursed in his mind as he settled his eyes on Kokoro. "_That damn blonde is making me look like an idiot! I'm not gonna let a pipsqueak like him make me look stupid!_" and with that he went through a series of hand seals, calling out with the last symbol: "Hyouton: Hyouki!"

Horohoro's eyes widen as suddenly the floor in the arena froze, followed by ice spikes shooting up from it. A single drop of sweat run down Akira's face at the sensation: "_Such a huge among of chakra… what in the world did just happen?_" he asked himself, while Mikka only managed to call out with concern in her voice: "Kokoro-kun!"

Having no, other way to dodge, Kokoro jumped into the air and then placed his hand on a spike that shoot near him, only to spin around it and then land safely on a spike nearby. As his feet touched the cold surface, the blonde bended his knees, making his face almost touch the spike, and then bounced off it, spinning in the process.

It was then that the gennin gathered noticed Kato coming right at the blonde with his sword ready. Surprisingly, it seemed that the leaf-nin saw him earlier, as he landed a drop kick onto his adversary's head while he spun and then spun reversely, delivering a powerful spin kick into the Yuki shinobi's stomach, which send the larged gennin back.

But then Kai's eyes widen as Kato's body suddenly shattered and then broke into hundreds of small, ice pieces. "Koori Bushin no Jutsu!" announced Galu calmly as his eyes narrowed, before he turned them in another direction, where the real snow-nin was.

Kato appeared from behind one of the ice spikes with his katana ready to cut Kokoro in half, while the blonde was still in mid-air. However, the snow-nin's eyes widen as they stopped for a split second on the spike he was passing. "_Explosive tag!_" he noticed just in time to cover his face with his hands before the tag went off, shattering the spike into tens of small pieces, many of them cutting the swordsman's body shallowly.

"He placed the tag when he landed on the spike" Aoru figured, slightly impressed, while Takai only narrowed his eyes. Tarakudo let out a small chuckle. Certainly the bandaged gennin was enjoying the fight, especially after Kokoro inflicted the wounds on Kato.

"_What the hell is going on?_" Kato thought to himself annoyed as he settled his narrowed eyes on the blonde, while blood run down his cheek. "_I'm incapable of landing a single blow on that brat! He's always one step ahead of me. It's almost as if he…_" the snow-nin began, but to his surprise, at that moment, Kokoro spoke up: "Was reading your mind?"

Kato's eyes widen in surprise as sweat slowly began appearing on his face. "This can't be…" he tried to convince himself. The blonde only continued with a serious face, that didn't show any emotions: "It's exactly how you picture it. I come from the clan of telepaths. My bloodline limit allows me to enter other people minds and thus know what they're thinking. I haven't mastered that skill yet, so I'm capable of reading only the surface thoughts, but that's enough in this case. Do you know what's the first thought that comes to someone's mind, when he realizes the person near him is a telepath? He usually starts thinking about things he would prefer to keep a secret from everyone. You wanna know why? Because the instant he knows a telepath is standing besides him, he starts looking for a way to block that persons way to his secrets… just like you did now…"

"You mean?" began the snow-nin, taking a single step back, while Kokoro simply nodded: "Yeah… you just told me your weak spot" and with that he charged forward at an incredible speed, making it unable for Kato to react in time. In an instant the mind reader appeared before the larger gennin and delivered a powerful kick into the snow-nin's chin, making the swordsman feet leave the floor.

Kato dropped to the ground a second later, only to receive a powerful blow from an opened palm into his chin again, which this time made him cough out blood. Aisu merely narrowed her eyes at the sight: "_Attacking Kato's chin… that blonde brat really found out his weak spot… does this mean he's really a telepath?_"

Lee slowly walked over to the laying snow-nin and realized, slightly surprised, that he was out cold: "_With just two hits on the chin? It must be some sort of a weird, genetic flaw for a guy this big to get knock out with only this much… well, either way, the result seems obvious_" and with that he rose back to his feet and glanced at the blonde: "The match is over and thus Benda Kokoro is the winner!"

"This is unbelievable!" announced Kai as the medics took Kato away and the telepath was slowly walking back to the platform. "Do you mean to tell me Kokoro was able to read our minds all the time?" he asked, glancing over to Senkou, who gave him the 'duh' kinda look. Naruto only gazed to Hinata, who smiled under her nose at her subordinate's success.

Honemaru only gazed at Kokoro the instant he walked pass him and his eyes narrowed. The blonde however seemed to completely ignore the sand-nin and joined his companions without any delays.

"Nice work, Kokoro" announced Tsume, patting her teammate on the back, while Toku only send him a short glance. Takaru on the other hand walked closer to him and asked calmly, without any sign of worry: "So, mind telling me how long have you been able to use that bloodline limit of yours?"

"Basically since the start of the Academy" Kokoro replied simply, making Kogane's eyes almost go out of orbits: "You mean while we were still in school, you just kept infringing my privacy?" she yelled, pointing her finger at him. The telepath only shrugged, before replying: "I didn't do it on purpose… back then I just couldn't control my bloodline yet… oh, and by the way Kusari, can you think about… well, anything else besides what you're thinking?" he asked, making the chain master's face turn completely red as he turned around.

Engaged in the conversation, most of the Leaf gennin didn't even realize that the next pair of contestants already got chosen. Nezumi, after taking a quick glance at the screen, wrapped her arm around her masked teammate and with a wide smile appearing on her face, she announced: "Looks like it's your turn, Taka-kun…"

The masked boy only glanced at her for a split second and then let out a sound that might've been considered a frown, before he stepped onto the rail and jumped down to the arena, waiting for his opponent. Hizoku merely shook his head and then turned towards the group of leaf-nins: "Sorry to interrupt your debate" he began calmly, gaining the young shinobi attention. "But it appears they're waiting for one of you…" and the moment he said so all the rookies turned towards the screen.

Kai's eyes widen at noticing the new, two names which were now displayed on it. A worried expression crossed Kumiko's face as she glanced over to her teammate, while Takaru merely narrowed his eyes. Kusari let out a sigh and then headed down the stairs, realizing what the screen said: **HAGANE KUSARI versus KUCHIBASHI TAKA**.

"So Kusari will be going against one of you guys" concluded Ibuki as she glanced at the other grass-nins. "I must say that masked guy got quite unlucky… Kusari may not give the impression of it, but in reality, he's pretty strong…"

"I'm afraid the unlucky one, is that friend of yours, actually" Tokame interrupted her, still not showing his face from under his hood. "Taka might act superior sometimes, however he has his skills to back it up. In actuality, he may be even stronger then Hizoku…" and as he said so, Kai's eyes widen even more as he set them onto the grass-nin that was about to fight.

"_Stronger… then that Hizoku!_" he thought to himself, getting very worried about his companion, who was now having an eye contest with the masked gennin, while they waited for the starting signal. The atmosphere became surprisingly heavy as the two breaths synchronized and then, finally, the match began…

_**---the two chain masters stand before each other… what's to come?---**_

And so another chapter ends. Hope you enjoyed it.

As usual, since new techniques were used, I'm obligated to write down the jutsu encyclopedia, so here goes:

_Hyouton: Hyouki _(Ice Element: Ice Age) – a technique used by Kato. Its basic is to release chakra into the atmosphere and then, by using the correct set of hand seals, make it lower the surrounding temperature. That way the ground surface freezes, while the chakra the user released stays there and allows him to control the frozen water anyway he desires (for example allowing him to create ice spikes).

_Koori Bushin no Jutsu _(Ice Clone Skill) – basically a technique similar to Mizu, Suna, Kage or Ishi Bushin. The only difference is that this time the clone is made of ice. Not point in dragging about it anymore.

And lastly, an updated list of the elimination participants:

**Konoha #7:** Murasakki Kumiko, Tanken Ibuki, Gekido Takaru, Hagane Kusari, Haisha Kai

**Konoha #3:** _Konpaku Rei_, Rikoteki Kogane, Amagasa Toku, Debano Kitsune

**Konoha #4:** Igaku Mikka, Inuzuka Tsume, Benda Kokoro, Hatake Senkou, Kobushi Galu

**Konoha:** Hamano Taki, Hyuuga Hitomi, Manako Akira, Tanken Funbo, Horohoro

**Suna #1:** Aoru, Torune, Honemaru, Tarakudo, Takai

**Suna #2:** Sabaku no Sabure, Hari, Dekai, Horamaru, Karame

**Kusa:** Hokku Tobane, Kanraku Nezumi, Kuchibashi Taka, Kyohaku Tokame, Wanabi Hizoku

**Ame:** Kasano Youji, Eshaku Ryo, Furikuzu Tsuino, Hebereke Nazaa

**Bakufu:** Azarashi Kawa, Abura Tetsu, Makko Shita

**Tsuki:** Junsei Teela, Tenka, Chishio Nobu, Kihako Tasuki

**Hane:** Ono Reiji, Sentou

**Yuki:** Nadare Aisu, Sarumaru Yari

**Kumori:** Kyuu

And that's that for now. Thanks for reading. Take care and until next time, you all!


	70. Weakest Link

**DOUBLE UPDATE:** well, considering you guys kept your part of the deal I made last time (more or less), it's only fair that I'll keep mine. And thus here I am to bring you not one, but two new chapters of "Naruto: Next Generation"! Kusari must face Taka, member of Hizoku's team! Will he be able to win? It's all for you to see with this double chapter.

I want to thank everyone, who reviewed the previous chapter. It really means a lot. I sure hope you'll review this as well (I won't mind if you'll review both chapter 70 & 71… I'm not the one to hold grudges :D).

And without further to do, I believe the only thing left for me to do is to get one with the show:

**Chapter #70: Weakest Link**

**_Title Page:_** Kusari is sitting on the floor in a prison cell, with his hands cut in chains that are attached to the wall

"No! Don't go in there!" Rei's sudden scream made most of the gennin turn towards her surprise. The kunoichi only looked among the face observing her closely and after a moment of silence, she announced: "Sorry, bad dream" and with that she drifted off to her sleep again, leaving Kitsune sweat dropping at her behavior.

But Reiji didn't pay any attention to that. He just narrowed his eyes, which he settled onto Kusari, who was now standing before Taka. "_That Leaf brat… he's the one from before, back in the forest_" the axe user thought to himself with a tiny smirk crossing his face. "_The one Futatsu was talking about…_"

---One month ago in Hidden Metal Village---

"Hey, Reiji, did you hear?" asked Futatsu as he walked to the middle of the training ground, where his teammate was sweating and breathing heavily after intense training. The bold gennin glanced at the swordsman impatiently with annoyance slowly creeping onto his face. Noticing that the other boy immediately continued: "This year the Chuunin Exams will be held in Konoha. This is actually pretty convenient, don't you think? Since the Leaf holds the test, it means they'll be allowed to enter as many teams as they desire… that cursed brat might end up being among them!"

"That cursed brat?" repeated Reiji, rising his eyebrow. "Oh, you mean this whole Hagane guy? I'd never thought that after over seven years you'd still hold a grudge against his older brother. Actually, it's quite pathetic that you wish to take revenge on him, just because you can't get back at his brother, since he's too strong for you…"

"You know just as well as I do what that damned Hagane did!" the swordsman raised his voice uncontrollably, yet the bold gennin didn't seem to care at all. "And to think that it was our own leader that invited Konoha diplomats!"

"I believe that fat-chest woman, this Tsunade or whatever, cleared things up… you know that the younger Hagane had nothing to do with what that other guy did. Now I do not know whether you want revenge because of what happened to your clan or is it your own pride that got hurt mostly, nor do I care if you'll actually kill the brat… however, be aware that I'm going to the Leaf to become chuunin and for that reason only. If your stupid revenge will get in my way to that goal… I'll be the one to erase your clan from the face of this world myself…"

"Don't worry" Futatsu assured him, narrowing his eyes. "Be it during the Chuunin Exam or outside it, that Hagane brat will pay for what his brother did… and once I'll make him a head shorter, his older sibling will get his turn…"

---Flashback end---

"Sixteenth match: Hagane Kusari against Kuchibashi Taka!" Lee announced loudly. "BEGIN!" and in a flash the grass-nin grabbed the chain at his belt and threw it forward, making the blade at its end fly right at the Leaf gennin.

Kusari quickly dodged to his right and threw his hand, making the sharp end of his chain fly right at the masked gennin. Taka however managed to avoid the attack easily by side-stepping, and grabbed the leaf-nin's chain once it went beside him. Spinning on his foot, the Kusa shinobi made the chain master's weapon wrap itself around him and with one, strong pull, Kusari was send flying, right at Hizoku's teammate, who already grabbed his chain right below the blade in order to use it as a knife.

As Kusari came closer, Taka heard a weird noise coming from his back and instinctually jumped into the air, thus avoiding the ball end of his opponent's chain, that crushed hard into the floor where he stood just a moment ago, breaking it into pieces. To his surprise however the attack was not over as the 'wrecking ball' suddenly shoot up and went after him again.

Having no way to avoid the assault in mid air, the grass-nin threw his legs up, locating the blade of his chain behind his back and using it to deflect Kusari's attack. The ball bounced of the flat side of the blade and Taka was saved. With a quick flip, the Kusa shinobi now faced the part of the chain that was attached to the ball, and grabbed it as well, while landing on the ground.

However Kusari saw that coming and instantly jumped back, making his chain stretch to its limits and then, using that moment, he used it as a sling and blasted himself straight at the grass-nin. Surprised by that action, Taka didn't manage to react in time and received a powerful kick in the face from his opponent, which made him let go of the ball-part of the Leaf shinobi's chain, but the sharp end was still wrapped around him.

As Taka came to a sliding stop few meters away from Kusari, the leaf-nin came charging right at him with the ball end of his chain flying beside him and several kunai gathered in his hand. The Kusa shinobi however simply threw the blade of his chain at him again and as the distance between them shortened, the masked gennin raised the hand he held his chain in, only to drop it an instant later, which made his weapon act like a whip.

Seeing this Kusari came to an immediate stop and made the free part of his chain place itself in front of him in the attempt to block the assault, yet with Taka's weapon going in every, possible direction, the blade still managed to get through and cut the leaf-nin's body shallowly in several places.

As Kusari covered his face with his hands, he felt his skin being cut all over. "Kusari!" Kumiko yelled from the platform at the sight in the same time as Nezumi called out just as loud: "Way to go, Taka-kun!" and a second later both kunoichi glanced at each other.

Ibuki, who stood right behind them, watched as their eyes meet for a split second, and then both girls looked away, blushing slightly. The young assassin sweat dropped as she smacked her face with her palm, covering her eyes in the process. "_Now this is just…_"

"Looks like you boy isn't doing so well, eh Teela?" asked Tasuki with a smile while he turned towards his blue-haired teammate, yet she seemed to totally ignore the boy, which made his eye twitch. Nobu only let out a sigh and tuned to Tenka, who still stood with her arms crossed and didn't made much of Tasuki's comment either. "_Those guys…_" was the blonde's only thought, before he returned to observing the match as well.

The attacks finally stopped and Kusari lowered his hands to look at his opponent, who stood few meters before him, making his chain spin in his hand. The leaf-nin felt his skin burning slightly all over; a sign that many cuts just got inflicted onto his body. The ball end of his chain now floated right above him, ready to blast at the masked gennin the instant its master would show the will for it to do so, but Naruto's subordinate haven't attacked. Not yet.

"I must say that I'm quite impressed" announced Taka calmly, with no trace of emotion in his voice. "I've never expected that you'll manage to control your chain with your chakra. Up till now I've only heard that something like this was possible, but I've never seen it actually being performed. Congratulations…"

"Thanks" was the only thing the leaf-nin said. Meanwhile Kai glanced over at the other grass-nins surprised: "wait a minute, you said that Taka guy was supposed to be stronger then Hizoku, but from what he just said, I believe it's safe to assume he's incapable of controlling his chain with his chakra! That means Kusari surpasses him!"

"Well, theoretically you're right" replied Hizoku calmly, as he gazed at the blonde. "But you should understand the subtle difference between knowing how to use a technique and using it properly. You see, the most powerful technique is useless if you don't know how and where you can use it. In a shinobi fight it's not always the matter of who knows more techniques or whose abilities are more powerful. During battle, what counts most is the person's individual skills and his usage of his techniques. Take your female friend's match from before: that Snow girl had an amazing skill, whereas Kumiko-san knew only few, genjutsu tricks, and yet she won, because she was more skilled then that Yuki gennin. The situation right now is the same: your friend can move the chain as he desires, however, out of the two, it's Taka that has a better control over his weapon…"

"Come again?" asked Kai, completely confused. Takaru only let out a sigh as he turned towards his teammate: "To put it simply, blockhead, just having talent for ninjutsu doesn't make you undefeated!" and the moment he said so, Naruto smiled under his nose: "_Seems like he finally understood that_" the jounin thought to himself, but said nothing.

Suddenly Kusari shoot the sharp end of his chain at his adversary, forcing the grass-nin to take action. Acting on instinct, the masked boy charged forward, once more grabbing his chain like a knife and made his blade collide with the incoming one. With sparkles flying all over, Taka kept on charging right at the Leaf shinobi, dragging the blade of his chain along Kusari's, with a loud, scratching sound following it.

As his ears caught the loud noise, Taka's eyes narrowed for a split second as he glanced at his opponent's weapon and then settled his eyes on Kusari again, swinging his blade. The chain master was forced to jump back, in order to avoid the attack and then send the round end of his weapon at the masked gennin.

With a speed that Kusari could not follow, the grass-nin avoided the attack and stepped on the end of the chain. In a flash Taka charged forward again, placing his steps in the way each would force the next part of the Leaf shinobi's chain to the floor. Instantly Kusari made the round end of his chain rise again and flew right after the charging, masked boy, while the sharp end of his chain flew straight at the incoming gennin.

Sensing the right moment, Taka slammed his blade at the incoming sharp end of Kusari's chain from above and jumped into the air, somersaulting. At the same time the round end of the leaf-nin's weapon flew after him. Instantly the masked boy flipped in mid-air and kicked the incoming ball away, cutting parallel to the floor, aiming to chop Kusari's head off.

Having no other way to avoid the assault, the leaf-nin jumped back, dragging his chain with him, but as it was passing Taka, the masked gennin spun on his foot and struck the blade of his chain into the link of his opponent's weapon, stopping it. Naruto's subordinate looked at him surprised and using his chakra made the sharp end of his weapon rise up, aimed at the back of his adversary's head.

As the blade flew right at Taka, the masked boy suddenly spoke up: "You know, my friend, I'll give you a little advice, considering we're both chain users. No matter what you do, you must always remember that your weapon is only as strong as its weakest link… and sadly for you, I've managed to locate it in yours" and with that he made a quick motion with his hand, making the link his blade was holding fall apart.

Kusari's eyes widen in shock as the sharp end of his chain felt to the floor. He no longer had any control over it. The leaf-nin retreated his chain, which was now shorten then before. "_That guy just broke my chain!_" he concluded in his mind. "_I can't attack him with my blade anymore! At this rate, I'll…_"

"Sorry to say this, my friend" announced Taka, spinning his chain again. "But it appears this match is over…"

_**---Kusari's chain broke… could this be the end of the perverted gennin?---**_

Well, that's it for this chapter, but don't go nowhere, coz the next one is already on its way. Naturally, I won't mind if you'll decided to review this one before you move forward.


	71. Underneath the Underneath

And here's the second chapter of the double update! The conclusion of Kusari's match and a little inside on Taka. I do hope you like it. And without more delays, lets get down to the action:

**Chapter #71: Underneath the Underneath**

**_Title Page:_** Kusari is in the hot springs with a horde of monkeys and is filling a small plate with sake

"Sorry my friend, but it appears this match is over" stated Taka as he unleashed his chain at Kusari. The leaf-nin merely made the ripped end of his chain spin around his adversary's weapon, trapping it and he made the round end flew right at the masked boy.

Immediately the grass-nin jumped to his right, making Kusari's weapon hit air, but as Taka flipped in mid-air, the round end of his opponent's chain went after him again. Having no way to dodge, the masked boy tried to retreated his chain to use it to block the assault, only to realize he was unable to: "_I can't pull it back!_"

The instant his feet touched the floor, Taka received a powerful blow in the head, which made his mask crack a bit Kusari's chain made another turn and was coming right at him once more. Seeing no, other way to avoid the attack, the grass-nin made a desperate decision and let go of his weapon and jumped back, thus making his adversary's assault hit the floor where he stood a moment ago.

Kusari didn't stop there however and made his chain go after the Kusa shinobi again. Annoyed slightly, Taka performed a quick set of hand seals and then slammed his hands to the floor, calling out in the process: "Doton: Ishi Kabe no Jutsu!" In a flash a huge, stone pillar raised from the ground, blocking the leaf-nin's attack by making the round end of his chain bounce off its surface.

Hearing a crushing sound coming from the other side of the boulder that just blocked his view, Taka went through several more hand seals and again pressing his hands to the ground, he executed another technique: "Doton: Ishi Boketsu!"

Instantly Kusari found himself getting surrounded by something that could only be described as solid waves of stones that suddenly shoot from the ground and came at him from all sides. Incapable of getting out before the waves would come crushing down on him, the leaf-nin made the round end of his chain wrap itself around the boulder Taka rose earlier and pulled himself towards it, escaping the rocky trap.

"I like that Grass guy" announced Tarakudo cheerfully, turning towards Honemaru. His teammate only turned his eyes at the bandaged boy for a split second and still not showing any emotions on his face, he returned to observing the match bellow, where Kusari already found himself near the boulder, unwrapped his chain and made it seek Taka once more.

The instant the masked gennin appeared from behind the boulder, trying to escape Kusari's weapon, the chain master picked out some kunai and threw them straight at his opponent Occupied with avoiding the wrecking ball, the grass-nin noticed the incoming knives a little too late and tried to dodge them by suddenly standing on his left hand and spinning around in the process, but still he got shallowly cut by the blades in several places.

As the wrecking ball appeared again, Taka bounced off the ground and grabbed the chain with his hand, immobilizing Kusari's weapon. Or so he thought as a large blade attached to another chain suddenly came right at him. The grass-nin recognized that blade immediately: it was the same one he used.

"Way to go, Kusari!" Kumiko cheered from the platform, throwing her hands to the sky. Naturally Kai wouldn't allow her to take the spot light and cheered loudly as well. Naruto only smiled under his nose and then glanced at Ibuki and Takaru, who just stood there, without any sign of excitement. "Aren't you guys gonna cheer for your teammate?" he asked confused.

"Why bother?" Takaru replied, shrugging. "If he's good enough to win, then good for him, if he's not, then our cheering won't really make any difference…" and as he said so, Ibuki only nodded in agreement. The blonde jounin sweat dropped at the comment and then settled his eyes onto the arena again: "_Okay, I do understand those two didn't really had a happy life or anything, but it wouldn't hurt them if they'd act like kids at least once in a while…_"

Meanwhile Taka dodged under the wrecking ball that came at his head and wrapped an explosive tag around the chain as he charged forward, picking out several kunai. As the tag went off, making the round end of Kusari's chain fall to the floor with a loud 'bonk', the masked gennin came near the leaf-nin, unleashing the knives he held in his hands at him.

Having too little time to dodge, Kusari merely jumped back, trying to minimize the damage, yet still got his body cut all over. It was only then that he realized something: "_Where the hell did he go?_" he asked himself before he felt a hand coming from behind him and landing under his chin, while the other hand suddenly grabbed the chain he stole from his opponent.

"I believe that was mine" he heard Taka's voice as the hand under his chin suddenly pushed his neck hard. Kusari's feet hit something behind them and before he knew it, the chain master was already flipping back and landing hard on his face as the grass-nin got back his weapon.

"Boy, that chain guy's pathetic" announced Tasuki in a bored tone and then turned towards Teela, who only narrowed her eyes slightly as she glanced back. Immediately the green-haired boy shut up. In the mean time, Tobane was delighted: "Taka seems to be doing fairly well. It looks like we'll have the fourth in the final…"

But Hizoku didn't replied. With his eyes set on the arena, his face remained emotionless. Tokame gazed at the redhead from under his hood and then returned to observing the fight as well: "_I know what you're thinking, Hizoku… but that was to be expected after all…_"

Kusari slowly got back to his feet, looking p at his opponent, who stood calmly just a meter or two away. He then looked at his hands, that were still wrapped in his chain, now ripped to pieces almost entirely. His breath has become faster as his eyes settled on his opponent once more.

"Face the facts" announced Taka with no trace of emotion in his voice. "I'm stronger then you and now you don't even have a weapon to fight me with. The best you can do is give up…" but the leaf-nin only shook his head slowly as a 'no'. The masked gennin let out a sigh and then threw his chain at Naruto's subordinate: "Have it your way…"

Kusari immediately jumped to his right, trying to avoid the attack, but as the blade came right next to him, his skin suddenly got cut badly, almost like some drill have just went through his left side. Kai's eyes only widen in surprise as he yelled after his teammate: "Kusari!"

"_Just now…_" Ibuki's eyes narrowed at the sight. "_Could that be…_"

"What the hell happened?" Taki demanded as she looked at her companions. "That guy sensed the attack perfectly! The blade haven't even touched him!" but the moment she said so, Funbo spoke up: "It didn't had to…" and as the kunoichi glanced at him surprised, Akira cut in:

"That grass-nin surrounded his weapon with his own chakra, making it circle around it" the blind gennin began explaining, gaining the boomerang user's attention. "Which means that even upon dodging the assault, if Kusari would let the chain go near him, he'll still get cut by the chakra circling around it. It's kinda like that axe guy's technique from before…" and at this point it was Reiji who narrowed his eyes.

Meanwhile Kusari collapse to his left knee as Taka retreated his chain, still making it spin in his hand. Their eyes met for a split second, before the grass-nin unleashed his weapon once more. Having no time to dodge, the chain master ducked under the attack, getting his back cut by the circling chakra, which made him cry out in pain.

In a desperate move, Kusari bite his thumb and wrote a quick kanji with his blood on the scroll he just unwrapped. In a flash a Fuuma Shuriken appeared in his hand and was tossed at the masked gennin, flying at an incredible speed.

Surprisingly for everyone, Taka merely jumped over it and somersaulting in the air, he threw his chain at the shinobi star, making it wrap itself around it. The instant he landed back on the ground, the grass-nin swung his weapon quickly, making it let go of the Fuuma Shuriken, which now flew right at the Leaf shinobi.

Immediately Kusari ran to his left in the attempt to avoid the assault, however that was exactly what Taka wanted. Before the leaf-nin managed to react, the masked gennin appeared next to him and with one, quick motion, made his chain wrap around the chain master's neck, suddenly ripping Naruto's subordinate's lungs from air.

"And so it ends…" concluded Dekai emotionlessly. Kumiko only managed to cover her mouth in fear at the sight. Senkou merely narrowed his eyes as a single drop of sweat run down his face: "_That Grass guy…_" he thought to himself a little nervous. "_Is fast!_"

Takai suddenly felt excitement taking over as his body started shaking a bit again, which made Torune felt very uncomfortable. Almost immediately Naruto placed his leg on the rail, ready to interrupt the fight, but surprisingly for him, Shino placed his hand on his shoulder and only shook his head in negation. The blonde looked at him confused, but the bug user didn't said anything.

"Somebody should stop this fight…" stated Mikka quietly, worry for the chain master taken over her, but Kokoro convinced her not to do a thing: "No point in doing that… this match is over already anyway…"

Kusari felt his throat being crushed as he collapsed to the floor, gasping for air. Taka only narrowed his eyes behind the mask and looked up to the platform. His gaze stopped on his red-haired teammate, who had a stone face. The masked gennin then glanced at his opponent, who was still desperately trying to get some air into his lungs, but failed at achieving his goal.

"_It's quite ironic, really_" Taka thought to himself with a tiny smirk appearing on his face. "_Out of all of us, I never cared about that stupid goal of yours, Hizoku. I came here only to become chuunin and couldn't care less whether you'd achieve the thing you came here for or not. In actuality, I don't suppose I even like you, Hizoku… so why the hell it's me that feels like sacrificing for your sake?_" and at this point his grip on the chain loosen.

Kusari felt the chain crushing his throat retreat, allowing him to breath air again. He glanced confused at his opponent, who only wrapped his weapon back and then attached it back to his belt before turning around and walking away. As the masked gennin passed Lee, who was looking at him completely dumb-fooled, the grass-nin announced calmly, yet loud enough for everyone in the room to hear: "I give up…"

_**---a surprising conclusion… what lies beneath it?---**_

And that's it for the double update. Hope you enjoyed it and that you'll review once you're done. Remember that I won't update unless I get reviews!

As usual, time for the jutsu encyclopedia:

_Doton: Ishi Kabe no Jutsu_ (Earth Element: Stone Wall Skill) – technique used by Taka. Basically the user must first gather chakra in his hands and then, using the right hand seals, he sends it to the ground to use it to lift up a rock. Simple, isn't it?

_Doton: Ishi Boketsu_ (Earth Element: Stone Grave) – technique is use not so different from the Stone Wall Skill. The major difference is that in stead of a boulder, chakra lifts up a mass of small rocks, wrapping itself around it, thanks to which the stones make a sort of a snap trap.

And to end this, another list of gennin:

**Konoha #7:** Murasakki Kumiko, Tanken Ibuki, Gekido Takaru, Hagane Kusari (theoretically: still in progress), Haisha Kai

**Konoha #3:** _Konpaku Rei_, Rikoteki Kogane, Amagasa Toku, Debano Kitsune

**Konoha #4:** Igaku Mikka, Inuzuka Tsume, Benda Kokoro, Hatake Senkou, Kobushi Galu

**Konoha:** Hamano Taki, Hyuuga Hitomi, Manako Akira, Tanken Funbo, Horohoro

**Suna #1:** Aoru, Torune, Honemaru, Tarakudo, Takai

**Suna #2:** Sabaku no Sabure, Hari, Dekai, Horamaru, Karame

**Kusa:** Hokku Tobane, Kanraku Nezumi, Kuchibashi Taka (theoretically: still in progress), Kyohaku Tokame, Wanabi Hizoku

**Ame:** Kasano Youji, Eshaku Ryo, Furikuzu Tsuino, Hebereke Nazaa

**Bakufu:** Azarashi Kawa, Abura Tetsu, Makko Shita

**Tsuki:** Junsei Teela, Tenka, Chishio Nobu, Kihako Tasuki

**Hane:** Ono Reiji, Sentou

**Yuki:** Nadare Aisu, Sarumaru Yari

**Kumori:** Kyuu

And that's really that for this time. Hope you enjoyed it. Until next time everyone!


	72. Absolute Defense?

TADAM! I'm back, here to give you the newest chapter of my "Naruto: Next Generation" fic! For some reason it didn't took my that long to write this (considering I've started yesterday, due to the lack of free time earlier and I could give it that much time after either), but at the same time it worries me, coz the match in this chapter was one of my favorites when I planned it. Hope you'll like it.

As always I wanna thank all of you that took your time to read and review the previous chapter (especially those that reviewed chapter 70 as well). It means a lot. And, since I don't know what else to say, here's the newest chapter of N:NG! But before that, a little reminder: I WON'T UPDATE UNLESS I GET REVIEWS. So there :D

**Chapter #72: Absolute Defense?**

**_Title Page:_** simply Toku walking wit an opened umbrella above his head

"I've never thought I'd see your chain broken!" announced Kai shocked as Kusari slowly returned to them with the remains of his weapon. "I mean, it was filled with chakra, right? How could it break? And more importantly: what are you planning to do now, when you lost your only weapon?"

"I'll think of something" the chain master replied, still looking at the pieces of his weapon he managed to collected before returning. "It's not the end of the world. But what worries me is that Taka guy… he had me right where he wanted me. I surely couldn't won that match. So why all of a sudden would he give up, just like that?"

"Yeah, that's what I'd like to know too" nodded the blonde and just then received a powerful hit on the back of his head from Kumiko, who only yelled: "Could you at least not sound so disappointed about the fact that your teammate made it through eliminations?"

"Ah, Kumiko-chan, I knew you cared!" announced Kusari as he lunged towards the girl, only to have his face crushed against her fist as well. Takaru only sweat dropped at all of this and the glanced over at the team of grass-nin. Now it seemed obvious that becoming chuunin was not the only reason for them to come to Konoha.

"_Those grass-nins…_" Kakashi seemed to get the same idea the son of Tsunade got. "_What is their purpose of being here?_"

"Why did you just give up?" demanded Nezumi, once Taka got back to the platform and propped himself against the wall, crossing his arms. "You had that chain guy right there! There was no way he could've escaped! You had a sure victory!"

But Taka didn't reply. Meanwhile Hizoku narrowed his eyes and lowered his head at the realization. Without turning around to face his masked teammate, he only said "Thanks". The chain user didn't seem to care about what the redhead just said and settled his eyes on the arena, where the next fight was about to begin.

"Seventeenth match: Chishio Nobu from Tsuki against Amagasa Toku from Konoha!" Lee announced loudly as the two gennin stood before each other, ready to fight. "BEGIN!" he yelled, getting out of the way as the blonde of the Moon twins reached for his hostel and unleashed several kunai at his opponent.

In a flash Toku picked out his wooden umbrella and opened it, using it as a shield into which struck all the knives. At that very moment Nobu performed a quick set of hand seals, calling out with the last symbol: "Hijutsu: Ketsueki Isshidoujin!" and instantly the moon-nin appeared behind Shikamaru's subordinate. The younger blonde only had enough time to place his umbrella in the way of the incoming kick, making the Tsuki shinobi's leg crush against it.

"_Oh, that guy actually managed to react in time even when Nobu was using Blood Brotherhood_" noticed Tasuki with a smirk. "_But better yet, his umbrella withstood Nobu's strength in that state… it should've been blown to pieces…_"

"Come on, Toku, kick his ass!" all the gennin suddenly heard a loud yell and as they turned in the direction it came from, they all saw Hanamaru whose body was mostly covered in bandages, throwing his hands to the sky. Sweat dropping, Kitsune only glanced at his teammate, before he asked: "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be in hospital for medical treatment?"

"Well, they closed my wounds, so I figured I'll see how things are going" replied the chubby gennin with a wide smile. "And I see I made it just in time…" and at this point Kogane walked over to him and with a loud 'welcome back' gave the boy a powerful pat on the back, making him scream from pain that suddenly shoot from his wounds. "Sorry…" the kunoichi gave him an apologizing smile, backing away.

Meanwhile Toku suddenly spun on his foot and closing his umbrella, he aimed its tip at Nobu's head, but the moon-nin managed to bend back in time, in order to avoid the assault. In a flash the leaf-nin switched his weapon's position and aimed its tip at his adversary, who now stood with his back parallel to the floor, having the umbrella right above him.

In the last moment Nobu bended to his left and placing his hands on the floor, escaped the incoming assault. But in stead of flipping back to his feet, he stopped on his hands and threw a kick into his opponent's head. Seeing this, Toku immediately ducked under the attack and this time aimed at the moon-nin's hand s with his umbrella.

Having no, other way to avoid the attack, Nobu bounced off the floor and somersaulting in the air, he lengthened the distance between himself and the leaf-nin. To his surprise however, Toku opened his umbrella again and then threw it straight at him, making it come spinning at the Tsuki shinobi.

The instant his feet touched the ground, Nobu jumped back to avoid getting hit by the still spinning umbrella, which just seemed to keep going after him, like it had its own will. As the moon-nin felt the wall behind his back, his eyes narrowed and sensing the right moment, he ducked under the incoming umbrella, making it sunk deep into the wall behind him, creating a pretty large crack.

"_What the hell?_" was Nobu's first thought as he observed it. "_A normal umbrella wouldn't manage to do that? What is that thing made of?_" and with that he gazed at his opponent, who remained in the same place he stood the moment he threw his weapon at him.

"My clan call these Furikan…" announced Toku, almost as if he was able to read the moon-nin's mind like Kokoro did. "In our family, every member is trained to use them since early childhood. Upon mastering its usage, one can use it as a shield or a very dangerous weapon…" and at that statement, Kai looked confused at his instructor: "Wait a moment, that thing seemed to be made out of wood! Regardless to everything, shouldn't it get broken when it hit the wall while it spun?"

"Normally that would be the outcome" Naruto nodded calmly at his subordinate, but stopped himself from continuing. Shikamaru, who stood nearby, only glanced at the young blonde and sighing, he decided to explain: "It's chakra. Basically Toku is using his umbrella in a similar way your teammate used his chain, only in this case the purpose is a bit different. Whereas your friend used chakra to help him control his weapon, Toku surrounds his Furikan with it to make it harder. Thanks to that, his umbrella is capable of withstanding much more damage then it should and can inflict greater damage upon hitting its target…"

"That would explain why just now that umbrella kept on chasing that moon-nin" Hitomi cut in, narrowing her eyes. "Since it was surrounded with chakra, that Toku guy kept some control over it… that is also why it managed to make the stone wall crack while it itself remained in one piece…"

"I still don't get it" whined Tsume annoyed. "But I suppose its fine, as long as it works…"

"Well, it was troublesome, but now your umbrella is here" stated Nobu with a smirk as he stood straight up again. "Lets see how good you'll do without it" and with that he went through a set of hand seals at an incredible speed, calling out with the last symbol: "Katon: Arashi no Kasai!" and in an instant the moon-nin breathed out a powerful wave of fire, that came straight at Toku.

Acting on instinct, the leaf-nin charged at his opponent, leaning forward and thus making the flames go right above him. As the heat reached him, the blonde instantly began sweating, but had no time to wipe it off as he realized Nobu lowering his head, which meant only one thing: the fire wave will come crushing down on him.

With no, other way out, the umbrella user rolled to his right, making the flames smash against the floor where he stood just a second ago. He immediately rose back to his feet and kept on charging, this time picking out some of his shuriken out and throwing them at his adversary. As the shinobi stars came closer, the moon-nin jumped into the air in order to avoid the assault, but that also resulted in him dropping the jutsu.

As the fire distinguished, Toku came closer to his opponent in the attempt to grab his umbrella, yet Nobu was quicker and upon landing back on the ground, he aimed a spin kick into the young boy's face. Just barely did the leaf-nin managed to avoid the attack by leaning back and making his opponent's foot came right before his eyes.

In a desperate attempt, Toku reached for his hostel and in a flash dropped a smoke bomb onto the ground, covering the area where he and Nobu stood. The moon-nin cursed under his nose and then stepped on the umbrella that was right next to his feet: "_I'm not letting you take it_" he stated with annoyance showing on his face.

He then narrowed his eyes in hope to see a little better and upon spotting a figure in the distance, he unleashed several shuriken at it. Before the shinobi stars managed to reach their target however, it disappeared in the smoke, leaving Nobu clueless as to if they hit or not.

And before he knew it, Nobu received a powerful kick in the back of his head, which made him take several steps forward in order to keep his balance. Toku didn't waste that chance and picked up his weapon, immediately launching an attack with its tip at his opponent's head.

The moon-nin only managed to turn around before the umbrella hit him hard in the face, thus making him take few more steps back. Toku however didn't wait until his adversary would regain his senses fully and spinning on his foot, he landed a powerful blow into Nobu's stomach with his umbrella's stick, which send the Tsuki shinobi flying back and coming to a rolling stop few meters away.

"Smoke alters your vision slightly" Toku announced calmly as his opponent was slowly struggling back to his feet. "Kinda like when you look into the water and see a fish beneath its surface… that's why, when caught in a smoke screen, it's better to rely on your ears in stead of eyes…"

"_Wow, that girly guy is pretty good…_" Ibuki complemented the umbrella user in her mind, without even trying to hid her surprise.

"You little…" Nobu cursed under his nose again as he stood back up, breathing heavily. "I cannot lose here! Not when Kumo lost as well!" and the instant he said so, Teela eyes narrowed slightly, but not with anger. For the first time her face shown emotions and as Tenka glanced at her companion, she could see compassion drawing on it.

"_Nobu…_" the blue-haired girl thought to herself as a certain event that the twins once told her about suddenly began forming itself in her mind…

---Nine years ago in Hidden Moon Village---

"Kumo, Nobu, could you please join me for a moment?" asked a man in his sixties with long, grey hair, clipped in a ponytail and long mustache, that felt before his chest. A second later two boys, one looking just like the other besides the fact that the first had blonde hair and the other one green, ran towards the man.

"What is it, ojiisan (grandpa)?" asked eight-year-old Kumo, looking at the sitting man.

"I want to talk to you about something, considering you both started the Academy today" the man replied slowly with a husky voice. "It's very important, so please listen carefully. As you know from your father, our clan is known in the Tsuki for its bloodline limit, Ketsueki Isshidoujin, a trait that appears only in children born into our family as twins or triplets. It's a very powerful ability if use properly. However in the entire clan, no twins nor triplets have been born in ages… besides you two. Our clan is growing small and small with every generation. Soon we may be all gone and our greatness is slowly fading away. I do realize that this is a huge burden for someone who's only as old as you, but remember this, my children: you two may be our family's last hope at regaining our former glory…"

The twins just sat there in silence for a moment before suddenly shoot up (almost giving the old man a heart attack), each yelling loud: "We won't fail you, grandpa! We'll train hard and become respectful shinobi! The world will heard of Chishio clan yet!"

The old man only smiled under his nose as he placed his hands on top of the two boys heads: "I know you will… I have faith in you…"

---Flashback end---

"This match ain't over yet!" Nobu yelled from the bottom of his lungs as he went through another set of hand seals: "I can't afford to lose here! Katon: Hiryuu Bakuha!" and in a flash a powerful flame, in the form of a dragon, came out of his mouth, heading straight at the shocked Toku.

_**---with a desperate move, what future awaits Nobu and Toku?---**_

And so this chapter ends. Hope you enjoyed it and that you'll leave a review once you're done. As usual there's a jutsu encyclopedia, but just as the reminder, the Hijutsu Nobu used at the beginning was the Blood Brotherhood, the technique Kumo used in his match against Galu. However, before I get to the jutsu encyclopedia itself, I'd like to apologize, coz I got a little lazy, so this time around I'll just give the translation and will place proper descriptions next time around. Sorry guys (well, those that actually read the encyclopedia):

_Katon: Arashi no Kasai_ (Fire Element: Firestorm)

_Katon: Hiryuu Bakuha_ (Fire Element: Flying Dragon Blast)

And before I finish, here's the list of the gennin, as usual:

**Konoha #7:** Murasakki Kumiko, Tanken Ibuki, Gekido Takaru, Hagane Kusari, Haisha Kai

**Konoha #3:** _Konpaku Rei_, Rikoteki Kogane, Amagasa Toku, Debano Kitsune, _Gusoku Hanamaru_

**Konoha #4:** Igaku Mikka, Inuzuka Tsume, Benda Kokoro, Hatake Senkou, Kobushi Galu

**Konoha:** Hamano Taki, Hyuuga Hitomi, Manako Akira, Tanken Funbo, Horohoro

**Suna #1:** Aoru, Torune, Honemaru, Tarakudo, Takai

**Suna #2:** Sabaku no Sabure, Hari, Dekai, Horamaru, Karame

**Kusa:** Hokku Tobane, Kanraku Nezumi, _Kuchibashi Taka_, Kyohaku Tokame, Wanabi Hizoku

**Ame:** Kasano Youji, Eshaku Ryo, Furikuzu Tsuino, Hebereke Nazaa

**Bakufu:** Azarashi Kawa, Abura Tetsu, Makko Shita

**Tsuki:** Junsei Teela, Tenka, Chishio Nobu, Kihako Tasuki

**Hane:** Ono Reiji, Sentou

**Yuki:** Nadare Aisu, Sarumaru Yari

**Kumori:** Kyuu

And this truly concludes this chapter. Hope you enjoyed it. Until next time, you all!


	73. Fireworks

And I'm back again, once more to bring you the freshest chapter of "Naruto: Next Generation"! To be honest, taking everything that happened yesterday, I didn't thought I'll manage to finish this on time. Since yesterday's morning I have a terrible headache, which is basically just the tip of the mountain. Because of that some parts of this chapter were written when I was half-conscious and I didn't even got to double check it, so possibly there are more grammatical mistakes then usual (if that's even possible in my case ').

**SOMETHING YOU MIGHT FIND IMPORTANT, SO PLEASE READ:** As always I would like to thank everyone who reviewed! I could write that it means a lot, but you guys already know that, so in stead I was thinking about doing something different. Now, as I just came to realize, the two-year anniversary of this fic is coming with big steps (I can hardly believe that it's almost been two years already… now I kinda feel like Kishimoto-sama, who's been doing the manga for quite a bit of years) and I was wondering how should I celebrate it. I have one thing in mind for the time being (I don't suppose it's anything special, but maybe some of you will be interested in it), but I also got another idea (came up with it yesterday… guess headache makes my brain work better on the 'off-story' part :D): considering that the fact this fic lasted so long is also your merit (without readers and reviewers, it would have been dropped or something), I figured that the anniversary is something for you guys too and so I came up with an idea that would be my way of saying 'thank you for sticking around for so long'. This has been quite a long paragraph, so I'll just get to the chase: I was thinking to ask you what would you guys want me to do as a celebration of two years of N:NG! Well, I have my limits (like collage), so most likely some of the requests I won't be able to fulfill, however I'll try my best to complete those which I can. I have just one request: please don't ask me about making Takaru's background. I'll reveal it once the exams will be officially over (although I originally planned to do it much later) and putting it earlier might spoil several things that take place before that time.

And one, last thing before I'll begin the next chapter: I just wanted to inform you all, that I've decided to revive my other, next generation fic **"Those Who Inherit the Will of Fire"**. Those of you, who once read it and would like to know what happens next might wanna know that I've just uploaded the newest chapter of that story. And those of you, who enjoyed this fic, might wanna give a try to that one as well.

Well, with that said, lets get down to the story:

**Chapter #73: Fireworks**

**_Title Page:_** Naruto and Hinata are standing on a rooftop and observe fireworks in the sky

"Toku!" Kogane only managed to yell as the huge, flame dragon came right at her teammate. The umbrella user however did not move. As the attack drew closer and closer, he merely held out his weapon, opened it and once the fire reached its tip, he suddenly began to spin it in his hand.

Nobu's eyes only widen in surprise as he saw his dragon starting to spin with the umbrella and not going beyond its tip. His eyes then remained widen, only this time more to fear then surprise, once the spinning flames suddenly switched directions and came right at him. The instant the moon-nin got hit by his own attack, he let out a loud yell of pain as he felt his skin burning all over.

Once the flames distinguished, he collapsed to the ground, completely unconscious. Toku merely closed his umbrella and placed it on his back again as Lee immediately checked Nobu's condition. While the medics rushed in to take the Tsuki boy for treatment, the Leaf's Green Beast glanced over to the other blonde and after a short moment, he announced loudly: "Winner: Amagasa Toku!"

"What the hell just happened?" demanded Kai, completely clueless. "At one second those flames were coming straight at him and in the other they just seemed to be blown away and hit the guy who performed the technique in the first place! How in the world is that even possible?!"

"The instant those flames came close, that umbrella guy collected most of his chakra in the tip of his Furikan" Akira began to explain, gaining the blonde's attention. "By spinning it, he created something that could be called a whirlpool of chakra that acted kinda like a magnet: it made the flames stick to it and circle along with it. As all the flames got collected by the whirlpool, this whole Toku simply pushed them away by blowing his chakra in the right direction… that's how that moon-nin's technique turned against him…"

"Wait, and something like that actually can turn a person's technique against himself?" asked Taki, looking at her teammate, but the one to answer her question was Horohoro: "It's not that unbelievable, when you think about, however being able to pull something like that off requires incredible, chakra control… to put it simply: that umbrella guy's ability isn't just limited to covering his weapon with chakra" and at this point his eyes narrowed as he settled them on Toku, who was now walking up the stairs, back to the platform: "_And that makes him an opponent one must watch out for…_"

"Great job, Toku!" Hanamaru cheered for his friend as the Furikan user arrived back. Kitsune only nodded and with his usual, calm and not carrying voice, he added: "Quite impressive indeed… you big show-off" and with that the blonde's eyes traveled to Rei, who was still sleeping and mumbled something about cherries under her nose.

Toku only sweat dropped at this and turning to his out teammates he merely said 'thanks' before getting back to prop himself against the wall and crossing his arms as he awaited the next match. Little did he not know was that at this point he was being closely observed by a certain, rain-nin.

"What do you think about this, Youji?" Tsuino asked his companion as his eyes stopped at the young, Konoha gennin. The blue-haired girl only analyzed the blonde for a moment and then replied suspiciously: "Well, it's a rarity for a shinobi from outside the Ame to be trained in using an umbrella, especially in the way he just did. I'd say he's not a typical, Leaf brat…" and as she said so, Ryo adjust his glasses as a tiny smirk crossed his face, yet he said nothing.

"So, Nobu lost too…" concluded Tasuki with a tiny smile on his face. "Damn, this feels weird. Tomorrow they're gonna feel that in…" but before he could finish, he caught Teela's cold glare. For the first time in a really long while he saw her actually showing any emotions. As a single drop of sweat began to run down his face, the blue-haired girl only said: "Tasuki… do not insult Nobu nor Kumo while I'm around…" and at that the boy could only give a nod as his mouth became completely dry.

With all the commotion, very few of the contestants gathered even realized that the next pair was already selected and that a huge, chubby waterfall-nin with a large hammer was already awaiting his adversary in the arena. Aisu merely narrowed her eyes as Yari jumped down for his match.

"Tetsu-san, do your best!" Shita yelled from the platform, while Kawa didn't really seemed to care at all. Lee only threw quick glanced at both participants and then, loud as usual, announced: "Eighteenth match: Sarumaru Yari from Yuki against Abura Tetsu from Bakufu! Ready and… BEGIN!"

In a flash the snow-nin charged straight at his opponent with his spear ready. As the distance between the two narrowed, Yari made an attempt to pierce right through the Bakufu shinobi, but to his surprise the large gennin easily managed to get out of the way. Unmoved by this, the spear user kept on pushing, trying to cut his adversary from almost every angle with several pierce attempts, yet every time the fat boy managed to avoid the attack.

Finally Tetsu jumped back, slowing down the battle, while Yari only narrowed his eyes upon him, breathing a little faster then usual. Meanwhile, up on the platform, Ibuki was completely shocked: "Wow, I've never thought that walking container of blubber will actually be able to move like that!" she announced, which earned her a death glare from Hanamaru, who stood nearby. The young assassin only gave out an apologizing smile, before returning to observe the match bellow.

Yari was already performing a quick set of hand seals, finishing it with a loud call: "Hyouton: Tsurara Hitoame!" and as he swung his spear, several icicles flew straight at Tetsu, making the waterfall-nin cover his face with his hands right before the ice blades cut his body.

"_With such ease he managed to freeze the water in the atmosphere, just like his teammate did earlier_" Naruto realized, looking at the spear user.

The Bakufu shinobi narrowed his eyes slightly at the feeling of his body being cut shallowly in several places, yet he didn't had time to rest. In a flash Yari charged forward, aiming to pierce right through the waterfall-nin. Seeing this, Tetsu brought his hammer down at the incoming Yuki shinobi, however the spear users managed to jump to his left, thus avoiding the attack and making his adversary's weapon hit the floor, making it crack slightly.

Instantly Yari located himself behind his opponent and aimed his weapon at his left shoulder in the attempt to cut the chubby boy in half, yet Tetsu managed lean to his right, making the snow-nin's blade hit the steel pipe on his back, thus blocking the assault. The Yuki shinobi didn't waste a second and immediately retreated his spear and dragged it parallel to the floor, aiming to cut the Bakufu gennin in half.

Acting on instinct, Tetsu jumped forward and spun in mid-air, thus making himself face his opponent again. As Yari's blade missing him, the snow-nin raised his weapon again in an attempt to cut him from above, yet the Bakufu gennin simply blocked the attack with the handle of his hammer.

Yari pushed harder, yet neither of the weapons gave in. The snow-nin narrowed his eyes as he looked at his adversary and with a stone-cold voice, he announced: "This is getting old. Sorry, but I'll be finishing this in a moment…"

"Funny" was the only thing Tetsu said. "I was about to say the same thing" and with that he suddenly went through a quick set of hand seals, using his left hand only. Yari's eyes only widen in surprise as the waterfall-nin's pipes suddenly raised from his back and landed on his shoulders, aimed right at him. "Ninpou: Hanabi Bakuha!"

In a flash something came out of the pipes and exploded right in Yari's face with a loud 'boom', sending the spear user flying back and making him land hard on the ground few meters away from Tetsu. Immediately Lee appeared next to the boy and making a quick check on him, he realized the Yuki gennin had his skin burnt in several places and marks of gunpowder here and there.

"_Those pipes_" he thought to himself as he glanced over at the waterfall-nin. "_At that instant he filled them with chakra to initiate the blast. Not a typical, shinobi gear, but definitely provides a great hit power. Plus that hammer from just now…_" and with that he raised his hand, pointing at the chubby gennin: "Winner: Abura Tetsu!"

"_So basically that Waterfall guy is carrying cannons on his back and can make them fire by using his chakra_" concluded Takaru as he settled his eyes on Tetsu, who was slowly getting back to the platform. "_In actuality, that's pretty scary…_"

"What are you thinking about, Takaru?" asked Kumiko with concern, gaining her teammate's attention. Instantly Kogane turned towards them as well and rubbing her arm against the boy's one, she added sweetly 'anything I can help you with, perhaps?'. The son of Tsunade only sweat dropped as he glanced at the blonde kunoichi and then turned to Kusari for help, however the chain master completely ignored it and walked over to the young genius, saying:

"You know, Kumiko-chan, I was thinking too…"

"Since when?" was the kunoichi's only response before she traveled with her gaze onto the screen once Lee announced that the next pair of contestants was about to be chosen. The names began zooming through, finally giving the result: **HYUUGA HITOMI versus NADARE AISU**.

"Hitomi-san, it's your turn!" yelled Taki loudly, wrapping her arm around the white-eyed girl. The young Hyuuga glanced over at Horohoro, who merely nodded at her and then she jumped down to the arena, where her opponent was already waiting for her.

"_Well, since it's Hitomi, this should be fun_" Funbo thought to himself with a smirk appearing on his face. Also Galu seemed to be interested in the next match as he narrowed his eyes while he observed the older girl: "_She's one of the Hyuuga, gentle fist user. Most interesting…_"

Hinata also narrowed her eyes, however as she did so, a sad expression crossed her face. Kokoro noticed that, but decided to keep quiet and in stead concentrated on the match that was about to begin.

"Tuff luck for you, girly" announced Aisu as she stood with her arms crossed. "I've got really annoyed with all this and I'm gonna break my team's losing streak…" but as she stated that, Hitomi only lowered her head and replied as calmly as ever: "Sorry, but that won't be happening… since I won't allow you to break my team's winning streak…"

With that said Lee only took a deep breath before calling out loud enough for everyone to hear: "Nineteenth match: Hyuuga Hitomi from Konoha against Nadare Aisu from Yuki! Ready and… BEGIN!"

**_---chosen by fate… what will become of Hitomi and Aisu?---_**

And that concludes this chapter. Hope you enjoyed it and please review. It'd mean a lot. Also, as usual I have the jutsu encyclopedia for you guys. And I am aware of the fact that I promised you descriptions for the techniques used last time, but with my headache I kinda felt like I can't do it. I very sorry. Next time I'll keep my word, but please forgive me this time. At the very least, I'll give you translation of the techniques used this time around, along with the updated list of gennin:

_Hyouton: Tsurara Hitoame_ (Ice Element: Icicle Shower)

_Ninpou: Hanabi Bakuha_ (Ninja Art: Fireworks Blast)

**Konoha #7:** Murasakki Kumiko, Tanken Ibuki, Gekido Takaru, Hagane Kusari, Haisha Kai

**Konoha #3:** _Konpaku Rei_, Rikoteki Kogane, Amagasa Toku, Debano Kitsune, _Gusoku Hanamaru_

**Konoha #4:** Igaku Mikka, Inuzuka Tsume, Benda Kokoro, Hatake Senkou, Kobushi Galu

**Konoha:** Hamano Taki, Hyuuga Hitomi, Manako Akira, Tanken Funbo, Horohoro

**Suna #1:** Aoru, Torune, Honemaru, Tarakudo, Takai

**Suna #2:** Sabaku no Sabure, Hari, Dekai, Horamaru, Karame

**Kusa:**Hokku Tobane, Kanraku Nezumi, _Kuchibashi Taka_, Kyohaku Tokame, Wanabi Hizoku

**Ame:** Kasano Youji, Eshaku Ryo, Furikuzu Tsuino, Hebereke Nazaa

**Bakufu:** Azarashi Kawa, Abura Tetsu, Makko Shita

**Tsuki:**Junsei Teela, Tenka, Kihako Tasuki

**Hane:**Ono Reiji, Sentou

**Yuki:** Nadare Aisu

**Kumori:** Kyuu

And that's that. Now before I go, I'm aware of the holidays that are coming closer. I'm not sure if I'll manage to finish the next chapter before them (though I'll try or at least update during it), so just in case I'd like to wish you all HAPPY EASTER and BIG EGGS!

Until next time and may the Rasengan be with you!


	74. Cold As Ice

Damn, I'm good (and modest :D). With a huge, author's block in the middle of the chapter that suddenly hunted me somewhere during the weekend, I never expected to finish this chapter before Easter. And yet, here I am, submitting the newest (the keyboard's still hot after my typing) chapter of N:NG!

As usual I wanna thank everyone, who reviewed the previous chapter. And once more I have a special proposition for you guys (maybe it's the spirit of the coming holidays, but then Christmas was always my favorite, so…): considering I've managed to write this one faster then usual and that I'll have six days free of collage (I'll still have to write some work for it, but), I was thinking that I might be able to pull another double update next Friday. Naturally, if you guys want me to do that, I wanna ask you something back: that you'll review this chapter and both next week.

And just before moving onto the story, I'd like to encourage all of you to give my other, next generation fic, "Those Who Inherit the Will of Fire" a shoot. You might enjoy it, considering it's been written in a similar spirit to this story (naturally, if you do, it'd mean a lot if you reviewed).

With all that announced and asked, the only thing left to do is to get on with the show:

**Chapter #74: Cold as Ice**

**_Title Page:_** out front stands Hitomi, bandaging her hands, and in the background Neji with the 'cursed seal' on his forehead revealed

"So, not only Fuma, but even Bakarrrrrra and Rrrrrraina got defeated" concluded Tategamaru as he glanced at Saiken, who was kneeling before him. The mysterious man looked at the Hokage Monument in the distance as a small smirk appeared on his face. "It's rrrregrrrretable, but can't be helped. Actually, it doesn't matterrrrr all that much… even if Kyuu werrrrre to lose, it makes no differrrrrence to us… rrrrrrrememberrrrrrr Saiken, when we'll be forrrrrced to take action, I'll be counting on you to do yourrrrr sharrrrre…"

"Of course, Tategamaru-sensei" the headgear boy replied, still not rising his head to look at the man. Although he was found of the fact that he was capable of blocking any type of emotion, this time around he felt something that could've been compared to curiosity. The events that were soon to come, in a strange way, made him excited for the first time in a very long while.

---Back to the eliminations---

"Nineteenth match: Hyuuga Hitomi from Konoha against Nadare Aisu from Yuki!" Lee announced loudly, throwing quick looks at the two girls. "Ready and… LET YOUR SPIRITS OF YOUTH EXPLODE!" he yelled getting out of the way, however both kunoichi, along with most people gathered in the room, only glanced at him confused.

The Leaf's Green Beast only sweat dropped quickly, before responding: "That means you may begin…" and in a flash both fighters began acting. Hitomi immediately activated her bloodline limit, making veins appear around her peril eyes, while Aisu finished a quick chain of hand seals.

"Hyouton: Retsu Kuiki!" the snow-nin called out and in a flash the temperature in the room dropped, making Mikka shiver at the sudden cold, while Rei only mumbled something about some idiot that turned the heat of, without even waking up. Hitomi felt the change as well and narrowed her eyes as her Byakugan spotted chakra floating in the air all around the arena.

"Goodbye" was the only thing Aisu said before performing a single seal and instantly the air around the white-eyed girl froze, forming an ice ring full of spikes. As the ring circled around her, Hitomi made a quick attempt to get out of it, but it was then that the spikes shoot at her in the form of icicles.

Horohoro merely narrowed his eyes at this, while his teammate simply pushed the two, first icicles to the ground by hitting them from above with her finger tips and using that moment to jump into the air, somersaulting in the process and thus making some of the spikes smash into pieces against the floor in the spot she stood a second ago.

Once she was in mid-air, Hitomi landed with her feet on the two, nearest icicles and instantly bounced off them again, grabbing another with her hand, avoid few more spikes thanks to that maneuver and throwing the one she grabbed at another that was coming right at her, smashing both into pieces as they collide.

The moment she landed back on the ground, she crawled down while spinning and threw her leg to the sky, kicking up the icicle that was coming at her back, making it change course and smash another spike that was getting near her.

As her body came to a stop, Hitomi instantly bended over her left shoulder, thus making some of the spikes that shoot out from the ring behind her flew before her eyes, and smashed the tips of her fingers into the ring, making it shatter like glass immediately and fall to the floor in pieces.

"_What the hell?_" Aisu asked herself as she observed her opponent. "_Does she have eyes on her back or something?_" Meanwhile, in the platform, Kai was even more shocked then the snow-nin: "Wha… wh… wha…" and at this point Takaru smacked him in the back of his head: "What just happened?" the blonde finished.

"What?" Funbo responded with a tiny smirk on his face. "Hitomi just avoided all of those icicles. Nothing to impressed about… yet" and as he said so, Ibuki widen her eyes before settling them back at the young Hyuuga, who was once again standing in her fight stance, ready to continue the match with no sign of fatigue on her body. "_There's… more?_"

"You're really troublesome" stated Aisu calmly as a smirk appeared on her face as well. "Usually that trick was enough to finish any of my opponents, but I suppose this is even better. It's been a long while since I had a good fight. How about we take this to another level?" and with waiting for the answer, she performed another set of hand seals.

In a flash a huge, ice spike shoot from bellow the ground in the attempt to pierce through Hitomi, yet the white-eyed girl manage to avoid the hit by immediately jumping into the air and as the spike went under her feet, he used it to bounce of it and fly straight at her opponent. But the instant she did so, more spikes began coming up, each aimed to cut her.

Seeing this, the young Hyuuga flipped and placed her hand on the nearest spike. Upon grabbing it, she went into a spin, concluded with her landing her feet on the spike and bouncing off it as well. In the same instant another spike shoot before her, Hitomi somersaulted and this time used her hand to bounce off it and higher into the sky.

Aisu merely performed another hand seal and to the leaf-nin's surprise, the next spike that shoot from the ground rose much higher then the previous, reaching the white-eyed girl, but at that time Hitomi rested her right palm on the spike and pushed herself up on it, making the spike go barely inches behind her back. With her hand still on the spike, the young Hyuuga bended to her right and spinning parallel to the spike, she finally came to a sliding stop on the icicle, using the chakra in her feet to keep her from slipping.

In a flash Aisu performed another hand seal and once more icicles formed themselves, this time from thin air, and flew straight at Hitomi. The leaf-nin instantly rested her left hand on the spike while spinning, thus dodging the first, incoming attack. In a blink of an eye she picked out a scroll with her right hand and tossed it in a way it'd circle around her while she bite her thumb and immediately wrote a symbol on it with her blood.

A sudden blast of smoke covered the scroll from everyone's view as Hitomi kept on spinning and kicked the nearest icicles from the side, making it break into pieces, while she kept of spinning. In the next instant the white-eyed girl bounced off the spike, making some of the icicles hit it in the place she was a second go.

As she flew into the air somersaulting, more icicles formed and came at her again. But it was then that the white smoke that was still covering Hitomi's right hand cleared, revealing that she held a spear with a large blades on both ends. And as the ice spikes flew closer, she began spinning, managing to block them all using only her weapon.

Gracefully she landed on the floor, placing her spear away from her body and glancing over at Aisu with her peril eyes. For some reason that made the snow-nin take a single step back: "_Who the hell is she? I can't make a single attack connect!_"

"It's pointless" Taki said to no-one in particular. "As long as Hitomi has her Byakugan activated, there's just no way to land a blow on her. During training, even Funbo-kun couldn't make a single weapon of his reach her. For her, those icicles might as well be standing still…"

"You gotta be kidding me!" yelled Kumiko as she glanced over at the older kunoichi. Galu only narrowed his eyes as he settled them on Hitomi: "_She's that good, huh?_" he asked calmly, making Kokoro give him a worried look. Senkou on the other hand merely smirked behind his mask: "_She may be fun to fight in the finals…_"

Aisu narrowed her eyes in irritation and performed another hand seal. In a flash Hitomi felt her weapon getting heavier and in an instant one of its ends landed on the floor with a loud 'thud'. The white-eyed simply let it go as one of her spear ends was covered by a thick mass of ice.

"What the hell?" asked Kusari, completely confused. "Why in the world did that spear all of the sudden frozen?" and with that he looked around. The one to answer his question, was Akira: "It's chakra… you probably realized that awhile ago the temperature in the entire room dropped. It's became that Snow girl filled the air with her chakra which somehow collected the warmth…"

"So that's why she can create those icicles out of nothing" concluded Takaru, narrowing his eyes. "With the temperature already low, all she has to do is use her chakra that's in the air to lower it more in the desired place and form ice from the water in the atmosphere…"

"That would seem about right" Kitsune cut in. "However, if that's the case, there's one thing that is disturbing, don't you think?" and after Kai asked what he meant, Shikamaru's subordinate simply replied: "If that Snow girl can freeze anything within the field of the low temperature, why didn't she just froze that white-eyed girl?"

"That's actually a very good question" admitted Naruto and then glanced over at Shino, who merely adjusted his glasses. Hearing this Horohoro only sighed: "It's the body temperature. Human body emits great among of warm. I'm guessing that even with lowering the air temperature all around, that girl's body temperature still didn't drop enough for her to surround her with ice…"

"But even so, with the cold air around, it's only a matter of time until her body temperature will drop" stated Temari simply, making Hinata narrow her eyes: "_So that is her real plan! That Snow girl is buying herself time!_"

"_Enough child's play_" Aisu decided as she reached for her hostel. "_Time to finish this!_" and with that thought she tossed several shuriken and kunai at Hitomi, performing a quick hand seal and thus forming more icicles that flew at her opponent as well, cutting off possible way of retreat.

The leaf-nin merely narrowed her eyes and as the blades came closer, she threw her hands out front, grabbing one of the shuriken between her fingers in mid-flight, while stopping a kunai by putting her finger through the ring on its end.

Without wasting a second, the kunoichi tossed the weapons she grabbed at the other, incoming blades while aiming to catch more of the weapons. To Aisu's surprise, the ones Hitomi tossed back, collided with others she launched herself and threw them off course. However what shocked her even more was the fact that using the ricochet, the same weapons collided with other blades, throwing them off their route as well.

By grabbing the incoming weapons and tossing them back while spinning, Hitomi managed to deflect all the incoming blades, without allow a single one to scratch her. Ibuki only widen her eyes at the sight, while Hanamaru choked on his chips. Tsume's grip on the rail tightened at the very same moment as sweat began appearing on her face: "_That's inhuman!_"

"_Without a doubt that's Neji's and Tenten-chan's daughter_" Lee thought to himself with a smile as he set his eyes on Hitomi. A confident smile crossed the kunoichi's face as well, as she gazed at her opponent again: "Had enough?" she asked simply.

"Not just yet" was Aisu's only reply as he once more performed a quick hand seal and to everyone's surprise, ice wrapped itself around Hitomi's wrists, making it impossible for her to even touch it with her hands. In an instant ice embraced the young Hyuuga's legs as well and before the white-eyed girl knew it, she got completely immobilized.

"It'd appear that I finally got you" announced Aisu with a smirk. "I gotta admit its been a long while since someone lasted long enough in my cold field so that I could freeze his body. However with that, this match is over. You can't move your hands… but just to make sure" and with that she performed another hand seal, making ice spikes shoot from the ground again, heading straight at the defenseless Hitomi.

_**--will Hitomi get knocked out cold?---**_

And so this chapter is concluded! Hope you enjoyed it and that you'll leave me a review with your opinion. Also, the last two times I blew it (for many reasons) and promised to do the jutsu encyclopedia of the techniques used in the latest chapters. I always do my best to keep my word and so here are the descriptions of all the techniques used in chapters 72, 73 and 74:

_Katon: Arashi no Kasai_ (Fire Element: Firestorm) – technique used by Nobu. It's usage is basically similar to Uchiha clan's Grand Fireball Skill, but there are two, major differences: first is that in stead of a fireball, the flame in released in the form of a fire breath (something like a flame whip) that goes a little above the ground. The second difference is that the among of chakra required to perform it is way smaller the in the Uchiha technique's case.

_Katon: Hiryuu Bakuha_ (Fire Element: Flying Dragon Blast) – jutsu used by Nobu, which basically is similar to Zabuza's Water Dragon Blast. The only difference is that in stead of water, the dragon is formed of flames and the technique requires more chakra to perform.

_Hyouton: Tsurara Hitoame_ (Ice Element: Icicle Shower) – technique used by Yari. One might say it's a compilation of Takaru's Insei Tooriame and Kuri's skill: with the chakra released to the atmosphere, the user first freezes the water in the air to form icicles and then sends them at his opponent, using wind currents.

_Ninpou: Hanabi Bakuha_ (Ninja Art: Fireworks Blast) – skill used by Tetsu. The usage is actually much more simple then it may look. With gunpowder in the pipes, all the user has to do is to send his chakra into the pipes and then make it heat up, thus initializing the blast.

_Hyouton: Retsu Kuiki_ (Ice Element: Cold Zone) – technique used by Aisu. In order to perform it, the user must first release a great among of chakra into the air and the use it to absorb the heat, thus lowering the temperature in the selected area. That way the one who performed the jutsu is capable of forming ice by using the water in the atmosphere in an instant, as long as the ice is formed in the sphere.

And just before the end, the updated list of gennin still in the game:

**Konoha #7:** Murasakki Kumiko, Tanken Ibuki, Gekido Takaru, Hagane Kusari, Haisha Kai

**Konoha #3:** _Konpaku Rei_, Rikoteki Kogane, Amagasa Toku, Debano Kitsune, _Gusoku Hanamaru_

**Konoha #4:** Igaku Mikka, Inuzuka Tsume, Benda Kokoro, Hatake Senkou, Kobushi Galu

**Konoha:** Hamano Taki, Hyuuga Hitomi (in progress), Manako Akira, Tanken Funbo, Horohoro

**Suna #1:** Aoru, Torune, Honemaru, Tarakudo, Takai

**Suna #2:** Sabaku no Sabure, Hari, Dekai, Horamaru, Karame

**Kusa:**Hokku Tobane, Kanraku Nezumi, _Kuchibashi Taka_, Kyohaku Tokame, Wanabi Hizoku

**Ame:** Kasano Youji, Eshaku Ryo, Furikuzu Tsuino, Hebereke Nazaa

**Bakufu:** Azarashi Kawa, Abura Tetsu, Makko Shita

**Tsuki:**Junsei Teela, Tenka, Kihako Tasuki

**Hane:**Ono Reiji, Sentou

**Yuki:** Nadare Aisu (in progress)

**Kumori:** Kyuu

And this really ends this chapter. Now, before I go, I want to wish you all again a HAPPY EASTER! Hope your holidays will the eggstraordinary!

Until next time!


	75. Blood of the Hyuuga

**DOUBLE UPDATE:** yay, I actually did it! To be honest Easter turned out to be much more troublesome then I first thought and I had doubts if I'll manage to finish the second chappie. But in the end everything turned out okay and here I am, bring you another double update of "Naruto: Next Generation"! Sorry it didn't get uploaded on Friday (both chapters were done by then), but FF seems to screwed up a bit and I couldn't upload the documents until now.

However, on the other hand, there's also some badder news: my first exam's this Tuesday and I need to sit down to my writing works for collage, so there's a possibility (I'm not saying that it will happen, but just in case I want you guys to be prepared) that there may not be an update next week. I'll do my best to finish chapter 77 till next Friday, but can't promise a thing here.

As always I wanna thank everyone who reviewed the previous chapter and hope that you'll review these two as well. I do hope that at least few will decide to review both 75th and 76th. New reviewers are always welcomed. And without further to do, lets get down to the arena:

**Chapter #75: Blood of the Hyuuga**

**_Title Page:_** out front Kumiko is standing in an Arabian female dress and a little in the back Hitomi stands with a similar dress on

"Home already?" Tenten asked with a smile as Neji slowly walked into the kitchen, where the weapon mistress was preparing lunch. She turned around and kissed the Hyuuga genius on the lips before returning to cooking the meal.

"Yes" the man replied simply, smiling back. "For the time being I'm done, however I'm afraid that in the near future, I'll have more work then before" and the instant he said so, a worried expression crossed his wife's face. Immediately she shook it off and then changed the subject:

"You know the eliminations have already started? I've seen the teams that made it out of the forest safely. Hitomi was among them" and with that she smiled widely, proud of her child. The white-eyed man only nodded and after a moment of silence, he replied: "I've expected nothing less from her… after all she is the first of the Hyuuga…"

"First of the Hyuuga?" Tenten repeated, a little confused.

"Back when I told her that, she made a promise to me" Neji continued, almost as if he ignored her question. "She declared that she'll prove that it was a wise decision to combine the two families… since she's the first Hyuuga born into the Branch family, rid of the cursed seal, she made an oath that she won't lose to no-one in order to show that whether it's Branch or Main family, it makes no difference… that is why I knew she'll make it out of the forest… and that is why I know she'll also make it through the eliminations…"

---Back to the eliminations---

As the ice spikes came straight at her, Hitomi only shut her eyes, opening them an instant later with chakra suddenly bursting out from both her hands and legs, shattering the ice around it. She dropped to the floor and crawled down as the spikes shoot at the place she was imprisoned just a moment earlier, going over her head.

Immediately the white-eyed girl hit the spikes with her finger tips, making the break and as the shattered, ice pieces came falling to the ground, Hitomi began spinning, emitting chakra from her entire body. In a flash the ice pieces stopped at the sphere that surrounded her and the second she yelled 'Hakke Shou Kaiten' they got blown away, heading straight at the surprised Aisu.

The snow-nin only managed to cover her face from the small icicles as her own ice cut her body. The instant the storm was over, Aisu lowered her hands in order to see what was going on, but her opponent was already standing behind her, bended forward in a stance Hinata immediately recognized.

"Jyuken po Hakke! Rokujuyonsho!" the young Hyuuga called out before her hands shoot straight at Aisu at such a speed the snow-nin didn't even manage to form a block. "Hakke Nisho!" Hitomi's voice hit her ears as she felt two, sudden hits reached her body, instantly closing her tanketsu points.

Less then a split second later four more hits connected as the speed of her adversary's attack increased, making it impossible to even follow the white-eyed girl's hands with her eyes: "Yonsho! Hassho! Jurokusho! Sanjunisho! Rokujuyonsho!" and with the last call Aisu got blasted away, falling onto her back several meters away from Hitomi.

"I guess I should've told you before" began the young Hyuuga as she stood above her fallen opponent. "It's not just my hands, I can release chakra from any opening in my body. And when it comes to yours: I just closed every, single one of your tanketsu points. You can get up and try to continue, however you won't manage to perform any technique…" and the instant she said so, Aisu seemed to lose consciousness.

Lee walked closer to the two and after a short examination, she announced loudly: "Winner: Hyuuga Hitomi!" The white-eyed girl only placed her hands in her pockets and slowly headed back to the platform while the medics took Aisu away.

"_So that Leaf girl didn't used this whole Kaiten thing before on purpose_" Karame concluded as he thought to himself. "_She wanted that snow-nin to get confident and lower her guard. Then she attacked with full force once she saw an opening. And above all, she managed to avoid all those icicles from before… that white-eye will certainly be hard to beat…_"

"Nice job, Hitomi-san!" Taki yelled cheerfully as she patted her teammate on the back once the white-eyed girl returned to them. Funbo merely gazed at her and with a simple: "Yeah, it was okay" he got back to looking at the screen. Shino simply nodded to his student as the young Hyuuga glanced at him and returning the nod, she got back to her spot from before the match.

"Boy, just the thought of facing her in the final exam gives me the creeps" announced Kogane as she shivered slightly. "With such skills she could probably take most of us down on her own" but at that instant an event from few days before flashed in her mind: "_But it's still nothing compared to that shadow-nin from the forest…_"

"It's hard for me to admit, but in actuality you're right" Kumiko agreed with the blonde kunoichi as she set her eyes on the young Hyuuga. Takaru merely narrowed his eyes, but said nothing. Meanwhile Lee broke the tension, gaining everyone's attention, as he announced: "Lets move on to another, elimination fight!"

Immediately Kusari's eyes turn to the screen, where the names began changing at an incredible speed. And then, all of a sudden, two names were revealed. Takai merely narrowed his eyes at the sight and then glanced over at Sabure and her team, noticing what the screen read: **DEKAI versus KASANO YOUJI**.

"Finally" the Sand swordsman let out a relief as he propped his foot on the rail, ready to jump down, but just then he received a pat on the back. As he looked back surprised, he realized the one who did it, was Sabure: "Good luck, Dekai-kun!" the redhead girl gave him a thumbs up, making the boy's eyes widen slightly.

"_Great, she switched again_" Horamaru sighed disappointed, but said nothing. She glanced over to Kankuro, yet the puppeteer only shook his head as the sign that he shouldn't do a thing. Dekai merely nodded to Kazekage's daughter and then jumped down onto the arena, where his opponent, a Rain kunoichi who carried three umbrellas on her back: two wooden and one metal.

"Do your best Youji-chan!" Nazaa yelled from the platform with his nose and cheeks a little red. Lee instantly recognized that look: the redheaded boy was a little drunk. Ryo only narrowed his eyes behind his glasses as a tiny smile appeared on his face. "_This might be interesting_" was his only thought as he threw Tsuino a quick glance and then returned to observing his female teammate.

Seeing who the next pair was, Kitsune gave Toku a worried expression, yet the blonde didn't seem to make anything of the next fight and just stood there with his arms crossed, just like before.

"Twenty match: Dekai from Suna against Kasano Youji from Ame!" Lee announced, raising his hand up. "Ready and… BEGIN!" and the instant he said so the sand-nin picked out his huge sword, while the kunoichi threw her two, wooden umbrellas into the sky.

"Ninpou: Jouro Senbon!" Youji called out and instantly hundreds of senbon shoot from her umbrellas, each heading straight at Dekai, who merely smirked and then began spinning his katana above his head, creating a small tornado that caught all the incoming needles and blew them away to his opponent's surprise.

As the umbrellas landed back in Youji's hands, she pointed the tips of them at the sand-nin and in a flash their hats got blasted away, turning into even more senbon, leaving the Rain kunoichi with only two sticks in her hands.

Dekai still didn't made much of it and simply raised his sword up, to bring it down with its blade forward. As the katana speed up, wind embraced its blade and upon hitting the floor, the crush lifted up rocks that covered the swordsman, making all the senbon hit the stones. The kunoichi only clenched her teeth while throwing her sticks away and reached for her final umbrella.

"What is going on?" Kai asked confused, glancing at his companions. "That Sand guy just moves his sword around and all of a sudden wind currents change? What's that all about?" Hari merely smirked before cutting in: "What surprises you so much? Suna is known for rising many, talented wind users…"

"Yeah, but that guy ain't forming any hand seals!" Tsume noticed, pointing at Dekai. "How can he use an elemental ninjutsu without seals?" but at this point Reiji burst into laughter and as most of the Leaf gennin turn towards him, the bald shinobi responded: "You guys are really clueless! That Sand guys isn't using ninjutsu at all!"

"He's not?" repeated Hanamaru, as confused as Kai. Ibuki only narrowed her eyes and without looking at her companions, she replied: "It's his sword. Its handle is built in a way that any chakra that sand-nin gathers in his hand immediately gets absorb by it and gets stored in it…"

"Okay" Kai responded slowly. "So what?"

"Every time you swing the sword, its blade creates weak wind currents" the weapon mistress began explaining calmly, still not taking her eyes of the match. "The chakra that this guys stored in the handle, accordingly to his command, can suddenly charge the katana's blade. With its surface covered in chakra, the blade can make the wind currents it creates with a swing stronger then they'd normally be…"

"I still have no idea what you guys are talking about" stated Kai, still clueless.

"Maybe an example will help" Hizoku cut in, gaining the blonde's attention. "Back then, that Sand guy spun his sword above his head and a small tornado got created. Normally if someone does that, he can create a very weak, circling wind above his head, yet with the blade covered in chakra, this whole Dekai fellow managed to make the currents strong enough to form a small tornado…"

"So it's like that metal-nin who fought Hanamaru-kun?" Mikka asked shyly, but the one to answer her was Akira: "Not quite. In that bald guy's case, he send his chakra into the air, creating wind slashes, but was incapable of controlling wind. That sand-nin is somewhat the other way around: he's capable to bend wind according to his will, however he can't make real damage from the distance…"

"Does it really matter how it works?" asked Aoru calmly with an emotionless face. "The important thing is that it works" and the instant she said so, everyone got back to observing the match bellow.

"Boy, those brats sure get excited over nothing" Dekai stated with a smirk. "I haven't even gone all out yet" and as he said so, Youji smiled as well: "Neither did I…"

"Well then, lets show those brats how this should be done" the sand-nin purposed and instantly charged forward, dragging his katana behind him.

_**---swords and umbrellas… the battle goes on---**_

And so this chapter is concluded, but don't go anywhere, coz the next one is already on it's way! But before that, a quick look at the jutsu encyclopedia and an updated list of gennin (noticed that with all the snow-nins defeated, Yuki team is not even written down anymore):

_Ninpou: Jouro Senbon _(Ninja Art: Raining Needles) – technique used by rain-nins. It comes from the manga, so there's not much for me to say here. You probably know about it just as much as I do.

**Konoha #7:** Murasakki Kumiko, Tanken Ibuki, Gekido Takaru, Hagane Kusari, Haisha Kai

**Konoha #3:** _Konpaku Rei_, Rikoteki Kogane, Amagasa Toku, Debano Kitsune, _Gusoku Hanamaru_

**Konoha #4:** Igaku Mikka, Inuzuka Tsume, Benda Kokoro, Hatake Senkou, Kobushi Galu

**Konoha:** Hamano Taki, Hyuuga Hitomi, Manako Akira, Tanken Funbo, Horohoro

**Suna #1:** Aoru, Torune, Honemaru, Tarakudo, Takai

**Suna #2:** Sabaku no Sabure, Hari, Dekai (in progress), Horamaru, Karame

**Kusa:**Hokku Tobane, Kanraku Nezumi, _Kuchibashi Taka_, Kyohaku Tokame, Wanabi Hizoku

**Ame:** Kasano Youji (in progress), Eshaku Ryo, Furikuzu Tsuino, Hebereke Nazaa

**Bakufu:** Azarashi Kawa, Abura Tetsu, Makko Shita

**Tsuki:**Junsei Teela, Tenka, Kihako Tasuki

**Hane:**Ono Reiji, Sentou

**Kumori:** Kyuu


	76. Swords and Umbrellas

And here's the promised second part if the double update! What needed to be said was said in the previous intro, so I guess I can just shut up and let you guys read the newest chapter of N:NG! Hope you'll enjoy it:

**Chapter #76: Swords and Umbrellas**

**_Title Page:_** Takaru is sitting on a beat up, large snake, which wrapped itself around a small, bird's nest

"Here I come!" Dekai announced as he charged forward, dragging his katana behind. Unfazed by this, Youji simply swung her umbrella and suddenly the top of it flew spinning at the sand-nin, attached to the handle with a long, steel chain.

Dekai acted immediately however and hit the incoming 'saw' with the flat side of his katana, thus throwing it off course and making the umbrella go right next to him while kept on charging forward. Once he reached the kunoichi, he swung his sword at her, parallel to the ground, yet the girl simply jumped over it, making a split in mid-air.

Suddenly the chain that held the umbrella's top fall off, leaving a hole in the handle. As Youji's feet touched the floor, tens of small knives shoot out of it. Because of the small distance, Dekai didn't even had enough time to swing his katana and barely managed to place his sword before him so that it'd cover his head and most of his torso.

As some of the blades got deflected by the flat side of the katana and some cut the sand-nin's hands and legs shallowly, Youji jumped back. In a flash the hole on her umbrella handle got covered again, this time with a huge blade that resembled a spear's one. Upon coming to a sliding stop, she charged at her opponent with a loud battle cry, making Dekai merely lower his sword to see what was going on.

"Eat this!" she yelled. Aiming the tip of her blade at the boy's heart, but as Dekai prepared himself to block, the kunoichi suddenly lowered her weapon and before he could react, the spear dug into the floor. In a flash Youji blasted up and somersaulting flew above the boy, landing safely behind him with her spear still in her hand.

Realizing this, Dekai pointed the tip of his katana at the ground, placing his hand on the bottom of its handle. With a quick motion he made his sword spin beneath his palm, thus creating a small tornado that threw him high into the sky, making the attack Youji launch cut nothing but air.

"Come on, Dekai-kun, kick her butt!" Sabure yelled cheerfully, which surprised Torune to no end, yet Karame merely glanced at his teammate worried with sweat appearing beneath his bandages: "_Dammit, she's really losing herself. At this rate Touba will completely take over… at the worst, possible time!_"

"This is getting tiresome" the swordsman stated simply while he was still in mid-air. "Lets put an end to this" and with that he swung his katana, creating a powerful wind behind him that launched his straight at the surprised kunoichi at a top speed.

As he came at her, he once more made his katana spin in his hand, this time while he had the handle between the fingers of his right hand. Instant a small tornado surrounded the blade. Seeing this Youji jumped back, trying to avoid the hit. The moment she did so, Dekai's blade dug into the floor, lifting up dust and small stones.

The girl's feet didn't even touched the ground when the sand-nin aimed the tip of his katana behind his back and once more spun it in his hand, creating a tornado that blasted him straight at her. Incapable of dodging in mid-air, Youji only managed to let out a surprised yelp as the handle of Dekai's sword smashed hard against her face and send her crushing to the floor.

"I could've cut you in half that instant, but that would be pointless" the swordsman announced calmly as he reattached his katana to his back. "I still win however" and without even waiting for Lee to come for the check-up he headed back to the platform. It did not take long for the Leaf's Green Beast to announce the obvious: "Winner: Dekai from the Suna!"

"_With that hit just now, that Sand gennin might've broke the girl's jaw_" Kakashi calculated as he observed Youji being taken away by medics. "_And this fight didn't really cast him that much… the Suna teams this year are even stronger then those from Gaara-dono's generation!_" and with that thought he gazed at Naruto, who simply smiled.

"I already like that sword guy" stated Funbo with a smirk as he glanced over to Dekai, who just joined his team. Ibuki merely narrowed her eyes upon settling them on the sand-nin as well: "_That katana isn't an ordinary one and his skills at wielding it are something to be scared off… he won't be easy to defeat…_"

"It's a pity that you didn't cut her" Horamaru said to his teammate, once he got back. "It's boring if no-one dies" but the moment he said so, Hari send him a death glare. The blonde boy didn't seem to made nothing of it and just ignored the kunoichi. "But I'll try to fix that when my time comes…"

"To think Youji lost hik" Nazaa began with a little hard to understand voice. "That makes two already… this is getting bad" but as he said so, Tsuino interrupted him by stating simply: "Do not worry. We'll avenge them… after all, you, me and Ryo are the strongest in our team…"

"Yeah, easy for you hik to say, since you're the village leader's son hik" the redhead shoot back. "It's true that with your skills advancing shouldn't be a problem hik. Heck, even Ryo will certainly hik get through, but when it comes to me…" and at this point he lowered his head, staring at the floor bellow his feet.

"One weirder then the other" whined Kai as he propped his cheek on his hand and then gazed at Kumiko, who stood right next to him, as she spoken: "These Chuunin Exams gather many, extraordinary people… and I have a feeling that there are still some surprises in stored…"

"Yeah, whatever" the loud mouth replied annoyed. "Just pick me already! This is getting on my nerves that everyone got to show off and I have to sit here and wait! Choose me, dammit!" he yelled, pointing at the screen. It was then that Senkou cut in, with his arms crossed: "Sorry, Dead Last, but I'm gonna go next…"

"No, I will!" the blonde shoot back, but the masked boy instantly responded: "No, I will!" and as the two kept on going, Takaru only sweat dropped before interrupting: "Maybe you both get chosen and we won't have to listen to your whining anymore?" he purposed annoyed. Tsume only smirked at the comment, while both Kai and Senkou turned away from each other.

"Let us move on to the next match!" announced Lee as the name lottery began again, gaining most of the people gathered attention. As the choice was made, Nezumi only cheered, patting her hooded teammate on the back, before he jumped down, followed by another of the ran-nins: **ESHAKU RYO versus KYOHAKU TOKAME**.

"_It's one of those grass-nins_" noticed Kusari as he narrowed his eyes and then settled them upon Taka, recalling his recent match. "_The last one at that… this should be something to look forward too…_"

Apparently Shikamaru had the same thoughts as he observed Tokame closely while he waited for his fight to begin: "_Those Kusa ninja are troublesome… why did they come here? Where is their jounin instructor? And now that I think about it, where did that woman who led the Tsuki team gone off to?_" he wondered as his gaze stopped at the three, remaining moon-nins, who stood alone with their teacher nowhere in sight. "_This is really worrying…_"

Hitomi narrowed her eyes slightly as veins appeared around them. Seeing this, Horohoro turned towards her and asked what was going on. The kunoichi did not reply at first and then, without even looking at him, she slowly responded: "That Rain guy… the chakra flow in his body… it seems… different then normal…"

"Different?" the blue-haired boy repeated and the glanced at Ryo as well suspiciously. A second later Rei suddenly stood up and walked over to the rail, grabbing it tight as she stopped her gaze at the Ame shinobi as well.

"What is it?" Galu asked her, slightly surprised, but the lazy girl did not answer. The only thing the green-haired gennin learned was that sweat began appearing on his companions face. "_That Rain guy… there must be something wrong with him…_" he concluded in his mind and turned towards Kokoro, hoping to get some answers, but the blonde did gave him any either.

"Twenty first match: Eshaku Ryo from Ame against Kyohaku Tokame from Kusa!" Lee announced as both boys stood in front of each other. "Ready and… EXPLODE!" and instantly he jumped back, which proven to be the right decision as the rain-nin immediately raised his hand and aimed an opened palm at his opponent.

In a flash Tokame found himself tilting his head to his left as a weird sound drilled his right ear. Before he knew it something cut his right cheek and blown off the hood from his head, thus finally revealing his face: his hair was black, long and spiky as his fall all around his head, while his eyes were green. A large, cross-like scar was located on his left cheek and now also a small cut, from which blood dripped, appeared on his right one.

"_Just now… what was that?_" he asked himself as he settled his eyes on Ryo, who simply adjust his glasses and announced with a stone face: "So this is how you look like? To be honest I've expected something much more gruesome, considering you kept hiding your face. Oh well, I guess that doesn't matter. Now that you had a taste of my strength, I'll give you this one chance to surrender… I'll tell you right now that you defeating me… will never happen…"

"We shall see" was all the grass-nin said, his face still emotionless. Ryo merely narrowed his eyes at this and held out his right hand. A second later chakra began gathering in it and strangely enough some sort of shape started forming in the glasses wearing gennin's palm.

At that time sweat began appearing on Akira's face as he took a single step back. Seeing this Taki turned to her teammate with a worried expression on her face as she asked him if everything was alright. The blind boy only shook his head slowly in negation as he replied: "No, it's not. That Rain guy… his clan was supposed to be wiped out!"

"What do you mean?" Hizoku joined in, not worried about his companion as he gazed at the leaf-nin. Akira merely lowered his head as sweat still run down his face: "That Rain guy's bloodline limit… if your teammate won't surrender… he may really die!"

**_---mysterious men… what's Ryo ability?---_**

And this concludes the second chapter of the double update, I'm afraid. Hope you enjoyed it and that you'll leave a review or two once you're done. As I said I'll do my best to update next week, but I really can't promise anything.

No jutsu this chapter, but at least I can still give you the gennin list:

**Konoha #7:** Murasakki Kumiko, Tanken Ibuki, Gekido Takaru, Hagane Kusari, Haisha Kai

**Konoha #3:** _Konpaku Rei_, Rikoteki Kogane, Amagasa Toku, Debano Kitsune, _Gusoku Hanamaru_

**Konoha #4:** Igaku Mikka, Inuzuka Tsume, Benda Kokoro, Hatake Senkou, Kobushi Galu

**Konoha:** Hamano Taki, Hyuuga Hitomi, Manako Akira, Tanken Funbo, Horohoro

**Suna #1:** Aoru, Torune, Honemaru, Tarakudo, Takai

**Suna #2:** Sabaku no Sabure, Hari, Dekai, Horamaru, Karame

**Kusa:** Hokku Tobane, Kanraku Nezumi, _Kuchibashi Taka_, Kyohaku Tokame (in progress), Wanabi Hizoku

**Ame:** Eshaku Ryo (in progress), Furikuzu Tsuino, Hebereke Nazaa

**Bakufu:** Azarashi Kawa, Abura Tetsu, Makko Shita

**Tsuki:** Junsei Teela, Tenka, Kihako Tasuki

**Hane:** Ono Reiji, Sentou

**Kumori:** Kyuu

Thanks for reading and until next time!

Love, Peace and Kage Bushin!


	77. Broken Arrow

Finally I've managed to update. Sorry it took me so long, but I had a very busy, last two weeks. Actually today's the first day I had more time for myself. Also, it pains me to say this, but with the among of collage work that crushed down on me, updates may start appearing less often then usual (meaning once a week) for the next, two months. I'll try to keep the usual, upload paste, but I really can't promise anything.

On a more, positive note: although you had to wait two weeks for an update, I can at least once more give you two chapters at a time (mostly because 78 was halfway done before), so even though I didn't expected it, I'm giving you guys another **DOUBLE UPDATE** in hope that you'll enjoy it and hopefully will review both chapters.

As always I wanna thank everyone who reviewed (especially both chapters) and hope that you'll like this update as well! Everyone is welcomed to give their opinion!

And now, lets just move on to the newest N:NG chapters:

**Chapter #77: Broken Arrow**

_**Title Page:**_ Kai is sitting, propping his back on a tiger that's lazily scratching its head and all around is a scattered picnic

As chakra gathered in his hand, a strange shape began to form itself in Ryo's palm. A second later some sort of a spectral spear rested in his hand, ended with a large blade. Tokame merely narrowed his eyes at this as he realized what just happened: "That weapon… it's made from your chakra…"

"Good guess" was the only thing the rain-nin said as he went to his fighting stance, ready to charge at his opponent. However Kai was much more curious then the Kusa shinobi bellow: "That spear is supposed to be made out of chakra? What the hell is that all about?"

"Chakra materialization" Rei replied calmly, without taking her eyes off Ryo. "It's a bloodline limit possessed by a certain clan in Amegakure. They're the only people who can release chakra from their bodies and make them take a specific form… however, in the entire, shinobi history, there was a small group of creatures that possessed the very same trait…"

"What group?" Kusari asked the lazy girl confused, yet the one to answer his question was Naruto: "The tailed beasts. In the past, nine demons attacked some of the hidden villages. Their power was incredible, but still humans managed to defeat them, by sealing them inside people bodies. Such people were called Jinchuuriki, human sacrifices. They had access to the beast's power, which made them perfect weapons. One of the powers Jinchuuriki received by using demon's strength, was the ability to materialize chakra…"

"How do you know so much about that, Naruto-sensei?" asked Kumiko curiously, yet the jounin didn't reply. Silence felt between the gennin for a short moment, until Senkou burst out: "Wait, so what you're saying is that Ryo guy carries a demon inside of him?"

"No" Tsuino cut in, gaining everyone's attention. "Ryo only possessed the ability to materialize chakra through his blood. Every member of his clan was capable of doing so, until they were wiped out by their own countrymen, who saw his family as demon reincarnations…" and at this point Ibuki wanted to ask him something, however at that instant Ryo charged forward, making her concentrate all her attention on the match.

The rain-nin launched his spear out front, aiming to pierce right through Tokame, yet the Kusa gennin managed to bend to his right in time, thus avoiding the assault. Ryo kept on attacking however, forcing his opponent to dodge a storm of attacks. Finally, noticing that the glasses-wearing boy slowed down a little bit, Tokame decided it was his time to act.

With Ryo's another swing of the spear, parallel to the floor, Tokame jumped up and flipped in the air, lading with his hands on top of his opponent's weapon. As they rested firm, the grass-nin spun on them, aiming a kick into the Ame shinobi's face, yet before the assault connected, he lost ground beneath his hands and started falling, completely loosing his balance.

In a flash Ryo hit him in the back, thus sending him flying a away. Still in mid-air, Tokame flipped and landed safely on his feet, yet the rain-nin was already charging at him, bringing his spear down. Without any, other way to dodge, the Grass gennin jumped back, making the blade dig into the floor, but to his surprise, the glasses wearing boy immediately swung it again at him, making it extend.

With a short distance between him and the weapon, the tip of the extended spear managed to cut Tokame shallowly, ripping his clothes slightly. The grass-nin narrowed his eyes, although it was hard to tell whether it was caused by annoyance or anger. As he came to a sliding stop, Ryo placed his spear this time perpendicular to the ground, and held it in his left hand, while grabbing what seemed to be air with his right hand behind it.

Suddenly the spear's shape changed a bit and its ends started to bend back as Ryo's right hand moved away from it and it was only then that Tobane noticed a thin, chakra string that went from top to the bottom of the spear: "_That Rain guy shifted it into a bow!_" she realized instantly, but before she could even warn her teammate, the Ame gennin released the string and in a flash a spike formed from chakra came at Tokame at an incredible speed.

His body reacted before his brain and immediately the grass-nin leaned to his right, making the 'arrow' miss his vital point, yet still cut his left arm deeply, making blood spray out of it. Tokame clenched his teeth in order to keep the cry of pain in his mouth as the wall behind him suddenly crack. The spike hit it, disappearing into thin air.

He settled his eyes back at Ryo, whose weapon once more became a spear, yet different from before: now the main blade was surrounded with tens of smaller ones that forced something like a circle beneath it. Also the blade itself seemed to be even bigger then before, while the handle certainly got longer.

"My weapon is made of chakra" Ryo reminded his opponent calmly, his face still as stone cold as it was before. The rain-nin adjust his glasses slowly, allowing Tokame to take a short break before he continued: "It doesn't have a solid form. I can change its shape at will as well as I can make it become ether according to my desire. You thought I'd allow you to use my spear as a ground when I could just rip it off its physical form?"

"I got carried away and forgot about it, that's all" was Tokame's only reply. He didn't seemed worried or anything even near that feeling, yet Taka managed to see a change in his posture. He knew his teammate lost a piece of his usual, laid back self, yet he could not tell what sort of emotion was taking the best of him. "But I will admit that your ability is troublesome to fight…"

"Oh, you haven't seen anything yet" Ryo assured him and in an instant charged at the grass-nin. He cut from above, parallel to the floor, making Tokame crawl down to dodge the attack. As the spear went over his head with a cutting sound, the Kusa gennin propped his hands on the ground and spinning on them, he aimed a kick at his opponent's face.

Immediately Ryo bended back, making the kick go right in front of his face, and pushed his weapon forward in an attempt to pierce right through his adversary. Seeing this Tokame came to a stop and resting his body on his right hand, he leaned to his right, making the assault go next to him.

Yet the attack was not over yet and Ryo simply held out his other hand, in which another spear formed itself and before Tokame could react, his left side got pierced by his enemy's weapon. As the blade sunk deeper into his body, the grass-nin bounced of the floor to his right, thus leaving the blade behind his body.

Tokame flipped in mid-air, landing safely on his feet and gazed at Ryo, who now held two, chakra spears, one in each hand. Pain struck his side as he narrowed his right eyes to stop himself from showing an unwanted expression. Nezumi's weak voice, calling out his name, reached his ears, but he completely ignored it.

His breath become heavier then before. "_This is starting to look bad_" he thought to himself as he glanced at the newly received wound. "_It's not like I can block those attacks in any way. That is chakra after all and it doesn't have a shape. A solid defense won't do… and since that is the case, close combat is out of the question… so how should I resolve this?_" he asked himself with a smile appearing on his face as he settled his eyes on Ryo again.

"I like that Rain guy" announced Funbo with a smirk, making Horohoro throw him a gaze. Hitomi only narrowed her eyes and not paying any attention to her teammates, she thought to herself with a single drop of sweat running down her face: "_With such an ability, the only way to destroy those chakra weapons is my Jyuken... but even so, in order for that to work, I'd have to lay my hands on those spears… fighting something like that will be extremely difficult…_"

Ryo once more charged forward, making both of his spears spin in his hands. As he reached Tokame, the rain-nin began attacking from every angle, forcing his opponent to keep dodging, incapable of fighting back. Having no opportunity to counter attack, the Kusa gennin jumped back, away from his adversary, yet to his surprise, chakra manipulator simply brought one of his weapons down and in a flash in extended and became loose.

"He switched it to a whip!" Tsume instantly realized as the scourge hit Tokame hard in the chest, once more making his blood spray the ground. Mikka covered her mouth as the grass-nin landed on the floor, immediately dropping to his knee and holding his chest with his hand, almost as if he was trying to hold the blood inside his body with it.

"Ryo seems to hik have the upper hand" noticed Nazaa cheerfully, yet Tsuino only narrowed his eyes as the reply. He had a weird feeling that this was still not the end.

"It'd appear your friend is in trouble" noticed Takaru as he gazed at Hizoku, however the redhead only smirked as he turned towards the younger gennin and with a calm voice, he replied: "Not to worry… that Ryo guy is strong, but Tokame still has one ace in his sleeve…"

"You know, in actuality, there were two reasons behind the annihilation of my clan" Ryo suddenly stated with an empty gaze and his face wiped from any emotions. "One was chakra materialization, the trait of the tailed beasts. But there's more to that. There's also the second reason, the real one. There really can be something to the thought that my clan grew up from those demons. The longer we use our bloodline limit, the more self-control we lose… using it non-stop for several minutes leaves to being taken over by rage… we go berserk and do not stop until our opponent is dead. I was able to restrain myself, however I won't manage to keep that up much longer. If possible, I'd prefer not to kill you, so please, give up while you still have the chance to do so…"

"Well, I'm grateful for your warning" stated Tokame simply, lowering his head as he covered his wound. "However there's a catch to that. You know, I don't like Taka too much… but the fact is that he decided to sacrifice his chance at becoming chuunin so that the rest of us could reach the final stage… if I'd give up just like that, I'd make that sacrifice useless and that I cannot do… I still have my ability to show off" and with that he performed a quick set of hand seals.

As he completed it, Toku's eyes widen is surprise, while Galu tightened his grip on the rail slightly. Kai on the other hand leaned over it, yelling completely shocked as his eyes stopped on the two ninja that stood on the arena… only two: "What the hell? That's impossible! That… that Grass guy… literally vanished!"

_**---a suspicious, disappearing act… see what happens next---**_

And this concludes this chapter, but don't go nowhere, coz right after the list of gennin, there's another chappie coming!

**Konoha #7:** Murasakki Kumiko, Tanken Ibuki, Gekido Takaru, Hagane Kusari, Haisha Kai

**Konoha #3:** _Konpaku Rei_, Rikoteki Kogane, Amagasa Toku, Debano Kitsune, _Gusoku Hanamaru_

**Konoha #4:** Igaku Mikka, Inuzuka Tsume, Benda Kokoro, Hatake Senkou, Kobushi Galu

**Konoha:** Hamano Taki, Hyuuga Hitomi, Manako Akira, Tanken Funbo, Horohoro

**Suna #1:** Aoru, Torune, Honemaru, Tarakudo, Takai

**Suna #2:** Sabaku no Sabure, Hari, Dekai, Horamaru, Karame

**Kusa:** Hokku Tobane, Kanraku Nezumi, _Kuchibashi Taka_, Kyohaku Tokame (in progress), Wanabi Hizoku

**Ame:** Eshaku Ryo (in progress), Furikuzu Tsuino, Hebereke Nazaa

**Bakufu:** Azarashi Kawa, Abura Tetsu, Makko Shita

**Tsuki:** Junsei Teela, Tenka, Kihako Tasuki

**Hane:** Ono Reiji, Sentou

**Kumori:** Kyuu

And off to the next!


	78. Quicker then the Eye

And just as promised, here's the next chapter of N:NG! Hope you'll like it!

**Chapter #78: Quicker then the Eye**

_**Title Page:**_ Kai, Kusari and Takaru are sitting on a cliff: the blonde and chain master are frying some fish above the fire, while the son of Tsunade is fishing from the edge

"That Grass guy… literally vanished!" yelled Kai surprised, but Akira immediately corrected him: "No, he's not really gone. I can hear him… and he's charging right at that rain-nin" and as the blonde gazed down to the arena, he suddenly saw Ryo bending over like he was just hit in the stomach.

"_What the hell?_" the chakra manipulator asked himself as pain shoot from his chest. "_Just now, it's almost like I've been punched in the stomach. But that Grass guy is nowhere in sight. What's going on?_" and with that thought a weak sound of someone running on the ground reached his ear. His eyes widen is surprise as he realized what happened: "_This… can't be!_"

"Don't think you've won!" he yelled as anger taken over. In a flash he performed a quick set of hand seals and instantly tens of thin, sharp-ended, chakra whips shoot from his back, making him resemble an octopus. The whips flew in every direction, piercing air from every side.

Finally one of the tentacles hit something and Kusari's eyes widen in surprise as Tokame's body suddenly appeared out of nowhere, pierced by Ryo's whip, which lifted it high to the sky. Tobane only let out a loud 'Tokame-kun' from her mouth as she saw her teammate hanging motionless on the tip of the rain-nin's creation.

"I really hoped it wouldn't come to this" announced Ryo a bit sadly. "But it was you who didn't give up and…" but with those words his eyes widen as Tokame's body suddenly began fading away into thin air. "_Bushin? But that means…_" yet he didn't manage to finish that thought as something hit him hard in the back of his head.

As he collapse to the ground on the edge of consciousness, he managed to look over his shoulder, where Tokame began appearing from thin air. "Sorry, my friend" the grass-nin announced calmly. "But it seems that I'm the victor…"

In a flash Lee appeared next to them and checked the rain-nin: "_Well, he's just knocked out cold, but that ability of his might have drained him from chakra, so I guess I should let the medics handle him any way_" and with that he raised to his feet, lifting his hand up in the Kusa gennin's direction: "Winner: Kyohaku Tokame!"

"Well, took him long enough" complained Taka with his hands crossed, however Kai was still completely clueless: "I don't get it! What just happened? One second that Grass guy is there, the other he's gone, then he appears out of nowhere, getting pierced by that weird, tentacle thingy, just to disappear and appear behind that Rain fellow…"

"It's light" Hizoku replied simply, gaining everyone's attention. "The reason you're eyes can see things is because they deflect light rays. By using his chakra, Tokame is capable to manipulate light to an extend: he can bend it or make it go right through objects, thanks to which he can make something invisible or form a thing that isn't there. It's not genjutsu per say, however with that ability he can trick anyone's eyes…"

"What?" the blonde asked, still not really understanding. Takaru merely let out a sigh: "You might say that the time you saw that Grass guy's pierced body, all you really saw was a mirage…"

"I suppose that's one way to put it" Kokoro cut in.

"So that's why he was able to disappear" concluded Kumiko as she trailed off into her thoughts. "He made light go through him and thus made himself invisible. It does make sense, considering it's the law of Physic, but still being able to make light go through you… it just doesn't seem natural…"

"Well, natural or not" began Ibuki as she set her eyes on Tokame, who was slowly heading back towards the platform. "That guy won't be easy to deal with in the next round" and with that they all went silent. A second later, Lee spoke up again, once more gaining everyone's attention: "Let us proceed to the next, elimination fight!"

The screen began skipping through the names of people still left in the competition. Kai jumped up and down, ordering it to pick him, however the monitor didn't listen and in stead choose two, other people: **DEBANO KITSUNE versus KIHAKO TASUKI**.

Without even waiting for his teammates to wish him luck, Tasuki jumped down to the arena. Kitsune on the other hand received a 'do your best' pat on the back from Kogane and an approving nod from Toku. Hanamaru threw his hands to the sky, showing his support, but Rei on the other hand simply laid against the wall and got back to sleep.

The boy exchanged glances with Shikamaru and then calmly walked down the stairs, where his opponent already awaited him. Hitomi narrowed her eyes as she rested them on the moon-nin: "_The flow of that guy's chakra… it's not natural… and yet familiar…_"

"I'll tell you right away" announced Tasuki calmly as he gazed at Kitsune. "I'm not gonna hold back even a little bit. And I'll aim to kill, so if you do not want to die, I suggest surrendering immediately" but the leaf-nin only raised his eyebrow slightly, without answering.

"Hey, what the hell is that guy's problem?" asked Kogane annoyed. "Basically he's stating that he'll kill someone just for the heck of it!" and with that she turned towards the two, Moon kunoichi. Tenka only let out a sigh, before she replied: "There's nothing to be surprised about. That's just who Tasuki is. You shouldn't be shocked that he doesn't care about his opponent, considering he don't give a damn about any of us…" and as the blonde girl gazed at her confused, Teela narrowed her eyes, settling them on her teammate, as a certain memory flashed in her head:

---Five years ago in Hidden Moon Village---

"So you guys are the heirs of Chishio clan?" asked an twelve-year-old boy with spiky, light green hair, as he walked over to the two, other boys, who looked just like the mirror image of one another, expect that one had green hair and the other was blonde, who sat on the wall near the meeting spot. "Not exactly how I pictured you two… but at least one can tell you're related…"

"And who are you supposed to be?" asked the green-haired twin, Kumo.

"Kihako Tasuki, at your service" the boy replied, bowing teasingly with a smirk appearing on his face. "It'd appear we'll be on the same team. Actually it's regrettable that I've landed on the same cell as two members of the most useless clan, who can't even use their bloodline limit that they were so feared for…"

"What did you say?" asked the blonde, Nobu, as he instantly got to his feet and picked out his kunai, while his brother did the same. Tasuki simply smiled and reached for his sword: "I believe you heard me just fine. What good is the bloodline, when it only works for twins?" and the moment he said so, both brothers charged at him while he swung his katana at them.

However before any of the attacks reached their targets, a mysterious woman with long, light-blue hair, clipped in a ponytail, and golden eyes, appeared between them and stopping Tasuki's attack by grabbing his hand and kicking away the Chishio twins knives away, she gazed at the three boys, while two more kunoichi arrived, this time more around the boys age: one with long, light-blue hair and one redhead.

"What is the meaning of this?" the woman demanded as Kumo and Nobu lowered their heads in shame as she glanced at them. She then settled her eyes on the other boy, yet his only reaction was putting his sword back in its place. "Tasuki, that is not the way you should treat people that are your comrades…"

"Comrades?" the swordsman repeated with a sarcastic note in his voice. "Don't make me laugh! Comrades are worthless! As long as we're not blood-related, I won't acknowledge them as my comrades! They can be my companions, people I'll go on missions with, but whether they live or die is of no meaning to me!"

"I know that recent events has been hard for you" replied the woman with a calm voice. "With your father's death and all, but that shouldn't push you to push other people away. I know it must be hard…"

"You know nothing!" the boy shoot back, for the first time showing anger. "And don't act like you do! Teammates are to help one complete missions and nothing aside of that! I'll work with them, since I don't have a choice in that matter… I will even learn to tolerate them… however do not expect me to give a damn about them. If they die… well, tuff luck…" and as he said so, he began walking away, with the light-blue-haired girl following with her eyes.

---Flashback end---

"Twenty second match: Debano Kitsune from Konoha against Kihako Tasuki from Tsuki!" Lee announced loudly, lifting up his hand. "Ready and… BEGIN!" and the instant he said so, the moon-nin bite his finger. To Kitsune's great surprise, strange and yet familiar symbols appeared on his opponent's right arm.

With one, quick motion, Tasuki drew a straight line that went through the symbols with his blood. At this point his adversary nearly exploded, while from the platform above, Hanamaru choked on his chips: "_This can't be! That… that's Rei-chan's…!_"

"Hijutsu: Hitokage Tougou!" the moon-nin called out as green chakra began escaping his body. "Aid me Shinkou!"

_**---a dreadful deja-vu… what awaits Kitsune?---**_

And so the double update is concluded. Hope you enjoyed it and that you'll leave your opinion once you're done reading. I already described the technique Tasuki used, so I'll just say that it's the same one Rei used in her fight against Teela.

And now, before finishing, the updated list of gennin:

**Konoha #7:** Murasakki Kumiko, Tanken Ibuki, Gekido Takaru, Hagane Kusari, Haisha Kai

**Konoha #3:** _Konpaku Rei_, Rikoteki Kogane, Amagasa Toku, Debano Kitsune (in progress), _Gusoku Hanamaru_

**Konoha #4:** Igaku Mikka, Inuzuka Tsume, Benda Kokoro, Hatake Senkou, Kobushi Galu

**Konoha:** Hamano Taki, Hyuuga Hitomi, Manako Akira, Tanken Funbo, Horohoro

**Suna #1:** Aoru, Torune, Honemaru, Tarakudo, Takai

**Suna #2:** Sabaku no Sabure, Hari, Dekai, Horamaru, Karame

**Kusa:** Hokku Tobane, Kanraku Nezumi, _Kuchibashi Taka_, Kyohaku Tokame, Wanabi Hizoku

**Ame:** Furikuzu Tsuino, Hebereke Nazaa

**Bakufu:** Azarashi Kawa, Abura Tetsu, Makko Shita

**Tsuki:** Junsei Teela, Tenka, Kihako Tasuki (in progress)

**Hane:** Ono Reiji, Sentou

**Kumori:** Kyuu

And for the time being I'm done. Hope you enjoyed the double update and hopefully I'll manage to update next week, though I cannot promise anything.

Until next time! Peace out!


	79. Power of Ancestors

Okay, I'm slightly late, but better late then never, as they say. Plus it's late right now and I gotta get up early tomorrow, so sorry if I'm not very creative in this author's note.

As always I wanna thank everyone who decided to review the previous chapter. It really means a lot and I'm happy that you decided to sacrifice your time to leave a comment. However I'm also getting slightly worried, since the number of reviews is dropping. Well, I haven't said this is a while, however with as much collage work as I have now, if this story won't be popular enough, I'll drop it, so IF YOU WANT THIS STORY TO CONTINUE, REVIEW!

Also I thought up something that you guys might like, but for the time being I'll keep that a secret until next time. I do believe that you guys will like it, if I'll manage to pull that off, so if you want that surprise to take place, do review.

And now, lets get down to the 'show':

**Chapter #79: Power of Ancestors**

_**Title Page:**_ Shikamaru is doing a crossword, while in the background Kitsune is sitting next to the chessboard and thinks off his next move

"Hijutsu: Hitokage Tougou! Aid me, Shinkou!" Tasuki called out as green chakra began escaping his body while he drew a straight line with his blood, which went down his right arm. In a flash he charged forward, preparing his katana, while Kitsune reached for his kunai. As the moon-nin came closer, Shikamaru's subordinate unleashed his knives at him, yet all were easily deflected by the Tsuki gennin's blade.

As his knives felt harmless to the ground, Kitsune placed his right hand in a strange hostel and as he picked it out, there was a metal glove with long, three blades on top on it. Surprised by this, Tasuki slowed down slightly, giving the leaf-nin time to act. In an instant he jumped forward, flipping in mid-air, and landing safely on his left hand right before the moon-nin, the Leaf gennin aimed a spin-kick into the green-haired boy's face.

This time Tasuki acted immediately and crawled down, making the assault go right above his head as he cut parallel to the floor. His attack however was stopped by the claw blades on Kitsune's right hand as the blade of his katana stuck between them. Ina a flash the leaf-nin spun again, ripping the swords out of his opponent's hands.

Instantly Tasuki jumped back, allowing his adversary to do them same. As they both now stood before one another, the moon-nin narrowed his eyes, while Kitsune picked out more kunai, this time larger then normal with a longer handle and a trident blade on the end. As their eyes meet, the leaf-nin unleashed his knives, once more picking out something from his hostel.

Tasuki dodged all of the kunai as he kept on charging forward. It was then that Kitsune revealed the weapon he reached for: a long, metal whip that circled around his the instant he picked it out. In a flash the leaf-nin threw it at his opponent, forcing the green-haired boy to jump up in order to avoid the attack.

As the whip smashed the ground where he stood just a fraction of a second ago, the floor cracked, making Tasuki's eyes narrow even more. Upon landing right before his adversary, he stomped onto the whip and aimed an attack with an opened palm into Kitsune's face, yet the leaf-nin managed to block the assault by using his left hand and immediately tried to pierced the green-haired boy with his claws.

Acting on instinct, Tasuki spun on his foot and spinning next to Kitsune, he found his back facing his opponent's. In a flash he delivered and elbow into the leaf-nin's back, making a little unusual sound fill the room, and then jumped flat forward, grabbing his katana as he rolled on the floor. While he stood back up and turned towards his opponent, his gaze went for a split second to his elbow, which he used to attack his adversary just a moment ago.

"_Just now_" the green-haired boy wonder as his glance once more stopped on Kitsune. "_How come me elbow hurts? And that sound… what the hell was it?_" Meanwhile Funbo, who was closely observing the match, smiled under his nose: "Well, I certainly hoped to see better from someone of the Debano clan… I wanted to face that guy…"

"What's so special about him?" asked Kusari confused as he looked at the older Tanken, yet the one to answer him was the younger one, his teammate: "Debano is actually a pretty well known clan, especially by the members of my family. To put it simply: they're the clan of blacksmiths that produce weapons for us…"

"Blacksmiths?" Taki repeated, slightly surprised. "What would someone like that do here?"

"Same as what we all are here for" Kogane replied simply with a devilish smile. "He wants to become chuunin. And regardless to everything, Kitsune will most certainly become one" and seeing Takaru rising his eyebrow, the kunoichi added quickly as she run her fingers down his chin: "Lets just say Kitsune's clan isn't just about weapons…"

Suddenly Kitsune charged forward, swinging his whip which headed right at the moon-nin. Tasuki instantly leaned to his left, making the attack go right next to him. As he beat the distance between them, the Tsuki gennin aimed to cut his opponent's stomach open by attacking from bellow, yet the leaf-nin managed to block the attack with his claws, nailing the green-haired boy's katana to the floor.

Tasuki acted immediately however and pushing his sword forward, he made the tip of it sink into the floor. Before Kitsune managed to react to that, the moon-nin used his weapon as a jumping post and smashed his foot into the young boy's stomach, sending him flying back. Yet, upon landing, the green-haired gennin narrowed his left eye slightly as sudden pain shoot from the leg he used to kick his opponent away.

Kitsune came to a sliding stop and just gazed out front, realizing that the impact he just received made him let go of his whip and now his only weapon were the claws on his right hand. "_This is getting pretty tiresome_" he whined to himself as he stood back up and picked out some of his shuriken.

The leaf-nin unleashed his shinobi stars at Tasuki, charging forward, yet once more the Moon gennin simply deflected the incoming weapon by using his katana. It was then that Kitsune jumped into the air and flipping over the green-haired boy, he performed a quick set of hand seals, which made his body emit strange electricity.

Tasuki's eyes widen slightly in surprise and then in horror as all the kunai and shuriken thrown earlier by his opponent suddenly began shaking and then left the floor. Kitsune spun in mid-air, making the weapons circle around him, before they went for the green-haired boy again. "_Magnetism!_" was Reiji's only thought as the Tsuki gennin jumped back in order to avoid the assault.

Kitsune landed safely on the floor as Tasuki's grip on his katana tightened: "_That damn brat is making fun of me! I had just about enough of this crap, with the next move, he's done for!_" and as he thought that, Kai yawned widely: "Magnetism? That's it? I hoped for something more original. Even that Rain girl with a chain used that…"

"You just don't get it" announced Toku calmly with his hands still crossed. "Kitsune can merely emit electricity. He only managed to think of better ways of using the advantage his has over others…"

"Yeah well, you keep talking about his 'great skills' and so far he didn't show anything spectacular really" stated Tsume with a bored tone. "Seems to me that he's not all that great as you describe him" but Kumiko ignored the dog kunoichi's comment and settled her eyes on Shikamaru's subordinate: "_Whether it's electricity or not, there was no way he could've create a magnetic field strong enough to lift those weapons by using just electric current… he needed some sort of magnet… but where is that?_"

"This is starting to really work on my nerves" Tasuki announced coldly as his eyes stopped on Kitsune. In a flash he charged forward and before the leaf-nin managed to react, the green-haired boy was already before him, dropping his katana from above. Acting on instinct, the younger gennin threw his claws up, making the two blades clash.

As a loud clash was heard, the moon-nin moved his hand, making Kitsune's wrist twist to its right, thus making the boy clench his teeth to hold the yell of pain from coming out. Seeing this as an opening, Tasuki stomped on his opponent's hand and delivered a spin kick into the Leaf shinobi's stomach, which send the younger gennin flying back, forcing him to leave his claws behind.

Kitsune came to a sliding stop few meters away and raised his gaze only to see Tasuki charging at him again. As the green-haired boy unleashed the storm of attacks, the leaf-nin found himself forced back as he tried to avoid them all. In a desperate attempt, he picked out a scroll and in a flash wrote something on it with his blood, making two, huge kunai appear in his hands.

The Leaf shinobi used them as swords to block some of the incoming attacks, yet the moon-nin moved too fast for the younger boy to keep up and soon one of his kunai got blown out of his hand, just before he himself got swiped from his feet and landed hard on the floor with his face first.

Kitsune tried to get up, but just then a sudden stomp on his back made his body get pushed against the ground again. Tasuki, with his right leg on the leaf-nin, stood above, still holding his katana firm. The green-haired boy's eyes narrowed as he quickly lifted his right leg up and dropped it on his adversary again with full force.

Tasuki continued to crush Kitsune's back, dropping kicks on him from time to time as a disgust expression crossed his face. Horohoro narrowed his eyes at noticing this, while Hanamaru nearly choked on his chips again: "Hey, this is just cruel! Why the hell won't that Moon guy stop? Basically the match is over anyway!"

"It's actually very simply" Horohoro announced with a worried expression as he crossed his arms. "That greenhead doesn't think much of your teammate… quite frankly, I don't suppose he thinks of him at all… that look in his eyes… that's the look of someone who doesn't care about anything" and at this point he wanted to add something, yet restrained himself from doing so, which made Taki gazed at him with worry showing on her face.

"So you mean this guy will just keep on torturing Kitsune-kun, because he despises him?" asked Mikka, slightly terrified as shivers run down her spine at the thought. "That's just horrible!" and at this point Akira placed his hand on her shoulder, which for some reason calmed her down a bit.

"In actuality, Tasuki mostly despise himself" Teela cut in, gaining everyone's attention. For the first time Kusari managed to catch an emotion on her face and it seemed like pain. "That technique he's using is the same as the one that lazy girl performed" she announced, pointing at Rei with her head. "And the soul Tasuki is using… is the soul of his father's killer…"

"_He's using… the strength of a guy who killed his parent?_" Kai repeated in his mind, both horrified and disgust, before he gazed back at the arena bellow, where the match was still in progress: "_But… why?_"

"Either way, this match should be decided already" announced Shino calmly, as usual with a stone face. Shikamaru on the other hand only smirked under his nose: "Well, not yet… it's troublesome, but Kitsune still haven't won…"

Meanwhile Tasuki finally seemed to get bored with stomping onto his opponent and backed away, narrowing his eyes as the leaf-nin regardless began slowly standing back: "_With the beating he just received, his ribs should be broken… and yet he seems almost perfectly fine… what the hell is going on? This is getting old, time to finish this_" and with that he charged straight at the younger boy, preparing to swing his sword.

"Kitsune!" Galu yelled, for the first time losing his posture. Shikamaru's subordinate only managed to turn around to face his opponent as he already swung his katana at him. Having no time to pick out and weapon, the boy acted on instinct and covered himself with his left hand.

As the sword connected with it, Kai's eyes widen in surprise as he tightened his grip on the rail, while a single sweat dropped appear on Tenka's face, who immediately exchanged glances with Teela. In the moment of impact, Tasuki's katana got crashed into pieces.

"What the…?" was the only thing the green-haired boy managed to spill out as he took few steps back, completely shocked. He now held a handle with the remains of his sword, while Kitsune's left hand was covered in blood, yet still in its place. Not cut off. "How in the world did you do that?" the moon-nin demanded, yet the Leaf gennin did not reply.

"It appears you borrowed the soul of one of the Seven Shinobi Swordsmen, but your katana was made by a very low-grade blacksmith" Kitsune announced calmly with a face that gave the impression he made nothing of what just happened. "You're now unarmed and when it comes to taijutsu… I exceed you" and with that he suddenly charged forward, delivering a powerful blow with a opened palm into his opponent's stomach.

Instantly Tasuki cough out blood and collapsed to the ground, gasping for air. As his vision began getting blur, thousand thoughts raced thru his mind, but one brought a question, to which he couldn't find the answer: "_My sword should've cut off his hand… and with a single blow… he broke some of my ribs… this guy… who… what the hell is he?_"

_**---a surprising twist… what's the secret behind it?---**_

And that's that for the time being. Thanks for tuning in. Also, a special announcement, just to assure you it's worth waiting for the next chappie, coz coming up: Kai's opponent is finally revealed!

And just to finish up, here's the gennin list yet again:

**Konoha #7:** Murasakki Kumiko, Tanken Ibuki, Gekido Takaru, Hagane Kusari, Haisha Kai

**Konoha #3:** _Konpaku Rei_, Rikoteki Kogane, Amagasa Toku, Debano Kitsune (in progress), _Gusoku Hanamaru_

**Konoha #4:** Igaku Mikka, Inuzuka Tsume, Benda Kokoro, Hatake Senkou, Kobushi Galu

**Konoha:** Hamano Taki, Hyuuga Hitomi, Manako Akira, Tanken Funbo, Horohoro

**Suna #1:** Aoru, Torune, Honemaru, Tarakudo, Takai

**Suna #2:** Sabaku no Sabure, Hari, Dekai, Horamaru, Karame

**Kusa:**Hokku Tobane, Kanraku Nezumi, _Kuchibashi Taka_, Kyohaku Tokame, Wanabi Hizoku

**Ame:** Furikuzu Tsuino, Hebereke Nazaa

**Bakufu:** Azarashi Kawa, Abura Tetsu, Makko Shita

**Tsuki:**Junsei Teela, Tenka, Kihako Tasuki (in progress)

**Hane:**Ono Reiji, Sentou

**Kumori:** Kyuu

That's all for his time, but if the number of reviews will be satisfactory, I promise to update before the end of the week (until Sunday that is, coz I'm not sure if I'll manage to update on Friday with loads of work I have right now).

Take care and until next time, hopefully.


	80. Strings Attached

Once more it took me a bit longer to update then I've planned, but judging from the way things goes, I must say that it's really better late then never. Collage is really crushing down on me, so the update paste may really slow down in the near future, but at the very least I should be able to keep up at least this week.

As always I wanna thank everyone who sacrificed their time to review the previous chapter. The number of reviews still wasn't as high as I hoped it'd be, but I'm happy to know new readers joined the ranks of those that are interested in this story. So really, thank all of you guys (and girls) that do read and review!

Also some questions were asked, that I wasn't able to answer so far, so I'll just say that Mikka will have her fight soon after Kai's match and as for Kai's opponent… well, all is revealed in this chappie, so just read it.

**REALLY, REALLY, REALLY IMPORTANT:** okay, it really took a lot out of me, however I must say that I'm somewhat proud of myself, because I've managed to prepare a special surprise for the two-year anniversary of this fic (that gets a bit earlier then the anniversary itself, but still). Besides one I had in stored earlier (and that will be appearing in the time for "celebration"), it looks like I'll manage to give you a very special treat next time around. Now here's what I want to ask you guys: please review this chapter, so that I'd know what you think of not just it but also the story so far overall. And if the number of reviews will be high (and I mean high, though nothing impossible really) and you guys promise to review every chapter that'll be updated next week, I promise that even if I'd have to fall behind a bit with my work for collage (though I don't think that'll be necessary), next week (Friday or Saturday) I'll give you a very special MULTIPLY UPDATE, regarding Kai's entire fight! I can promise you that it's gonna take up more then two chapters (won't say how much exactly, to not spoil). And I hope you'll treat that as part of the two-year anniversary celebration (considering how many of you kept on asking "when Kai's gonna fight")!

So with that announced, lets get down to the next chapter of "Naruto: Next Generation":

**Chapter #80: Strings Attached**

_**Title Page:**_ out front Kitsune is trying to teach a monkey how to write, while in the back Kai is sleeping under the tree

"_That attack should've cut off his arm… and yet he countered it like nothing happened and with a single blow knocked me out… who… what the hell is he?_" Tasuki demanded in his mind as his consciousness slowly began leaving him.

Instantly Lee found himself near the laying moon-nin, who cough out more blood and still found it hard breathing. After a quick examination, the Green Beast decided that the fight was over: "I won't allow this match to continue and thus Debano Kitsune is declared the winner!" and with that he pointed at the leaf-nin, who now stood holding the wide cut on his left hand.

Kitsune slowly returned to the platform, still holding his arm. Immediately Mikka purposed to treat him, making Senkou let out a frown of some sort, yet aside from that, the masked gennin said nothing. Taki only narrowed her eyes as she settled them on Shikamaru's subordinate and then turned to her teammate: "Say, Hitomi-san, what is that guy?"

The young Hyuuga only gazed at her companion and then activated her bloodline limit, while she turned her glance at Kitsune. Almost instantly her eyes narrowed as she realized something: "Unbelievable" she announced and as Akira asked the obvious question 'what is it', the white-eyed girl replied, loud enough only for her teammates to hear her: "This whole Kitsune guy… both his bones and blood circulation system… are filled with iron…"

"Iron?" Horohoro repeated surprised, rising his eyebrow. "This doesn't make sense…"

"Not quite" Funbo disagreed as he gazed at Kitsune for a split second. "If you think about, that would explain all this weirdness in that match: why his hand didn't got cut off, how come he managed to knock that moon-nin out with a single blow, his endurance. If that iron was harder then that greenhead's katana, it makes sense that the thing which broke was the sword. The skin still got cut, that's why there's blood, but the blade couldn't cut through the iron in the bones and the impact made it crack…"

"And with iron in the bones, his fists are harder then a typical human" Akira added thoughtfully. "That's why a single attack made so much damage: it broke that Moon guy's bones. And with iron in his ribs, it'd explain how come they didn't break once this Tasuki fellow kept on crushing them…"

"The way you say it" Taki cut in. "It does make some sense, but even if all your assumptions are correct, what you're saying seem unreal. It'd mean this whole Kitsune guy is some sort of robot from a weird, science-fiction book…"

"No, he still have all the human organs and they all seem just like those either of us has" Hitomi corrected her carefully, as if she was trying to choose the right words. "Even those bones and blood circulation system seems the same as a human being, only it somehow got hardened with iron. It may sound crazy for me to say this, but that Kitsune guy is not less human then any of us…" and with that her sight suddenly traveled to Takai: "_Which I can't say about this guy…_"

"Great job, Kitsune!" Kogane cheered loudly, giving her teammate's a thumbs up. "Though it really took you pretty long to end it! I was expecting better from you!" she teased, making the blacksmith gaze at her for a split second, but then he just seemed to ignore the blonde kunoichi.

"So Kitsune won, big deal" stated Rei as she was slowly getting into her sleeping position. "It's not like any, other result was possible. Wake me up when those eliminations are over" and instantly her snoring filled the room again, making Toku sweat dropped at her behavior, while Shikamaru merely let out a sigh.

Meanwhile the medics already placed Tasuki on a stretcher. The green-haired boy opened his eyes with difficulties and saw both Teela and Tenka standing right next to him. He managed a weak smile and with an emotionless voice, he spoke up: "Looks like I blew it in the end… those, two Chishio losers certainly won't let me forget this…"

"Why do you think that?" the redhead asked, calm as usual. "I'm sure they will… we're all friends" but as she said so, Tasuki only let out a quiet snort before replying: "Friends… you know I don't believe in that sort of stuff…"

"Well, maybe you should finally try believing, coz friends can prove useful" announced Teela as she pointed at Mikka, who was just finishing treating Kitsune. "I know that with your experience its hard for you to believe in it, but not everyone who claims to be your friend is just talk…" and as she said so, the green-haired boy settled his eyes at the ceiling, while medics took him away.

Both, Moon kunoichi left the arena as the next pair of fighters was already chosen: **SENTOU versus HORAMARU**. Seeing this, the blonde boy from Hidden Sand smiled evilly, taking few steps forward to jump down onto the arena, yet his way suddenly got blocked by Hari's hand, who examined hers teammate closely and with a serious voice, she announced: "Don't go overboard…"

However the other blonde seemed to completely ignore her and jumped down, still smiling. Karame gazed at the short kunoichi and then narrowed his eyes as they traveled back to Horamaru: "_He just won't listen_" the mummy gennin sighed in his mind, yet remained silent, opposite to Sabure, who was cheering loudly for her teammate to 'kick butt'.

"Twenty third match: Sentou from Kane against Horamaru from Suna! BEGIN!" and in a flash the metal-nin charged forward, tightening his steel fists. Seeing this the blonde jumped back, making his opponent's attack hit the floor where he stood just a second ago and smashing it to pieces.

"That's quite the hit power" stated Horamaru with a smirk as he jumped up again, making the incoming punch go right beneath his feet. Immediately Sentou threw his hand up, aiming to hit the sand-nin's back, yet his opponent simply threw his leg back and the instant it connected with the steel arm, the Suna shinobi bounced off it and somersaulting, landed few meters away from his adversary.

"Don't believe in your own strength, eh?" Horamaru asked teasingly, yet his opponent managed to hold back his anger as he raised his right arm up, saying: "These things are charged by my chakra. As long as I feed them with it, they're operating and the more I put, the greater the power they have. This is not so different from The Leaf's Jyuken actually, only in this case it's supported by technology…"

"I see… so those hands of yours… you're proud of them, huh?" the sand-nin asked with a wicked smile as he began flipping the fingers of his right hand. This time Sentou did not reply. In stead he charged at Horamaru again, his fists ready as before.

As he swung his right fist at the blonde, Horamaru simply bended his head to his right, making the punch go right next to his smiling face. Then another attack was launched, this time aimed at the sand-nin's stomach, yet he simply jumped up and flipping in mid-air, he placed his opened palm on Sentou's fist and before the Kane shinobi knew it, his adversary's leg connected with his face, forcing him to take few steps back to keep his balance.

Once he stopped, Sentou charged again and threw his right hand straight at Horamaru's face, however the sand-nin easily dodged by crawling down and as the metal-nin's fist flew above his head, the blonde placed his palm on it and used it to prop himself up. In a flash he spun on his foot and came from the Kane shinobi's right, surprisingly dragging his opponent's left hand with him.

Sentou only widen his eyes in surprise as his own, left hand hit his neck while it seemed to try reaching something behind his right shoulder. Reiji only narrowed his eyes at the sight, immediately realizing what was going on. Funbo merely smirked: "_Most amusing…_"

"What the hell did you do?" demanded Sentou as he found himself incapable of moving his hands. He looked over his shoulder and only then did he saw the light getting deflected by something thin that traveled from his hands to the sand-nin's. "You… you use metal strings?"

"Maybe" replied Horamaru with a wicked smile as he licked his lips. "And now lets see just how strong those arms of yours ready are" and with a quick motion of his hands, Sentou's steel arms got cut into tens of pieces, leaving the metal-nin yell in agony. As the steel parts felt to the floor with a loud noise, the Kane shinobi dropped to his knees with only a small part of his left arm still in place, while his right one was completely thorn out.

"Seems to me that they just sold you some crap in that workshop" stated Horamaru with a devilish smirk as he threw his hands up and flipped his fingers. In a flash Sentou found his entire body getting wrapped by metal strings. Fear appeared on his face as sweat covered his body. "Lets see what you're made off…" purposed the blonde joyfully.

"No, I give up!" Sentou immediately yelled and instantly Horamaru felt someone's hand landing on his shoulder. As he looked over his shoulder, he realized it was Lee: "He forfeited. This match is over, so please calm your spirit of youth down and unwrap the poor guy…"

"Why should I?" replied the blonde with widen eyes in which insanity seemed to hide. In a flash the sand-nin pulled his hands back, but at the same time Dekai jumped down, cutting all the strings with his sword, which once more got surrounded with wind. The string user frowned as he glared at his teammate: "What the hell are you doing, asshole? This isn't your fight!"

"No, it's not" admitted the swordsman. "However this match is over. Chill…" but as he said so, Horamaru connected his palms and upon separating them, strings hung between them again as his eyes settled on Dekai: "Why should I?" the blonde repeated psychotically, but then Kankuro appeared on the arena and reached for his scrolls.

"Horamaru, that is enough! Calm down, otherwise I'll be force to knock you out" announced the puppeteer, making his subordinate glare at him as well. After a moment, that seemed like hours, the blonde lowered his hands and with another frown, he jumped back onto the platform. The Sand jounin let out a sigh of relief and then turned to Lee: "I'm terribly sorry for the interruption. Please continue and do allow the medics to take care of that Kane boy…" and with that he took Dekai up the platform as well.

"Winner: Horamaru from Suna!" announced the Leaf's Green Beast as medics took Sentou away. Reiji only narrowed his eyes again: "_So I'm the only one left…_" at seeing the whole scene, Kumiko merely shivered as she gaze at her teacher: "Naruto-sensei, why is that guy allowed into the next exam anyway? He just disobeyed a direct command from a higher rank!"

"Well, he may be cruel, but that has nothing to do with the fact that he did won" the blonde jounin replied calmly. "It may be painful to admit, but he's skilled and the fact that he's a psychopath is a secondary issue…"

"Well, either way I sure would hate to go against him in the next exam" stated Kusari nervously. "He's even more freaky then Takaru and Ibuki…" and the instant he said so, both the weapon mistress and the son of Tsunade began beating the crap out of him. Kai only backed away, sweat dropping: "_The guy does have a point…_" he thought as he observed the whole scene.

Finally Lee announced that the participants of the next match will be chosen and so the blonde gathered his attention at the screen: "Pick me already! Pick me!" and surprisingly for him, Sabure followed his example. Yet this time, it was the blonde's wish that got granted.

Kai widen his eyes at realizing who his opponent will be. Mikka only let out a quiet gasp, while Senkou smirked behind his mask with a single thought racing through his mind: "_Well, what do you know?_" The screen gave no doubt about it: **HATAKE SENKOU versus HAISHA KAI**!

_**---fate has made the choice… what will become of Kai?---**_

And that's it for this time. Remember: if you want an extra, multiply update next time, review! And With all that said, all that's left is to place the gennin list before I wrap this up:

**Konoha #7:** Murasakki Kumiko, Tanken Ibuki, Gekido Takaru, Hagane Kusari, Haisha Kai

**Konoha #3:** _Konpaku Rei_, Rikoteki Kogane, Amagasa Toku, Debano Kitsune, _Gusoku Hanamaru_

**Konoha #4:** Igaku Mikka, Inuzuka Tsume, Benda Kokoro, Hatake Senkou, Kobushi Galu

**Konoha:** Hamano Taki, Hyuuga Hitomi, Manako Akira, Tanken Funbo, Horohoro

**Suna #1:** Aoru, Torune, Honemaru, Tarakudo, Takai

**Suna #2:** Sabaku no Sabure, Hari, Dekai, Horamaru, Karame

**Kusa:** Hokku Tobane, Kanraku Nezumi, _Kuchibashi Taka_, Kyohaku Tokame, Wanabi Hizoku

**Ame:** Furikuzu Tsuino, Hebereke Nazaa

**Bakufu:** Azarashi Kawa, Abura Tetsu, Makko Shita

**Tsuki:** Junsei Teela, Tenka

**Hane:** Ono Reiji

**Kumori:** Kyuu

And that's really that for now. Thanks for "tuning in". Hope you'll let me know what you think and see you next time!


	81. Teacher and Student

I've made it! Collage certainly dropped on my head, so possibly it'll be EXTREMELY hard for me to keep updating at the usual paste, but at the very least I've manage to finish this when I wanted to.

Normally I'm still a little disappointed about the number of reviews, but since this is a part of the two-year-anniversary celebration, I figured I won't be bitchy. You guys did filled your part of the deal by reviewing more the previous chapter and I just hope that you'll keep the part of the deal about reviewing all (or at least more then one) chapter of the multiply update that I'm giving you! Now the anniversary itself is still almost two weeks away, but I oh well.

As always I wanna thank everyone who reviewed the previous chapter. It truly means a lot, especially now, with my shortage on free time to write. Thanks guys, you really made my day.

But I'm sure you didn't stop by to reading my blabbering, so without further to do, here's the beginning of the N:NG first (perhaps not the last) multiply update!:

**Chapter #81: Teacher and Student**

_**Title Page:**_ Senkou is racing a cheetah through the field

Kasui walked down the empty street of the Hidden Leaf Village. He had his head lowered and observed the sidewalk as he clenched his teeth and narrowed his eyes in anger: "_How the hell could this happen? How could I have lost? And to a girl! How…_" but just then he bumped into someone.

As the waterfall-nin gazed up, he noticed that the one blocking his way was a boy around his age, wearing a headgear. It took the senbon user a moment to realize who it was: "_Oh, it's that loser that forfeited before the eliminations even started… at least I can always say that there are people more pathetic then me_" and with that thought, he send the shadow-nin a death glare: "Get out of my way!" he ordered.

Saiken, with his head still lowered, peacefully moved aside and showed Kasui with his hand that he can pass him. For some reason this annoyed the waterfall-nin even more: "Don't you have any backbone, weak ass? You know, people like you make me sick! Peace loving and fragile! You're not cut out to be a shinobi!" but as he said so, the headgear boy simply walked pass him, ignoring his statement.

"What, now you're not even gonna listen, asshole?" Kasui shoot at the boy's back, but Saiken didn't even stop nor turn around. He just kept walking away. "_That freak! He thinks he can ignore me like that? Tuff luck for you, weirdo, coz I'm in a really bad mood!_" and with that he reached for his senbon, yet never managed to take them out.

In a flash Saiken turned around and performed a quick hand seal. Kasui only saw his life flash before his eyes as his body suddenly got cut into tens of pieces with his blood spraying the sidewalk and nearby walls. He didn't scream. He wasn't fast enough to do so…

---Back to the eliminations---

"I guess luck really is on the winner's side" announced Senkou confidently. "To end up fighting you in the eliminations… I just can't lose" and with that a smirk appeared behind his mask as Kai's eye twitched. Takaru merely smiled under his nose: "_Well, if you think that, you're in for a big surprise, Senkou…_"

Mikka lowered her head as a sad expression crossed her face. Hinata noticed that and managed a weak smile as a certain memory flashed in her mind: "_I know what you're thinking my dear… it's impropriate to cheer for your teammate's opponent. History really likes to play bad jokes on us… but I wonder if it'll repeat itself…_"

"This sucks!" stated Kai while shaking his head. "I don't wanna fight you" and as Kumiko's eyes widen is surprise at hearing that, the blonde continued: "You guys helped us out in the forest… it wouldn't look good if I'd just kick your ass and advance, leaving you behind, considering that I made it this far partly thanks to you…"

"He can't be serious!" announced Kusari, smacking himself in the forehead, while Kokoro only smiled at Kai's behavior. Senkou on the other hand, was now furious: "You gotta be kidding me! You even consider a possibility that you can defeat me? I'm the son of the current Hokage, dumbass! Don't forget your place, Dead Last!"

"I know!" announced the blonde, completely ignoring the masked gennin's last comment. "I'll give you a handicap! For the first, five minutes of the match, I won't fight back at all, unless the attack will be life-treating! That way I won't feel bad after I knock you out!"

"Twenty fourth match: Hatake Senkou against Haisha Kai! Ready and… BEGIN!" Lee yelled before jumping out of the way. In an instant the son of Kakashi appeared before the blonde with his fist stopped just inches in front of the loud gennin's face. The masked boy's eyes narrowed as he lowered his head slightly: "You're actually serious about not fighting back?" he asked confused.

"Of course!" Kai replied immediately, still not moving. Senkou literally began boiling at hearing this: "You're so gonna regret this" he announced and the landed a spin kick into the blonde's face, thus sending him flying back a few meters and coming to a sliding stop.

"You know, I hate losers who talk big!" the son of Hokage raised his voice slightly as annoyance crept onto his face. "I find the very fact that you think I need a handicap to beat you disgraceful! Listen well, Dead Last, you and I are on totally different levels and I'll show you just how wide the gap between us is!" and with that he preformed a quick set of hand seals.

Naruto instantly recognized the technique and leaned over the rail at the sight: "_It can't be!_" he thought to himself as Senkou finished and called out from the bottom of his lungs: "Shunshin no Jutsu!" and in a flash he was gone, appeared to Kai's right and landed a powerful kick into the blonde's face, which once more send him flying.

The instant the kick connected, Senkou disappeared again and reappeared right in Kai's way. While the blonde was still in mid-air, the masked gennin kicked him in the back, thus sending him to the sky. The silver-haired boy once more vanished and this time popped out above his opponent, hitting him in the stomach with his joined fists, sending 'Dead Last' crashing hard against the floor.

"_How in the world did that kid mastered Body Flicker?_" Naruto thought to himself surprised. "_That's a jounin level technique! And what's more, he managed to learn it to the extend he's capable of planning the assault far back and hit the opponent in a way it'd send him to the exact spot he'll be teleported… this is something only few jounin can do!_"

"_So back then in the forest when he appeared behind Kai and Takaru_" Kumiko recalled the events from a while back. "_This was the thing that he used!_" Ibuki merely narrowed her eyes as she settled them on the son of Kakashi: "_That technique…so this is the one our father said that it was too early for me and Funbo to learn it…_"

"Just as I thought" stated Kitsune with a tiny smile, while Kogane joined him: "Although he's in Takaru-kun's team, that loser really is no match for Senkou. Bet he got this far only thanks to his teammates" and Hanamaru nodded quickly, agreeing with his friends. Toku remained standing with his arms crossed, almost as if he didn't listen to his companions, though the one who really wasn't listening was Rei, who already trailed off to sleep and snored loudly.

"Boy that guy's weak" whined Funbo with a bored tone, while none of his teammates react to that statement in any way. Tsume only smirked confidently as she propped her hands on the rail as Galu narrowed his eyes slightly.

"Man, this fight bites!" complained Tarakudo. "I hope that masked guy will get this over with soon" Teela merely gazed at the bandaged gennin before turning her sight at Kusari and then back at the arena.

A wide smirk appeared behind Taka's mask as he turned to Hizoku: "Looks like that blonde of yours is just as weak as I thought… and stupid too. Not fighting back, what kind of an idiot does he has to be?" but the redhead didn't reply. For some reason, he only smiled, making his teammate rise his eyebrow in confusion.

Kai slowly struggled back to his feet as his body was filled with pain. The crush really took a lot out of him. Senkou smirked behind his mask as he observed the blonde standing and shaking in the process: "Now do you see the difference between us? Even if you do fight back, which you should do, there's no way you can keep up with me!"

"Three minutes left" was the only thing Kai said, without even looking at his opponent. At this Senkou snapped again and once more went through the right set of hand seals, performing the Body Flicker with a similar effect as the one before, only this time the assault lasted much longer then the first.

"_Damn Dead Last_" the masked gennin thought to himself as he observed Kai, who was slowly struggling back to his feet again after the storm off attacks. "_He's actually mocking me! That asshole thinks too highly of himself! I won't allow him to make fun of me! Not after what I went through to get this far!_" and with that thought the memory of a certain event flashed in his mind…

---Four years ago in Hidden Leaf Village---

Nine-year-old Senkou crushed hard against the tree and with a loud cry of pain he fell to the ground, holding his left arm tight as pain shoot from it. He clenched his teeth to stop his own yell and shut his left eye, hoping it'll help him forget about the pain. Only then did he heard someone walking over to him from behind and as he turned around, he saw his father standing just few feet away from him.

"You're still trying?" the Rokudaime asked calmly, though the boy managed to catch a note of concern in his voice. "Son, I already told you that Shunshin is not something a boy your age can master. It's a jounin level technique… as you are now, even with the right hand seals, you can't control where you're getting teleported. Keep trying and you'll end up in bruises or worse…"

"Then help me master this" was the boy's only reply. "I know I can do it and whether you approve it or not, I'll keep on training until I'll master it or die!" the young shinobi breathed heavily as he look with determination in his eyes at his father. He still held his left arm, which stung and remained being the source of pain.

"Why are you so stubborn to learn this?" the Sharingan user asked his son as he picked out a bandage and began wrapping the boy's hand. Senkou only looked deep into the man's eyes and still breathing heavily, he responded: "Because of you…"

"Because of me?"

"Yeah, exactly" the boy nodded. "Because of you and you being Hokage. I've seen how you protected this village from the Sound… from the Akatsuki… and that is when I've decided that I want to protect it as well. This is my home. However if I wanna do that, I need to become strong. Very strong. And one cannot become strong by just sitting and waiting. That's why I gotta train…"

"But why Body Flicker?" Kakashi demanded calmly. "There's tons of other techniques that are easier to master…"

"You said it yourself" the boy replied simply as he gazed at the ground. "The Yondaime was the greatest of all Hokage. The Leaf's Yellow Flash that brought chaos between the enemy. The master of the Body Flicker… I wanna be like him… or more specifically, all the Hokage that the Leaf had so far, including you… I'm gonna surpass every, single one of them and protect the people of this village with my very life!" and at this point he glanced back up, almost drilling his father's eyes.

The Rokudaime only smiled behind his mask as he stood back up, finished wrapping the boy's arm. Gently he placed his hand on his son's head and with a soft voice, he announced: "Get some rest, Senkou… tomorrow we're getting up early. Before I'll have to attend my Hokage duties, we'll try to teach you Shunshin..."

---Flashback end---

"Why the hell do you stand up?" Senkou demanded as the blonde once more got back to his feet, breathing heavily. "The result will still be the same! I'm stronger and you're weaker! Just surrender already and lets get this over with!" but Kai didn't reply. After a short moment, the masked gennin once more went through the correct set of hand seals, required to performed the Body Flicker.

As he vanished, Kai acted immediately and threw his fist to his left, surprisingly hitting Senkou right in the face the instant he appeared. As the son of Hokage was send flying back, he flipped in mid-air and came to a sliding stop, looking at his opponent surprised.

Kai merely glanced over his shoulder and with a wide smile on his face, he stated as calm as ever: "Sorry, Senkou, but your five minutes are up…"

_**---surprising turn of events… the match begins now!---**_

_Shunshin no Jutsu_ (Body Flicker Skill) – a teleportation technique used by most higher rank shinobi. Konoha's Yondaime was thought to be the master of it and because of the speed he used it at, he got the nickname Leaf's Yellow Flash.

And this concludes the first chapter of the multiply update. Please review it and wait just a bit, coz the next one is already on the way!


	82. Defeating Ones Name

Well, hope you enjoyed the opening of Kai vs. Senkou fight. The multiply update continues, with the second chapter of that match:

**Chapter #82: Defeating Ones Name**

_**Title Page:**_ Kai on a tree is mimicking an owl, making his eyes large, while a branch above sits Senkou, who's observing the blonde

"Sorry, Senkou" Kai apologized with a smile showing on his face. "But your five minutes are up. Starting now… I'm gonna fight back!" and as he said so, the masked gennin slowly stood back up and with his eyes narrowed, he asked while rubbing his right cheek: "How the hell did you do that? How did you know where I was gonna appear?"

"What do you mean?" the blonde responded, slightly surprised. "I only promised I won't fight back during those, five minutes. I never said I won't be preparing for battle during that time. That technique you just used… I worked it out!" and at hearing those words, Tsume instantly shoot up: "What kind of a stupid joke is that suppose to be? How could he worked out the Body Flicker in such a short among of time?"

However Ibuki only smirked under her nose at that: "_Nothing to be surprised about… after all, Kai is the one who mastered Kage Bushin on his own while seeing it just once… the trick behind Shunshin… he certainly knows it!_"

"You thought that I just allowed you to kick me around?" Kai asked Senkou with a wide smile. "I observed closely the seals you were performing in order to execute the jutsu. I came to realize that the first, few symbols are the same, however later you use a different combination. That's the secret behind your trick: the first, few seals are used to execute the technique and any symbols that comes after that are to pin the location you wish to teleport to! Each location stands for a certain chain of seals. If you want to teleport to the same place you once did, you need to form the same seals in the same order as the first time! And guess what: the place I'm standing right now, is the same spot you kicked me to the sky during your first assault…"

"You mean…?" began the masked gennin surprised, already knowing the answer. The blonde only nodded: "Yeah… just now, you used the same order of seals as in your first attack, so I knew exactly where you'll show up. Now I'm not saying I know what chain of seals stands for every location, but the longer you'll be using this whole Shunshin thingy, the more I'll learn and sooner or later, I'll be able to tell where you'll appear every, single time!"

"You can't be serious!" yelled Kogane from the platform. "There's no way that Kai would be capable of pulling something like that!" but then Kumiko cut in, smiling widely: "Why? Because he wasn't skilled enough when you last saw him? Actually, I'm surprised too, but these are the facts: Kai has a weird talent… photographic memory. Even upon seeing the technique just once, he's capable to memorize the seals used in it, no matter how many there was. And that is exactly what helped him worked out Senkou's jutsu…"

"Well then, ain't he full of surprises" stated Toku as a tiny smile crossed his face for a split second while he settled his eyes on Kai. Mikka on the other hand smiled openly and cheered in her mind. Galu smirked as well, however unlike the other two, the reason for him to do so was different: "This will make the match more interesting" he announced calmly. "But won't change much… coz Senkou's still stronger…"

"You did made some progress, I'll give you that" stated the son of Hokage as he gazed at his opponent. "But the upper hand still belongs to me. I don't need the Body Flicker to fight you. Now, lets resume, shall we?" and with that a smile appeared on Kai's face as he performed a quick hand seal and calling out "Kage Bushin no Jutsu" made his clones surround the masked gennin.

"_Kage Bushin?_" Kitsune repeated in his mind surprised. "_Meaning Kai actually mastered a jounin level technique as well?_" Takai narrowed his eyes at this while Tarakudo smiled behind his bandages: "_That blonde brat… he's actually better then I assumed…_"

"So, Kage Bushin, eh?" Senkou asked calmly as he looked around himself, seeing that Kai's clones blocked his any, possible escape route. He then gazed out front and with a smirk behind his mask, he only announced: "Not that it matters… even if there are more fleas… they're still just fleas…" and the instant he said so, the blondes charged at him with their fists ready.

In a flash Senkou spun on his foot and delivered a spin kick into the first clone's face. As the bushin disappeared in the cloud of white smoke, the masked gennin immediately brought his foot back to the ground and used it to bounce of it. Flipping in mid-air, once his head was directed towards the floor, he grabbed the next Kai that was just charging at him and tossed him at the next blonde.

As the two collide, both got covered by white smoke, while Senkou landed safely on the ground. Acting on instinct, he propped his hands on the ground and threw his feet back, making them connect with the bushins that were just ready to attack him from behind. The instant a familiar, 'puff' sound reached his ears, the masked gennin stood up straight on his hands and performed a 'Belgian Helicopter', making several more clones get dispelled as his kicks smashed into them.

As he slowed down, the son of Hokage jumped back and landed a kick on the next clone. Before the bushin disappeared in the cloud of smoke, Senkou bounced of it and after spinning parallel to the ground, he landed a drop kick onto the next Kai's head. At the same moment, another blonde tried to get a clear punch into the masked boy's chin, yet the silver-haired gennin managed to dodge the assault and seeing an opening, he delivered and elbow into the clone's stomach.

Having the bushin disappear, Senkou used the smoke to cover himself and charged forward. Before any of the blondes could react, he delivered an attack with an opened palm, that send the clone flying back, forcing the one that stood behind him to kneeled down. While another 'puff' was heard,, the masked boy delivered his own knee into the face of the Kai that kneeled before him.

Suddenly Senkou got grabbed from behind. One of the clones managed to catch him off guard and wrapped his arms around him, immobilizing his hands. Seeing two, more bushins coming right at him, the son of Hokage acted instinctually and leaned over, taking the blonde that grabbed him along. As the fake Kai now laid on his back above him, the masked gennin jump slightly up and lifted his legs up, so that his knees smashed the hands of the clone that was holding him.

The grip loosened and Senkou immediately tossed the bushin laying on him at the two, incoming ones, managing to land a spin kick into his stomach before he got out of his reach. As the other, two clones came closer, the masked gennin kept on spinning, bending his knees and this time attacked the legs of the blonde that was unlucky enough to get to close.

As his feet got swiped from beneath him, the clone felt to the ground and immediately received a drop kick from Senkou, who was still on his bended knees. While the bushin disappeared in the cloud of white, the masked gennin bounced off the ground, spinning in the process, and delivered a kick into the other blonde, disposing of him as well.

"_So many clones and yet still Kai failed to land a single blow_" Kusari noticed, slightly worried, as a single drop of sweat run down his face. He gazed at Takaru, who also looked at him and then returned to observing the fight with his eyes narrowed: "_I can tell what you're thinking… although it might be painful to admit, Senkou is strong… and though I never thought that will be the outcome… Kai may really lose this fight…_"

"See?" Senkou asked calmly as he looked around. Half of the clones Kai created already got defeated. "You may have become stronger during that one year, but the gap remains the same. Once a loser, always a loser…" and as he said so, a worried expression crossed Kokoro's face, while Hizoku settled his eyes on the fighting blonde: "_So Kai, what will you do now?_"

"Stop looking down on me, bastard!" Kai let out a yell as his clones charged again at the masked boy. Senkou moved faster however, making the blonde barely keep up with him with his eyes. The loud mouth bushins were too slow to react as the son of Hokage threw punches and kicks all around, making them disappear in the cloud of white smoke.

Seeing one of the clones attacking him from behind, Senkou elbowed the bushin in the stomach and then threw a hit with an opened palm at the blonde that came from his right. Having no time to retreat his hand, the masked gennin lifted his left leg up and delivered a kick into the face of another Kai that came from his left. Surprisingly for him however, his left hand suddenly got grabbed from behind.

Confused, the sliver-haired boy looked over his shoulder only to see a clone that shouldn't been there. The one he elbowed: "_That's…_" he realized immediately as his eyes widen. "_It was the original!_" and with that thought in his head, Kai threw him over his shoulder, making Senkou crush hard against the floor with his head first, while the blonde still held his left hand firm.

Senkou felt that he got to the edge of consciousness as his vision started to get blur a bit. Acting on instinct, he flipped his legs and wrapped them around one of Kai's arms that were holding his left hand. The blonde, surprised by this, didn't manage to react in time and got throw to the side by the masked gennin who instantly threw him by using his legs.

Kai flew spinning parallel to the floor few meters before he came to a crushing stop, yet got back to his feet immediately, seeing that Senkou did so as well, only slightly slower. The son of Hokage felt a terrible headache as he rubbed the back of his head, but at the very least his consciousness was returning to its place.

"He got up even after crushing the floor with his head?" Hanamaru practically yelled surprised at the masked gennin's endurance. Tsume merely smirked under her nose at the comment: "_Naturally…losing to that Dead Last, for Senkou, would probably be the biggest humiliation he can imagine… there's no way he'll let that blonde win…_"

"Dammit, you're really persistent" complained Kai as he settled his eyes on Senkou.

"Well, I can say the same for you" the son of Hokage replied with a smile behind his mask. "I gotta say that you're smarter then I thought you were. I see your Dead Last self is really in the past. I suppose the right thing to do is apologize for making fun of you. In the end, you prove to be a demanding adversary…"

"Thanks" the blonde responded, also putting a smile on his face. "But it's not like fighting you is a walkover either…" and at this point both Naruto and Hinata exchanged smiles as well. Even Funbo managed a smirk: "_Well, that blonde seems to be a different person from the one I fought in the forest… could it be that within such a short among of time he made so much progress?_"

"I'll give you a bit of a warning though" Senkou announced calmly, once more getting into his fighting stance. "I underestimated you and held back… however what you just did proved that I can't afford to do this anymore. Starting now, I'm getting serious…"

"Well, it's not like I've shown you everything either" the blonde replied with a smile. This match was still far from over.

_**---an all out battle… what do these two have in stored?---**_

Another chapter is finished. I hope you liked it and that you'll leave a review before reading the next. Thanks in advance.


	83. The Genius and the Loser

Hey, what can I say except that I hope you're still enjoying the match. Here's another chapter of the multiply update. Please, review it:

**Chapter #83: The Genius and the Loser**

_**Title Page:**_ Kai, dressed as a cowboy, is riding a bull on the rodeo

"I gotta confess that until now I was holding back, however what you just did proves that I cannot afford to do that anymore" announced Senkou calmly as he went into his fighting stance. "Kai, you better prepare yourself, because starting now, I'm getting serious" and with that he charged forward at an incredible speed.

In a flash Kai performed a quick set of hand seals, making flames circle around his arms. Seeing this Takaru's eyes widen in surprise: "_That… that's my technique! When did he…?_" but before he could even finish that thought, the blonde called out, throwing his hands forward: "Insei Tooriame!" and instantly a rain of small fireballs shoot straight at Senkou.

As the fire bullets came closer, the masked gennin prepared to dodge. Without slowing down, he ducked under the first, few meteors and then placed his hands on the ground in order to use them to bounce off it, thus making more of the fireballs fly beneath him.

While he was still in mid-air, more meteors flashed before his eyes as they came at him. Acting on instinct, Senkou extended his left hand and then placed his right one on it, using it to blast himself from it, which changed the course of his flight and thus allowed him to avoid the fireballs. Upon landing on his right hand and foot, Senkou spun parallel to the floor on his hand, making another series of fire bullets miss him by inches and then, with a quick flip, he slid beneath another hand full of the flames on his left side.

The masked gennin threw a punch from bellow, aimed at his opponent's chin, forcing the blonde to bend back in order to avoid the assault. Acting on instinct, Kai grabbed the arm that came right before his face with his left hand and launched a punch into Senkou's stomach, only to have it blocked by the son of Hokage's knee.

Instantly Senkou attacked Kai's chest with his free hand, forcing the blonde to jump back. As the two extended he distance between each other, the masked gennin charged forward again and jumping into the air, he aimed a spinning drop kick at his opponent's head, yet Naruto's subordinate managed to avoid the assault by rolling to the front and the moment the son of Hokage landed on the ground, Kai threw a kick back, aimed at the silver-haired boy's back.

Senkou acted quickly however and also crawled down, kicking Kai's leg from bellow, thus making it fly higher into the sky, which also made the blonde's entire body rise up a bit, thus forcing him to stand on his hands in order to avoid falling flat on his face.

Seeing an opening, Senkou leaned to his left and as his sight settled on Kai's torso, he threw both his hands at him, aiming to smash his stomach. With no way to dodge, the blonde made a desperate move and took his hands off the floor. As his body began falling, he managed to flip, making his back land hard on the ground. He managed however to grab his opponent's hands, that came right in front of his face, by the wrists and toss him far away.

The son of Hokage flipped in the air and landed safely on the floor, while Kai got back to his feet, basically unharmed. Seeing all this Galu smirked under his nose: "_Well, mister Dead Last isn't doing so bad… maybe he really can match-up Senkou?_" and with that he gazed at Kokoro, who merely stared at him for a moment, before shaking his head in disagreement. The green-haired gennin narrowed his eyes at this, slightly surprised: "_Is there something that I don't know?_"

"Kage Bushin no Jutsu!" Kai called out again, creating four clones of himself while Senkou charged right at him. All blondes came at the masked gennin at once, throwing kicks ad punches at their opponent, yet the son of Hokage moved too fast for any of the blows to actually reach its target, making the loud mouth's annoyance grow.

Finally the silver-haired boy decided to counter and before Kai could react, one of his clones got grabbed by the shirt and tossed over Senkou's shoulder, hitting the floor hard. Surprisingly enough, the masked gennin followed his movement even after the blonde disappeared in the cloud of white smoke, and flipping right above the ground, he delivered a scissor kick from above to the next bushin's head, disposing of him as well.

Upon landing safely on his feet, Senkou threw his elbows back. As both attacks connected, he spun on his foot and before the clones even got he chance to disappear, he jumped up and making a split, he kicked the two blondes into their faces, sending them flying back and getting covered in smoke before they touched the ground.

"_Damn, that guy's fast!_" Kusari's eyes widen in surprise while Senkou calmly turn around to face the real blonde, who stood few meters away from him. "_Even without the Body Flicker, Kai can't really keep up…it's almost as if he just gets faster and faster!_"

"_Clearly Kai has greater chakra among and most likely is more resistant, however all of that is useless if he can't land a blow_" Kumiko analyzed the situation quickly as she narrowed her eyes and grabbed her chin. "_If he could keep up with Senkou, there's a chance he'll win, but without fulfilling that requirement, the upper hand belong to his opponent…_"

"Kage Bushin no Jutsu!" Kai yelled again, this time creating just one clone. Senkou let out a sigh as he lowered and shook his head. The sliver-haired boy then gazed at his opponent and as calm as ever, he announced: "Maybe it's rude to say, but one would think you'd learn by now that your clones won't give you much…"

"Perhaps they won't…" began the original Kai while his bushin run in the opposite direction to where Senkou stood. "Perhaps they will!" and the instant the blonde said that, his clone spun on his foot and jump forward. The moment it went by its creator, the loud mouth grabbed it by the arm and also spun on his foot, taking the other blonde along.

With forming a full circle, Kai literally blasted his clone at Senkou, making it fly at the speed that made the masked gennin widen his eyes in surprise, only getting enough time to block a spin kick that was aimed at his face. As the attack rammed into his hands, the son of Hokage saw the real blonde suddenly appearing behind him, throwing a punch at his back.

"_His speed!_" was the only thought that went through Senkou's mind before Kai's attack connected, making pain shoot from his spine. Meanwhile the bushin already landed on his feet and now it delivered a powerful kick into the masked boy's chin, thus sending him flying into the air.

As he flew, Senkou flipped and grabbed the original Kai by the collar. Breaking his flight, the masked gennin delivered a kick into the blonde's back and let go, thus making the loud mouth lose his balance and ram his own clone. Both fell to the ground, while the silver-haired boy landed safely a meter or two away.

In a flash Kai jumped up, with his clone following in his footsteps a moment later. As the two of them were now above Senkou, the bushin instantly performed a henge and changed into a Fuuma Shuriken, allowing the original to grab it and threw it straight at the masked gennin.

Yet Senkou merely smirked under his mask and prepared to grab the incoming, shinobi star in mid-flight. However he didn't predicted what happened an instant later: suddenly Kai performed a quick, hand seal and before the son of Hokage knew it, the shuriken that flew at him changed into the original blonde, who spun in the air and delivered a spin kick into his left cheek, thus sending him flying to the side.

The silver-haired boy came to a sliding stop, as he used his left hand as a break and then settled his eyes on the blonde, completely forgetting the clone, that to his unawareness, was coming at him from behind, preparing his fists. Only thanks to the shadow the bushin cast on the wall did Senkou managed to realize what was happening in time and ducked right under the incoming punch.

Instantly he grabbed the clone by the hand it used o attack him and tossed the bushin over his shoulder, making it land hard on the floor and thus disappear in the cloud of white smoke. In a flash he jumped forward and bouncing of the ground by using his hands, he aimed a scissor kick at the surprised blonde's head.

Acting on instinct, Kai also jumped up and flipping in the sky, he kicking Senkou's leg from above, thus bringing it down a bit sooner then the masked gennin wanted it to. Creating an opening, the blonde instantly smashed his fist into his opponent's face, which send him flying back, yet before the two broke, the silver-haired boy managed to grab the loud mouth's hand that hit his face and took his adversary for the ride as well.

As they came flying at the wall, Senkou tossed the blonde over his back, sending him at the brick wall first, yet to his great dismal, Kai managed to somersault in time and landed safely on his feet, bouncing off immediately and coming straight at the unprepared son of Hokage.

Having his back turned towards the ground, Senkou somersaulted and well, making Kai's attack go right beneath him and then slamming his leg into the blonde's back while he flew bellow him, thus sending him flying at the ground, while he used that momentum to bounce off and land on the wall, sticking to it by using chakra in his feet.

Meanwhile Kai flipped too and barely landed with his feet first, making pain shoot through them the instant he landed, yet aside from that he managed to avoid serious damage. Seeing this, Ibuki only smirked under her nose: "_That pinhead actually manage to somehow adjust his reactions to Senkou's speed… it's not like he can really keep up, but he's getting there. Kai can really win this!_"

Hitomi also smiled at the sight, yet said nothing. Uramaru started barking loudly, but Tsume merely stroked him softly and with a calm voice, he spoke, gaining the dog's attention: "Don't worry boy… even above his improvements, Kai still can't match Senkou. Our friend still has a trick up his sleeve…"

"Kai, you've become strong" announced Senkou as he crawled down slightly. "I'll admit this much. However, regardless to everything, the one who's stronger is still me. You fought well and gave me a bit of trouble, so in order to show you my respect that I've gained for you, I'll give you a warning: my next technique is not one you'll manage to dodge. However using it will also result in your death, so I'll give you this one, last chance to give up. It'd be wiser…"

"Sorry, Senkou, but I'm a stubborn idiot" the blonde replied with a smile as he gazed at the son of Hokage. "Besides, after reaching this far, I don't feel like surrendering is an option. So what do you say we finish this?"

"Very well… however do not say I haven't warn you" the masked gennin replied and then began a quick set of hand seals. A weird, electric current started to surround his hands as a strangely familiar sound reached Naruto's ears. Upon realizing what it was, the blonde jounin's eyes widen is surprise as he set them on the son of Hokage: "_This can't be!_"

Kakashi merely lowered his head as he noticed what his son was about to do. A worried expression crossed Hinata's face, while Mikka let out a yelp before covering her mouth: "_Senkou-kun, please don't! That jutsu… do you really wish to kill Kai-kun? This is not like you the day we meet…_"

A cutting sound filled the air as electricity now embraced Senkou's right hand. Kai felt the air suddenly getting heavy for some reason, almost like a premonition of a tragedy. Sweat began appearing all over his body as a thought that he may have made a mistake by refusing his opponent's offer crossed his mind. He then gazed at the masked gennin, whose face became grim as he instantly charged right at the blonde with a wild cry: "Chidori!"

_**---a shocking turn of events… what will become of Kai?---**_

And this concludes another chapter of the multiply update. Please review and stick around, coz it's not over yet!


	84. Birds Flying

Well, you know, so…

**Chapter #84: Birds Flying**

_**Title Page:**_ Senkou is standing with his back turned towards the 'audience' and is uncovering his face

An eight-year-old girl with short, black hair ran through the streets, holding a frightened, black kitten in her hands. She wore a violet jumpsuit with a yellow sun on the back and had green eyes, which she used to look over her shoulder, to see if she managed to lose the group that was chasing her, yet sadly the three boys that seemed only a little older then her was still on her trail and were getting close.

The girl suddenly turned into the alley, only to realize that it was a dead end. With just few trash cans near the edges and a huge, brick wall out front, she had nowhere to go. She turn around in hope to leave the place, yet she was out of time: the boys that were chasing her were already blocking the only way out.

"You stupid, little hag" said a boy with medium-length, brown hair, made into dreadlocks, who seemed around ten years old and acted as the leader of the group. "What in the world were you thinking stealing that damn fur ball from us? You spoiled the fun! We were just about to wrap its legs with bandages! What the hell is your problem?"

"Y-you shouldn't t-treat animals l-like that!" responded the girl as bravely as she could, yet her trembling voice and shaking body instantly gave away the fact that she was terrified. The leader of the gang took few steps closer, making her back away until she felt the cold, brick wall facing her back.

"What is it to you anyway?" the boy asked annoyed with anger starting to show on his face. "It's not like it's your cat and we just wanted to have some fun" he announced, still walking closer to her, which made the kitten start scratching the girl's hand as it tried to run away from the boy with dreadlocks.

"Mine or not, it's still a l-living creature!" she replied with a little squeaky voice. The cat stopped scratching and now hid in her jumpsuit, making it tremble even more. The dreadlock's eye twitched and then reached out for the girl with his hand.

But before his hand managed to reach its target, it suddenly got grabbed by the wrist. As the dreadlocks gazed to his right, he saw another boy, around the girl's age, with silver hair, hazel eyes and a violet, shinobi outfit with a mask covering his mouth. The older boy immediately retreated his hand and slightly confused, he announced: "Hey, I know you! You're Hokage-sama's brat, ain't ya? What the hell do you want?"

"What I want is for you and your buddies to leave the girl and that cat alone" the boy replied calmly with determination in his eyes. The older boy looked him up and down and with an annoyed expression on his face, he shoot back: "What is it with you people? She's a friend of yours or something? This is none of your business!"

"I don't know her" admitted the masked boy, keeping his calm. "But she's an inhabitant of this village like me, so I believe this is my business. Plus I don't like the fact that three guys are picking on a younger girl and a helpless cat just for fun…"

"You better watch out, shorty" the dreadlocks announced, once more anger taking over. "I won't hold back just because you're Hokage-sama's brat. Get out of our way or else you might get hurt" but as a reply, the masked boy only walked over and stood between the group and the girl. "You asked for it…"

A while later the three boys were gone, leaving a beat up, silver-haired boy in the alley with the girl and cat next to him, terrified, yet aside from that unharmed. The girl instantly gathered chakra in her hands and as they began glowing, she moved them near the boy's scratches, making them heal at an amazing rate.

The masked boy looked with his eyes widen in surprise at that and then gazed at the girl, completely shocked: "Y-you're a medic-nin? And at this age?" he asked suddenly, scaring the girl for a split second, but then she regained her posture and merely nodded shyly as a tiny blush appeared on her face. "Wow, that's incredible! You must be really talented! I didn't know one could learn medical techniques at our age…"

"M-my clan has practiced medicine f-from the beginning, s-so I started my training in that area at a young age" the girl replied, managing a weak smile. "And I'm s-still not very g-good at it… I can only help a little bit, the more serious injuries will take time to heal…"

"Yeah, but still this is pretty amazing! I heard medic-nins are really hard to train! I even envy you a bit!" he announced, smiling widely under his mask. Silence felt between the two for few moments, until the girl finally decided to break it: "Why did you help me?"

"What do you mean?"

"I don't even know you" she announced, staring into the boy's eyes. "I'm grateful for your help, but you ended up getting hurt and…" but before she could continue, she got cut off by the masked boy: "I told you already: I don't like it when people pick on others just for the heck of it. And above that I made myself a promise that I'll protect this village with all my strength and you're the part of it. The events from just now only proves that I need more training" and with that he managed a laugh, making the girl smile as well: "There you go! You look much prettier with a smile on your face!"

The girl's face now turned completely red as she turned around and gazed at the wall. The boy slowly got back to his feet, still shaking a bit, yet he managed to keep his balance. The girl glanced at him and quietly, so that only he could hear her, she announced: "I still… don't know your name…"

"Hatake Senkou" the masked boy replied immediately, extending his hand and helping her get up to her feet as well. The girl face stayed red as her smile widen, before she introduced herself: "Igaku Mikka…"

---Flashback ends---

As electricity embraced his right hand, Senkou raised his sight, giving Kai a grim look before charging straight at him with an incredible speed, calling out in the process: "Chidori!" and instantly Kumiko realized what just occurred: "_That's the same technique this whole Sasuke guy used in the Stone Country!_ She recalled with fear as she remembered the jutsu's destructive power.

Seeing his opponent getting closer to him, Kai tried to move, yet found his legs as if they got nailed to the floor. With all hope lost, the blonde decided to try a desperate move and reached for the ground. In a flash he swung his hand and Senkou's eyes widen in surprise as he felt his feet getting cut.

As sudden pain shoot through his legs, the masked gennin lost his balance and had to slow down in order to prevent falling down. Seeing an opening, Kai immediately charged forward and rammed his right hand right into the son of Hokage's face, making the silver-haired boy's body bend back as he fell to the floor.

"What the hell?" demanded Tsume as she leaned over the rail. "What did that blockhead do to throw Senkou off balance?" and as she looked her companions over, the one to answer her question was Horohoro, whose only reply was: "Strings…"

"Strings?" Kogane repeated, completely confused, when suddenly Kitsune cut in, as calm as always: "That sand-nin who fought before with that metal arms guys… he used metal strings. At the end of his match, his strings were cut, but they never got removed from the ring. It'd appear Kai noticed them and used them as his own…"

That's what happened?" asked Galu, raising his eyebrow. "But isn't that kinda like cheating? I mean those strings weren't his weapon nor did he used them before…" but before he could continue, Hinata cut in: "How do you think that's unfair? These eliminations were meant to reflect real battle conditions. True those strings didn't belong to him and stayed on the ring because of a simple mistake, however that doesn't change the fact that by using them, Kai shown a very important quality for a shinobi: he used the surroundings to his advantage…"

"Good going, Kai!" Kusari instantly cheered louder, throwing his fist to the sky. "Kick his ass!" and as he said that, Ibuki merely sweat dropped as he moved away from the chain master, while she kept her hands crossed and then settled her attention on the match again.

"This time you won't stand back up!" announced Kai as Senkou slowly got back to his feet, holding the back of his head with his right hand, making the masked gennin gazed at him. In a flash the blonde performed his standard technique and with a cry 'kage bushin no jutsu' five clones appeared next to the original loud mouth.

In a flash the first jumped forward and stopping right before Senkou, he propped his hands against the floor and threw both his feet up. The son of Hokage, still recovering from the hit shock, didn't manage to react in time and got blown up into the air the instant the blonde's feet connected with his chin.

The rest of Kai's bushins charged forward in a straight line and as the one leading them jumped into the sky, so did the others. The moment the first clone reached Senkou, who was still in mid-air, it punched the masked gennin in the chin, thus sending him flying even higher, with the next clone using the first's back to jump higher as well and also deliver a punch into the son of Hokage's chin.

After the third clone punched Senkou higher to the sky, the fourth spun in mid-air and landed a powerful kick into the silver-haired boy's face, thus sending him crushing to the ground with his head first. Meanwhile the last Kai, the original, bounced off that bushin's back and then off the ceiling, flying straight at the masked gennin. Once the blonde reached his opponent, he grabbed him from behind, immobilizing the son of Hokage as they both continued falling heads first, when suddenly Naruto's subordinate put them into a spin.

As the ground was merely inches before them, Kai immediately rested his feet on Senkou's back and bounced off, flipping in mid-air and landing safely on his legs. The masked gennin wasn't that lucky however and crushed hard against the floor, yet managing to cover his head with his hands.

"_Can't he think off a technique of his own in stead of using other people's ideas?_" Naruto asked himself, sweat dropping, as he shook his head and covered his eyes with his hand, while Takaru merely smirked at the sight.

Everyone's eyes almost went out of orbits as Senkou slowly struggled back to his feet, his body shaking and his breath as heavy as it could only be. "You gotta be kidding me!" yelled Taki shocked. "After all that, how can that guy stand up?" but Rei only narrowed her eyes and a moment later legs bend beneath the son of Hokage as he collapsed to the ground.

Lee made a quick inspection and after few seconds, which seemed like hours, he finally announced the result: "This fight cannot be continued and thus I declare Haisha Kai the victor!"

"_Way to go, Kai-kun_" Mikka smiled to herself with a sigh of relief. Funbo only smirked under his nose at the sight, while Sabure cheered loudly: "Great fight, people!" Teela merely gazed at Kusari for a split second and then retreated her sight back to the blonde, who just finished his match: "_He may become a hard opponent…_"

Hizoku smiled widely, making Tobane return his smirk. Reiji simply crossed his arms as he narrowed his eyes, while Kyuu trailed off into his thoughts: "_That blonde brat… he doesn't look like much, but as it stands now, he may actually possess a treat to our plans…_"

"What is everyone so worked up about?" asked Tetsu as he raised his eyebrow. "It's not like either of those two were really strong" and as he said so Shita immediately began agreeing with him, however Kawa had doubts about how much truth was in her teammate's statement.

"So what do you think hik, Tsuino?" Nazaa turned to his companion, who only throw him a gaze and then returned to observing the blonde, who now kept on sending victory signs all around, as he responded: "Well, one thing's for sure: that guy is not an ordinary ninja…"

Meanwhile Torune felt the atmosphere around her getting heavy and as she turned towards Takai, who now stood beside her, she realized her teammate began shaking from excitement. Fear have completely taken over her as a psychopathic look appeared in the scythe user's eyes when he announced: "That blonde… I want him in my collection!"

_**---the battle ends… but the challenge is not over yet---**_

And with that the multiply update is finished. The victor is revealed and next time eliminations move forward. There are still few matches to go, which I hope you'll enjoy. I also hope you enjoyed this, special update, and that you'll leave a review once you're done.

Take care and until next time, hopefully.


	85. Tidal Wave

Okay, so this took longer then a week to finish, but better late then never, I suppose (or at the very least I hope you feel that way). Basically I had doubts about sitting to it and writing it, considering how this week turned out, but after all the **TWO YEAR ANNIVERSARY **was yesterday, so I'm a day late with this chapter anyway.

To start off I wanna apologize that this time around I haven't answer any reviews through reply. I just don't have enough time: I haven't slept at all last night, I have a test tomorrow and a lot of amendments to do in my assignment due Friday (well, not exactly, but if I won't manage to do it till Friday I'll be falling behind with that work, so…). So to be fair I'll just quickly answer your questions and doubts in one go now:

_Senkou and Chidori:_I assure you that Kakashi had a reason to teach his son Chidori as well as Senkou, knowing its flaw, had a reason to learn it. All will be revealed later on it the story (it'd be stupid to just give you all the answers right away, wouldn't it?).

_Mikka and Senkou?: _they're just close friends…

_Takai's fight and collection:_ well, considering now that Kai's match is done, most of you guys now await Takai's match. Probably the fact that you'll have to wait a while longer won't make you happy, but at the very least I can assure you that before eliminations will be over, you'll learn a lot about that character (his background, abilities and basically his collection), so be a bit more patient. There's only 8 matches left and although some of them are longer, this part of the story is close to its ending.

_Body Flicker:_ one of you guys had doubts that the Body Flicker Senkou used was different from the one in the manga. Now I'm pretty sure that technique is not for gennin (I can't recall anyone of that rank using it in the manga), but perhaps I goofed up a bit with how it works. I'll look into it when I'll have more time and then get back to that (regardless the way Senkou used it was needed, to show Kai's talent).

_Kai's photographic memory Sharingan?_: don't worry about that, it won't work that way. To put it simply: Kai can memorize the seals used by his opponent (regardless to their number), but basically that's that. If he'd want to perform the technique he was earlier, it'd require a lot of training for him to get the right chakra among etc. (kinda the reason why he managed to perform Takaru's Insei Tooriame only now and why he spent so much time training before he managed to execute Kage Bushin the way it should be done)

I think that covers it, but sorry if I missed anything. As always I wanna thank you all for reviewing, especially those that took their time to review all the chapters from the multiple update. It means a lot.

And now lets get to the story:

**Chapter #85: Tidal Wave**

_**Title Page:**_ simply Taki riding a shark

"Winner: Haisha Kai!" Lee announced loudly, making Kumiko instantly throw her hands to the sky with an even louder "that's right". Kai however soon stopped throwing victory signs and turned towards Senkou, who found it impossible to move at the moment. He gazed at the blonde, who now stood right next to his laying body.

Extending his hand, Kai smiled widely and announced: "This was a good fight. I must say that no-one gave me this much trouble so far, so if you want to have a rematch, I'm at your disposal" and as he said so, Senkou's eyes widen slightly. An instant later he smirked behind his mask and gathering all the strength he had left, he raised his hand to shake the blonde's: "You can be sure I'm not gonna leave it at that… next time you're going down!"

Kai simply nodded and then slowly began returning back to the platform, while Mikka appeared next to the masked gennin and placed her hands near his body: "Senkou-kun, your wounds… I can…" but before she could finish, the son of Hokage grabbed her by the wrist softly and with a stern voice, he interrupted her: "Leave it! I'll be fine! There's only eight matches in the eliminations left and you still haven't fought, which means your turn will come soon! There's no point for you to waste your chakra on me. Conserve it and win your fight. I'm sure that if you'll go all out, you can beat anyone here… though, a piece of advise: I'm not sure why, but the air around that sand-nin with the scythe seems heavy. If he'll be your opponent, you better stay on guard at all times" and as he said so, the medics took him away, making the kunoichi gaze after him worried.

She then looked at Takai, who seemed to be shaking with excitement as he reached for his backpack for a split second, but instantly retreated his hand as he caught a disapproving glare from his instructor. A smile remained on his face however as his eyes settled on Kai, who now walked pass him: "_This blonde… I'll have him in my collection…_"

"I'm curious" announced Naruto, glancing over at Hinata, thus gaining the female jounin's attention. "From what I know, mastering Chidori without the Sharingan is not possible, so how is it that kid is capable of performing it?"

"In a way, you answered your own question, Naruto-kun" the head of the Hyuuga replied, smiling under her nose. "That technique cannot be completed without the Sharingan, but it's not impossible to perform. I recall Kakashi-sama saying that he invented Chidori before obtaining his left eye. Senkou can use the Thousand Birds, however, because of the speed, he cannot see his opponent's counter. Most likely that's the reason why he was incapable of dodging those strings your student used…"

"But knowing all this, why did Senkou used that technique?" asked Kusari confused as he turned towards his instructor, yet the one to reply him was Kokoro: "Actually, the answer is pretty obvious… and you don't have to be a telepath to figure it out. That jutsu was Senkou's most powerful technique. His last line of defense, if you will. Knowing that, the reason for him using it seems pretty clear, doesn't it?" and with that he managed a smile as his masked teammate was taken out of the room by medics.

The names on the screen already began changing and the moment Kai gazed at it, the next pair got chosen: **HAMANO TAKI versus AZARASHI KAWA**. And In the very instant the choice was made, the boomerang using kunoichi threw her fists to the sky, with a loud yell: "Yay, my turn!"

Funbo merely rolled his eyes at his teammate's behavior, yet didn't say a word. Taki immediately jumped down, not even waiting for 'good luck' from Akira, which came a second later. As she landed on the arena, her opponent slowly walked down the stairs, taking her time.

As the two now stood in front of one another, Lee announced loudly: "Twenty Fifth match: Hamano Taki against Azarashi Kawa! Ready and… explode!" and immediately he moved out of the way as the waterfall-nin threw the bottles of water that she carried on her belt to the sky with her left hand and tossed kunai at them with her right.

While the bottles broke, spraying the air with the liquid, Kawa performed a quick set of hand seals and with a wild cry: "Suiton: Mizu Gosunkugi no Jutsu!" she made the water form itself into a spike and fly straight at her opponent, who barely dodged the attack by jumping to the sky and back.

In a flash Taki reached for her boomerang and tossed it at the waterfall-nin, who simply made another set of hand seals and immediately the water from bottles returned to circle around her, taking the Leaf gennin's weapon along for the ride. With another symbol, the boomerang got thrown straight at its owner, yet to Kawa's dismal, her adversary caught it, almost as if it was going to her hand anyway.

"How did she do that?" asked Hanamaru a little confused. "Even though that's a boomerang, it's almost like it was always going back to her hand" and with that, Ibuki answered him, without taking her eyes off the arena: "It's a simple trick really: if you'd look closely, that boomerang is connected with her hand by a thin, chakra string, so regardless to anything, as long as that string won't break, the boomerang will always return exactly into her hand…"

"But why go that far when it's a weapon that returns to you by its nature?" now Toku got a little lost as he gazed at the weapon mistress. Kitsune merely narrowed his eyes upon answering: "Double protection, I guess… that way, there's no way she can lose her boomerang. Though still it seems weird to do that…"

"Suiton: Wanizame Batsu!" Kawa suddenly called out, making the water from the bottles shaped into a shark that came right at Taki. The masked girl acted immediately and leaned to her right, making the attack go right next to her, yet still got her left arm cut shallowly.

The leaf-nin immediately jumped back and sticking to the wall with her feet, she covered the wound with her hand as she gazed at her opponent. Shita, who was still sitting on his teammate's shoulder smiled behind his mask: "Looks like Kawa has the advantage, eh Tetsu-san?" he asked, yet the chubby gennin didn't reply. In stead he just narrowed his eyes as they stopped on Taki.

"I must say that at first I thought this could actually be a good match, considering you're a water user, but seeing that you need a water source to perform your techniques disappoints me a bit" announced the masked girl calmly as she slowly took her mask off. "I suppose I should show you the real potential of the water user" and with that she performed a quick set of hand seals, calling out with the last symbol: "Suiton: Mizu Bakuha no Jutsu!"

In a flash a huge among of water left her mouth and shaping itself in a large whirlpool, it went straight at Kawa, literally smashing her into the wall few meters away. As the liquid finally stopped pushing her against the wall, the waterfall-nin felt to the floor unconscious.

Lee made a quick analyze before announcing Taki's victory and the instant he did so, the leaf-nin began feeling heavy. Yet before she could fall, Akira appeared near her and caught her, helping her keep standing. Horohoro also showed up, helping his blind teammate.

"Horohoro already warned you in the forest that you should conserve your chakra" Akira reminded her calmly with a note of concern in his voice. "I don't really think it was necesarry for you to go that far just to knock that Waterfall girl out..."

"Well, perhaps, but right now you should more concentrate on the fact that our team managed to keep the winning streak and we're all gonna fight in the final exam" but as she said so, the blind gennin threw her a look, which she instantly understood: "Oh come on, Akira-kun, you're not really thinking Funbo-kun can actually lose..."

But Horohoro only gazed at Takai and upon narrowing his eyes, he thought to himself to prevent his teammate from worrying: "_Funbo may be strong, but that scythe guy... somehow I doubt he'd manage to defeat him... in actuality, I doubt anyone here can..._"

"It appears Taki still has too small chakra among to use her abilities freely" concluded Hitomi as she gazed at Shino, while her teammates were slowly returning back to the platform. The jounin only glanced at her, but said nothing. Takaru on the other hand shown a single drop of sweat falling down his face as her words reached his ears: "_Even so, being able to perform a water technique of that level with no water source near ,and at her age at that, is to be recognized. This whole, Taki girl doesn't stand out, but she certainly won't be easy to defeat..._"

As the trio left the arena and Kawa was taken away by the medics, two, new names appeared on the screen: **IGAKU MIKKA versus AORU**. Seeing this, Galu gazed at his teammate calmly, who was getting slightly nervous. A worried expression crossed his face as he placed his hand on the medic-nin's shoulder: "You don't have to fight if you don't want to..."

"I know" Mikka replied quietly before taking in some air. "But I want to. I promised Senkou-kun I'll do my best" and with that she glanced over at Kai: "_Plus Kai-kun will be watching…_" and with that she slowly headed towards the stairs, but before she managed to reach them, Tsume stopped her:

"Mikka… you better watch yourself" the dog kunoichi announced, gaining her teammate's attention. "I don't know what this Sand girl can do, but Uramaru is acting a little weird. Don't play around" and as she said that, the medic-nin gave a slight nod before continuing walking.

Meanwhile Aoru placed her foot on the rail, ready to jump down onto the arena. With a short 'good luck' from Torune, she went over the edge and landed bellow, right next to Mikka, who just made it down. The two walked side by side to the center of the battlefield, not saying a word. The sand-nin didn't even seem to notice her opponent, whereas the Leaf gennin threw her a glance from time to time.

"So, Aoru's turn, huh?" asked Hari with a smile appearing on her face. She looked over her shoulder at Sabure, who merely threw her a quick glance, before returning to observe the arena. The blonde sweat dropped a bit, as she did the same: "_So she got back to her normal self…not sure if it's good or bad though…_"

"Well, I hope this match will be more entertaining then the previous ones" whined Horamaru with a bored tone. "Luckily Aoru's not some sissy who'd hold back for no reason" and with that thought a creepy smile crossed his face, while Karame only shoot him a quick glance. Honemaru narrowed his eyes as he observed his female teammate now standing in front of her adversary. His head twitched to the right for a split second, making Dekai get slightly worried this time.

"Twenty fifth match!" Lee announced with his usual voice, making all the attention in the room concentrate on the two fighters. "Igaku Mikka against Aoru! Ready and… BEGIN!"

_**---**__**The eliminations move on, regardless to everything… what'll happen next?---**_

And so this chapter is done. Hope you enjoyed it. Now I don't have enough time to make the whole jutsu encyclopedia, so I hope you guys won't mind that this time I'll only make translations of the techniques. Next time I'll give you details. Sorry:

_Suiton:__ Mizu Gosunkugi no Jutsu _(Water Element: Water Spike Skill)

_Suiton:__ Wanizame Batsu _(Water Element: Shark Attack)

_Suiton:__ Mizu Bakuha no Jutsu_ (Water Element: Water Blast Skill)

**Konoha #7:** Murasakki Kumiko, Tanken Ibuki, Gekido Takaru, Hagane Kusari, Haisha Kai

**Konoha #3:** _Konpaku Rei_, Rikoteki Kogane, Amagasa Toku, Debano Kitsune, _Gusoku Hanamaru_

**Konoha #4:** Igaku Mikka (in progress), Inuzuka Tsume, Benda Kokoro, Kobushi Galu

**Konoha:**Hamano Taki, Hyuuga Hitomi, Manako Akira, Tanken Funbo, Horohoro

**Suna #1:** Aoru (in progress), Torune, Honemaru, Tarakudo, Takai

**Suna #2:** Sabaku no Sabure, Hari, Dekai, Horamaru, Karame

**Kusa:**Hokku Tobane, Kanraku Nezumi, _Kuchibashi Taka_, Kyohaku Tokame, Wanabi Hizoku

**Ame:** Furikuzu Tsuino, Hebereke Nazaa

**Bakufu:**Abura Tetsu, Makko Shita

**Tsuki:**Junsei Teela, Tenka

**Hane:**Ono Reiji

**Kumori**: Kyuu

And now a little something I've planned earlier. This was done way back, so luckily I only had to paste it in. Ladies and gentlemen, for everyone who's interested, this is how the FIRST CHAPTER of N:NG was supposed to look like at the beginning (basically the differences between that version of the story and this one began after the gennin exam):

**Chapter #1: The Shadow of Team Number 7!**

"So this is my new team?" asked a man around thirty with spiky, blonde hair, sky-blue eyes and whisker marks of his cheeks as he glanced at the paper that was just handed to him. He wore a black and orange jumpsuit and had a hitae-ate with the Leaf symbol covering his forehead. "That one doesn't surprise me, but who are the other two? That boy's name sounds familiar…"

"Well, you meet his father a long time ago, Naruto" replied an old man with medium-length, grey hair, clipped in a ponytail, and a long scar going across his face. "But that's not really important. Neither of the two have any idea as to who their fathers are… we should keep it that way…"

"If you say so, Iruka-sensei…" the blonde man replied as he slowly turned around. "I guess I'll be going now to see those three… got any advice before I do so?" he asked, making the older man only smirk under his nose before he replied: "Watch out. They're troublemakers…"

---A little later---

Naruto opened the door leading to the classroom, thus making a blackboard eraser fell to the floor. He gazed at it sweat dropping and with the thought 'just like old times' he lifted his head to look at the three kids that were the only ones left in the room.

"Damn, he didn't fall for it" whined a boy with spiky, blonde hair and green eyes, wearing a mostly yellow jumpsuit. A boy who sat beside him, one with medium-length, black hair, clipped in a ponytail, wearing a black t-shirt and a green waistcoat on it only glanced at the other boy and with a matter-of-factly tone, he announced: "Of course he didn't. Did you really expect a jounin to get caught by a lousy bobby trap such as that?"

Naruto then turned his gaze at the black-haired boy and immediately spotted that his hands were wrapped in some sort of chain. But what really captured his attention in him was a scar that run through the boy's left eye. The wound didn't seem to effect his sense of sight, but it was pretty visible.

"I'm very sorry, sensei!" announced a girl in a squeaky voice, making the jounin shut his left eye a bit to endure the pain caused by the sudden sound. "Those two are always like that!" and as she said so, Naruto glanced at her and realized she was the same age as the two boys.

The kunoichi had long, brown hair, clipped in a ponytail, and hazel eyes. She was wearing a violet, shinobi outfit, that covered her hands to the elbows. The man only smirked under his nose with nostalgia and then showed the three gennin with his hand that they should follow him.

Upon reaching the top of the Academy roof, Naruto propped himself against the rail and looking at the trio that settled on the other end, he announced loudly enough for them to hear him: "Okay, listen up! I was chosen to be your jounin instructor, so that means we'll be spending a lot of time together! However it'll be hard to work anonymous, so how about, for starters, you tell me something about yourselves? You know: your name, likes, dislikes, hobbies, plans for the future and the sort. Lets start with the lady…" and with that he glanced over at the girl.

"My name is Murasakki Kumiko" the girl began shyly and unsure. "I like… umm… I mean, my hobbies are… well… I dislike… okay, I got nothing…" and at this point Naruto just sweat dropped: "_Sakura-chan, this girl reminds me of the old you so much…_"

Jounin's eyes then traveled to the young blonde, who sat next to the kunoichi: "Looks like you're next…"

"The name's Haisha Kai! I don't have the time to waste it on talking about useless stuff, but keep this in mind: I will become Hokage someday! It doesn't matter what it takes!" and seeing a tiny smirk appearing on Naruto's face, he pointed his finger at the man: "What, you got a problem with that?"

"_Damn, this is seriously deja vu all over…_" the jounin thought to himself with a smile as his eyes stopped at the last member of his cell: "Looks like you're the last one…"

"Name: Takaru… I don't have a last name. There are a lot of things I don't like, but nothing I'd especially enjoy. As for plans for the future, I have three: to surpass someone, to find someone and to kill someone…"

"_Well, I suppose that much should be obvious…_" Naruto concluded in his mind. "Okay, that'll do for now…"

"Wait a minute!" Kai stopped him. "You never told us about yourself!"

"Oh yeah, it slipped my mind" announced the jounin, scratching the back of his head before he answered the boy's question: "I'm Uzumaki Naruto and I like ramen. About the things I don't like… well, lets just say the list grew over the years and there's no need to bore you with it. As for hobbies… eating ramen maybe. And my dream…" with that he glanced at the blonde gennin. "I'll keep that to myself for now…"

"I heard better introductions" stated Kai simply.

"I suppose yours is an example of such?" asked Naruto teasingly, but immediately cut to the point: "Doesn't matter. It's best if we won't waste too much of your time today. I advice a good night sleep. Tomorrow we'll be meeting at a place mentioned on these" and with that he handed them some papers. "And play a little game…"

"Game?" asked Kumiko confused. "What sort of game?"

"Oh, you didn't know?" Naruto asked surprise with an evil smile. "Just because you passed the final test at the Academy doesn't mean you become gennin. In order to be promoted to that rank, you need to pass another test. The one that'll take place tomorrow. And I'll tell you right now: the chances of failing it are way above 50..."

"_Isn't that right, Kakashi-sensei?_"

"_Fifty percent?_" Kai repeated in his mind, gulping in the process.

"I suggest bringing all your shinobi equipment and be ready to go all out" Naruto announced calmly, standing back up. "If you won't be ready for hardships, you can consider yourselves failures already. See ya!" and with those words he was gone.

---The next day---

The weather was great: the sun shun on the clear sky as the three rookies gathered in the place mentioned in the notes from Naruto. It was an opened field with a stone monument in the center and the forest surrounding it (a little they didn't know, it was the same place where their jounin instructor took his gennin exam).

Some time passed and Naruto appeared as well. Without saying a single thing he just walked to a nearby trunk and placed a small alarm clock on it. He then reached for his pocket and taking out two, small, golden bells, he announced: "As you can see, I have here two bells. Your task will be to take them away from me till noon. Each person needs only one bell, but there are only two, so at least one of you will end up without a bell… and the one to do so, will automatically fail this exam and will return to the Academy…"

"But sensei, that's not fair!" yelled Kumiko offended. "How come one of us has to get back to the Academy?"

"And who said it'll only be one?" responded Naruto calmly. "I said that at least one of you will finish this test with no bells, but it could be all three. To put it simply, all of you may fail…"

Kai swallowed his saliva loudly, while Takaru only smirked under his nose.

"As I announced yesterday, you can use shuriken and any, other shinobi tool" continued Naruto calmly, without changing his expression. "I'll tell you right now: if you won't go all out, there's no way for you to get the bells…"

"_He's pretty confident…_" Takaru thought to himself with a smirk. "_Guess we'll soon see what he's capable of. Either way I can't fail here… I have goals to achieve…_"

"_I'll get that bell even if I'll have to kill him_" announced in his mind Kai with determination showing on his face. "_At all costs, I have to become a shinobi!_"

"_Calm down Murasakki…_" Kumiko tried to calm herself down. "_You can do it…_"

"Well, you all seem to be ready" noticed Naruto as he tied the bells to his belt. "Guess there's no point in keeping you waiting" he looked at the clock. "From now on, you got two hours to take the bells away from me. Best of luck, coz you'll need it. Okay, enough chit-chat. Ready and… begin!"

And hearing that commend, the three rookie scattered.

_**---And that's that for now! Hope you'll review and until next time!---**_


	86. The Sand and the Leaf

And once more it took me longer then usual to update. Sorry about that, but collage has really been a pain lately. On a more positive note I'm basically done with it for this semester (unless something really unexpected happens). Not completely, but at least to an extend that should allow me to return to my normal "one update per week" paste. Now I'm not promising yet, but I think the chances of that happening are pretty high.

Once more I wanna apologize for not replying to everyone's reviews for last time. I did cover some, but sadly a large number remained unanswered. I promise that with this chapter I'll return to replying them as I usually did. This one last time I'll answer your questions before the chapter… or more I'd answer, but to be honest there weren't any (or at least I missed those). Basically most of you, who commented the preview of the original first chapter, said they like it better with five-manned teams. I'm glad I've decided to go with five people in one cell as well, otherwise some of the characters that I myself like and whose development is crucial wouldn't appear (like Ibuki or Senkou, to name just those from the top of my head).

Also some of you tried to guess who'll fight who in those few matches that are still left in the eliminations. Well, with seven fights left (including Mikka vs. Aoru) I suppose the chances of successful guess are quite high. I hate being a spoiler (as you all probably know by now), but Cranky Wonder Joe's review gave me an idea of a little game we could play. The game itself won't have any effect on the story nor will there be any rewards (at least I can't think of anything), but if you want we can try playing, considering I'll be answering the reviews through replies again. Those of you how feel like they wanna try (or wanna know) can place their idea of a match-up of the last, six fights and in my reply I'll tell that person how many pairs he got right (meaning how many of the matches he/she predicted will take place). Now I won't say which of the pairs were guessed right (at least that's what I thought, but if you guys will be pushing I could tell you), only how many one guessed correctly. On that note I can tell Cranky Wonder Joe how many matches he got right, but considering I'm not sure if he wants to know now or prefers to find out by reading, I won't say a thing. If you guys think like playing, you can post your line-up in a review and tell me if you want me to tell you how many you guessed right or if you'd prefer for me to keep it to myself. But as I said: that's just an idea, which I thought some of you might be interested in.

With that said, lets get down to the next chapter of "Naruto: Next Generation":

**Chapter #86: The Sand and the Leaf**

_**Title Page:**_ safari: Mikka is wrapping hyena's leg in a bandage, while Kai is sitting nearby on a crate with holes all over it and a sign 'lion' on one of the walls

Neji calmly took a sip of his tea and completely ignored the fact that a mysterious figure just appeared in the garden of his household. The white-eyed man simply placed his cup on the table and then gazed at the man with the white and black tiger mask, who was now slowly walking towards him. With an emotionless tone, the Hyuuga genius asked his guest: "Did something happened?"

"I'm afraid so" replied the man, taking off his mask and thus revealing himself to be Sasuke. The head of the Uchiha then glanced over to his left, where Tenten just suddenly appeared, wearing an orange kimono, decorated with black birds. The raven-haired man bowed slightly towards her, having her return the nod and then continued: "I'm terribly sorry, Tenten, but it'd appear your husband's help is required…"

The woman gave Neji a sad glance, making the Hyuuga genius also feel a little regret, but regardless he stood up and slowly walked over to his wife, kissing her on the forehead, as he announced: "I promise I'll return as soon as it'll be possible" and with that he grabbed his tiger mask. As he put it on, he turned towards Sasuke, saying: "Led the way" and so the two were gone.

Tenten merely stared at the place they stood just a moment ago and then lowered her head to look at the ground: "_It's rare for us to have some time alone… and now with him gone, I'll just start worrying about Hitomi again. O wonder how's she doing… and what could've happened that disturbed Sasuke so much?_"

---Back to the eliminations---

"Twenty fifth match: Igaku Mikka against Aoru! Ready and… EXPLODE!" and in a flash Lee moved out of the way as the sand-nin immediately charged forward, picking out her wavy blade. The young medic only managed to jump back, making the attack miss her by an inch at most.

The redhead didn't waste time however and instantly jumped into the air, somersaulting, and once she found herself behind Mikka, she gave the leaf-nin a powerful kick in the back of her head, thus sending her flying at the floor. Before she crushed against the ground though, the young medic used her hands to break the fall and used them to bounce of the floor, landing safely on her feet few meters away.

"_She's fast_" Mikka thought to herself as he gazed at Aoru, who just landed few meters before her. "_When it comes to speed I don't think I can match her. Open battle is out of the question then_" and with that she narrowed her eyes while she jumped into the air, throwing her leg up high. As she came down, the redhead jumped back, making the leaf-nin's drop kick smash against the floor, thus making it crack and lifting up few rocks from the ground.

"_What the…?_" began Aoru as she flew back. "_What's with that insane strength?_" but just as she thought that, Mikka spun on her foot and delivered a spin-kick into a stone right next to her, thus making it fly straight at the surprised sand-nin.

Acting on instinct, Aoru cut the incoming stone in half and curled herself, thus making one half of the rock flew above her and the other beneath. As the two stones crashed against the wall behind her, the redhead came to a sliding stop and flipped the hand she held her blade in, thus making her weapon open, revealing that it was actually a metal fan, formed from several, wavy blades, connected with each other.

"_That girl's better then I thought… I guess I'll have to play a bit more seriously from now on_" and with that Aoru smiled under her nose, making Mikka go into her fighting stance. Meanwhile, up on the platform, Tarakudo was delighted: "Nice! I like that tiny chick! She's got class!" and with that he began elbowing his teammate: "Don't you think so, Takai?" but the scythe user didn't reply. He just threw his bandaged companion a quick glare and then returned to observing the fight in silence.

"With such strength it is safe to assume that Leaf girl is a medic-nin" announced Honemaru calmly with no trace of emotions in his voice. "Surely this could prove problematic for Aoru. In actuality, she may really lose this fight…"

Suddenly Mikka charged forward, aiming a punch at Aoru's face. Acting on instinct, the redhead strafed left, yet immediately a spin kick from her opponent flew at her. Having on, other way to dodge, the sand-nin jumped up and rested her left hand upon the Leaf gennin's legs, thus breaking her flight.

As the two stopped for a split second, Aoru was the first to snap out of it and cut from Mikka's right, but the medic-nin managed to act in time and leaned back, thus making the steel fan cut only some of her hair. Before she could do anything else however, the redhead delivered a powerful kick into her stomach, thus forcing her to take few steps back, just to keep her balance.

Mikka pulled herself back together quickly however and instantly came at Aoru again, this time aiming a scissor kick at her head. The sand-nin dodged by jumping back, yet as the assault missed and hit the floor, once more rocks shoot from the ground and this time the Leaf gennin used this to her advantage.

While Aoru was still in mid-air, Mikka charged up one of the stones she pushed up and jumped straight at the surprised redhead with her fists ready. A little nervous, the sand-nin instantly picked out a kunai and threw it at the medic, yet the knife went right next to the Leaf shinobi's face.

As the distance between them decreased, Aoru performed a quick hand seal and to Mikka's surprise, the redhead's body suddenly got replaced by the same knife that just missed her. Her eyes widen slightly as her fist blasted the kunai away: "_So that time she wasn't aiming at me in the first place! She was preparing herself to evade my attack!_"

Meanwhile Aoru breathed a bit faster then usual as she observed Mikka landing safely on her feet few meters away from her: "_Dammit, just now… she almost beat me! With that insane hit power if I allow her to lay even one attack on me, I'm done for! I need to resolve this and fast!_" and with that thought she reached for her hostel.

"Damn, how come Mikka's that strong?" asked Kai, completely confused. "Even that metal-armed guy didn't seem close in strength to her!" and as he looked around, Galu decided to speak up: "In case you haven't realize it back when we run into each other in the forest, Mikka's a medic-nin. As such she has a perfect, chakra control, so transferring all of her inner energy into her hands isn't anything difficult to her. If one gathers large among of chakra in his fist, even one punch can prove deadly for the opponent. Mikka doesn't have any super-strength. Her punches are merely a result of chakra effecting one's hit power…"

"You sure seem to know a lot about that style of fighting, Galu" noticed Kumiko, yet the green-haired boy didn't response. He just threw her a quick glance and then returned to observing the fight. "_Could this have something to do with that technique he wanted to use right before his match ended?_"

This time Aoru was the first to act as she jumped at Mikka, spinning parallel to the floor. As she came close to the young medic, she threw a scissor kick at the Leaf kunoichi, thus forcing her to jump back. The instant her feet touched the ground, the redhead charged forward, using the fact that her opponent was only coming to the landing.

As she pushed her fan out front, Mikka suddenly smashed her fist to the floor, once more lifting up stones, which this time covered her from the attack, making the sand-nin's weapon sink into the rock. Aoru's eyes widen at this and then her surprise slowly turned into panic as she realized something else: "_I… can't pull it out!_"

In a flash Mikka appeared above her, aiming a drop kick at her head, thus forcing the sand-nin to jump back in order to avoid a certain knockout. The Leaf gennin's assault didn't end there however and soon the redhead found herself backing and dodging a storm of her opponent's attacks.

"I must say I like her style" announced Takaru with a smirk as he kept his eyes on the two kunoichi. He then gazed at Kai and smiled even wider, totally confusing the blonde. As the loud mouth asked the obvious 'what', Kitsune only shook her head at his behavior, while returning to observing the match bellow: "_He's really clueless…_"

However annoyed by the son of Tsunade's comment, Kogane instantly clanged to the scar-face's arm: "Takaru-kun, how could you say that? Do you wanna break my heart?" she asked sweetly, making Toku sweat drop at her behavior. Seeing this, also Kusari decided to take action: "Don't worry Kogane-chan, I still love you!" he announced, jumping towards her with an embrace, yet before the chain master reached his target, his face meet Kumiko's foot, who had a vein pulsing on her forehead: "Grow up, dammit!"

"_This is better then circus_" Tsume thought to herself with a pitiful smile as she observed her companions. Funbo only left out a single 'brats' comment and then his eyes stopped on Rei, who was still (_A/N: pretty loud at that_) asleep and followed Kitsune's example of shaking his head.

"Your subordinate seems to have the advantage now" noticed Naruto, turning towards Hinata, yet the white-eyed kunoichi was still worried. In that aspect she was no different from Hizoku, who also seemed to be troubled. Seeing this, Nezumi leaned over to her teammate and loud enough only for him to hear her, she asked: "Why are you so occupied with this match anyway? Could it be that you're thinking about what your father…?" but she never managed to finish that sentence as the redhead boy interrupted her as quiet as her: "Don't worry… regardless to that, I know where I belong. And even if I wanted too, there's no point to return to my father's dream…"

Upon dodging another punch, Aoru suddenly jumped up and placing her hand on Mikka's head, she flipped, delivering a powerful kick in the back of the leaf-nin's head, thus making her opponent take few steps forward and buying herself a little time.

As she landed on the ground, she instantly picked out a kunai and wrapping an explosive tag around, she threw it straight at the rocks few meters away. Meanwhile Mikka regained her balance and charged at the redhead at top speed, ready to resume the attack.

While the medic-nin was getting closer, the rock behind Aoru suddenly exploded and to most people surprise it blasted the steel fan stuck in it straight into the sand-nin's hand. Ibuki's eyes widen at the sight as she quickly analyzed what just happened: "_That knife just now… she actually managed to throw it in a way it'd sink into the stone at an angle that would throw that fan thing right into her arm the instant the tag would explode! That a precision rare even among the Tanken and to be able to execute something like that in a real battle… that Sand girl's good!_"

Running in top speed, Mikka was not fast enough to react as the fan landed in Aoru's hand. Kokoro only managed to call out his teammate's name before the redhead performed a quick motion. Hinata froze, seeing what happened next.

Aoru's weapon cut Mikka's chest, making the leaf-nin's blood spray the floor of the arena. In the next moment the young medic-nin felt to her back motionless.

_**---the most terrifying conclusion… what will become of Mikka?---**_

And this concludes this chapter. I hope you enjoyed it and that you'll leave me a review once you're done. It'd mean a lot and show me that you're still reading this fic, even though the update paste slowed down lately.

No jutsu this time, however I did promise descriptions to the technique used last time, considering I wasn't able to do them then. So, here it is:

_Suiton: Mizu Gosunkugi no Jutsu _(Water Element: Water Spike Skill) – technique used by Kawa. In a way one might say it's similar to Haku's Flying Water Needles, only in this case it doesn't involve a bloodline and in stead of tens, small spikes, it creates one, big one (_A/N: ain't that a cool line :D_). The spike, although made of water, is strengthened by chakra and thus it can really pierce through its target, considering it'll manage to hit it.

_Suiton: Wanizame Batsu _(Water Element: Shark Attack) – another technique used by Kawa. This time it can be compared to Zabuza's Water Dragon, except that in stead of a dragon, water shapes itself into a shark. Both this and the jutsu above cannot be performed without a nearby water source (unless one is a skilled shinobi and create enough water on his own, like Kisame is capable of doing).

_Suiton: Mizu Bakuha no Jutsu_ (Water Element: Water Blast Skill) – technique used by Taki. The performer must first collect enough chakra into his or hers mouth and then, using the correct hand seals, release it in the form of water, which starts to circle the moment it gets lose, thus creating a powerful whirlpool. It's effect could be compared to a large wave.

And now, before I finish, once more the list of gennin 'still in the game'. On a side note I guess I can warn you that the next popularity contest is drawing nearer. Considering how long eliminations took, I figured some of you might wanna go through them again to pick their favorites (assuming you'll be interested in taking part in the voting). Anyways, here's the updated list of the eliminations participants:

**Konoha #7:** Murasakki Kumiko, Tanken Ibuki, Gekido Takaru, Hagane Kusari, Haisha Kai

**Konoha #3:** _Konpaku Rei_, Rikoteki Kogane, Amagasa Toku, Debano Kitsune, _Gusoku Hanamaru_

**Konoha #4:** Igaku Mikka (in progress), Inuzuka Tsume, Benda Kokoro, Kobushi Galu

**Konoha:** Hamano Taki, Hyuuga Hitomi, Manako Akira, Tanken Funbo, Horohoro

**Suna #1:** Aoru (in progress), Torune, Honemaru, Tarakudo, Takai

**Suna #2:** Sabaku no Sabure, Hari, Dekai, Horamaru, Karame

**Kusa:** Hokku Tobane, Kanraku Nezumi, _Kuchibashi Taka_, Kyohaku Tokame, Wanabi Hizoku

**Ame:** Furikuzu Tsuino, Hebereke Nazaa

**Bakufu:** Abura Tetsu, Makko Shita

**Tsuki:** Junsei Teela, Tenka

**Hane:** Ono Reiji

**Kumori**: Kyuu

And that really concludes this chapter. Thanks for 'tuning in'. Hope you enjoyed it and until next time, hopefully!


	87. Value of Life

Yup, I know, late again. But at least this time I'm falling only two days behind. Plus I think I can make this up to you. Basically I was planning on uploading this chapter today (which I'm doing for that matter as you can see), but I've also managed to finish chapter 88th in the meantime and thus I figured I'll submit both, since they're done and you guys have been doing your share by reviewing (though that forces me to sit down to it and write 89th for next week)… all in all, here's another, double update! No strings attached, though I'm hoping that at least some of you will be kind enough as to review both of these chappies.

This time I've manage to reply all the reviews (at least I hope I didn't missed any, but if I did, sorry), but that doesn't change the fact that I wanna thank again everyone who did review the previous chapter. It means the world to me and I'm even happier, knowing that you liked it. Really, thank you, and I do hope that you'll enjoy this chapter as well.

As for the game I purposed last time: some of you decided to try. In the cases of signed reviews, I was able to give answers earlier, but considering there were also some I couldn't reply, here's the list of readers who tried to guess with the number of matches they guessed right. I must admit that most of you were predicting Sabure to go against Ibuki and wanted Takai to face off Funbo, so basically Tanken against the strongest sand-nins. Now, those who said in their reviews they wanna know which fights they guessed correctly I told them in reply. What I'll submit bellow will be just how many matches were guessed correctly by each reviewer. Those of you who'll want to know which fights they guessed right, please let me know, giving me a way to contact you, coz I'd prefer not to give anything away in author's notes in this case. With that said, here are the results:

_Cranky Wonder Joe_ – 1 fight

_Super Tay_ – basically 1 fight

_Hikari Midori-chan_ – 1 fight

_Morlin_ – 1 fight

So, if this was a contest, it'd be a total draw. But I'm glad some of you guys found it fun. And if anyone else want to try, feel free to do so. Even those that already tried can try again. Knowing how many matches they got right, they can make a different match-up and see how many did they nailed in second try. One might say this is N:NG's version of the old "Mastermind" game.

Now, one, last thing before I get to the chapter is that I wanna invite everyone (again) to read (and review) my other, next generation fic entitled **"Those Who Inherit the Will of Fire"**. If you're enjoying this story, then you might like the other as well.

And now, with nothing else left to say, here are the newest chapters of N:NG!

**Chapter #87: Value of Life**

_**Title Page:**_ Mikka is walking out front, blushing, as she stares over her shoulder at Kai, who tried to keep his balance on an overly fat pig

"Surely this is not a sight you see everyday" announced Sasuke as he gazed at the street covered with blood. The ground, along with the walls around, had several cuts going along with them and in the middle of these laid Kasui's body, cut to pieces, with his blood sprayed on the sidewalk and walls. "Any idea what could've occurred here?" he turned to his partner, who also wore a tiger mask.

"Hard to say" Neji replied calmly, not showing any sign of emotion, yet even he got a little disturbed by the view. "It's hard for me to imagine what sort of technique did this, however taking the fact that there are no shuriken or any other weapon around, it's safe to use this wasn't the work of a typical blade. The cuts on walls make it clear that whatever killed this kid wasn't going for just him but effected the entire area around him…"

"Either way, Hokage-sama should be informed about this" the Sharingan user announced and then gazed at his companion. Upon smiling under his nose, he added quickly: "I'll take care of giving him the report though. You can head back home. Stay ready however… it seems things are getting out of hand" and after giving the head of the Uchiha a slightly nod, Neji went on his way.

---Back to the eliminations---

Mikka fell to her back. Blood kept on escaping her chest as she laid motionless on the floor. Aoru quickly closed her fan and placing it at her belt, she turned towards Lee: "She requires immediate medical help, so please announce the result so that she can be taken to treatment. I didn't injure any of her organs, but left like this she'll bleed to death in a short while…"

The Leaf's Green Beast only nodded and raising his hand in Mikka's direction, he announced: "This fight cannot be continued and thus I declare Aoru the vi…" but suddenly his words froze in his mouth at the sight. "_This can't be!_" he thought to himself as he saw the young medic-nin slowly getting back up with her body shaking and her breath shallow.

"She got up after receiving such a wound?" Torune more yelled then asked as she leaned over the rail. Naruto merely narrowed his eyes at the realization, as he noticed the wound closing itself: "_Instant regeneration?_" he thought to himself, completely surprised. "_To be able to use that kind of skill at her age… in my entire life I only knew three people capable of pulling something like that off and even among them Tsunade had to use that weird, forehead seal..._"

Noticing her instructor's behavior, Kumiko realized that he knew what just happened and instantly turned towards him: "Naruto-sensei, what's going on?" but before the blonde could answer, Hinata cut in: "She used a very special skill, known only by a few medic-nin in the entire history of Konoha. By collecting her chakra in the place where the wound was about to get inflicted, she began recovering immediately. That ability allows her to activate her cells to create new cells at a greater speed to replace the damaged ones…"

"_Yeah, but at the same time it requires great among of chakra to do_" Kokoro added in his mind as a worried expression crossed his face. "_She managed to safe herself and postpone the end of the match, but after performing that skill she has very little chakra left, if any… regardless this fight is decided…_"

"Aoru, this is getting annoying" announced Takai emotionlessly, yet still in a voice that send shivers down the redhead girl's spine. "Finish this already" the kunoichi only gulped as she opened her steel fan again and charged at her opponent. Seeing this Mikka immediately bended back, yet not fast enough and still got her left cheek cut shallowly.

The sand-nin kept on attacking, swinging her fan in every direction. The young medic did her best to avoid all the assaults, yet her reactions seemed to slow down as new cuts kept on appearing on her body. Ibuki narrowed her eyes at this: "_She's drained and she can't react in time. The difference in speed from the beginning has just grew… there's no way she can win in that state…_"

"Come on, Mikka, counter!" Tsume cheered for her teammate from the platform. In a flash Kusari joined her, yet his cheer was a bit different then the dog kunoichi's: "May the cutest girl win!" and at this point, as usual, Kumiko smacked him in the back of his head. Takaru only gazed at the two and then shook his head. As his eyes returned to the match, he saw the young medic receiving another cut: "_This is pointless… that redhead has too big of an advantage… why is Mikka pushing herself?_"

Suddenly Aoru spun on her foot and delivered a powerful spin kick right into her opponent's stomach, thus sending her flying back and crushing hard against the wall with her back. Mikka let out a yelp of pain as she dropped to the floor, propping herself with her hands. In a flash she used her hands to bounce off the ground and somersaulting in the air, she aimed another drop kick at the redhead, yet the sand-nin easily dodged the assault, making it hit the floor.

Acting on instinct, Mikka spun on her foot, aiming a spin kick at Aoru's face, however her opponent ducked under the attack and in an instant found herself standing behind the young medic, kicking the leg she stood on from beneath her and making the leaf-nin fell to the ground again.

In a flash she jumped back to her feet and charged again. Aiming an fist at Aoru's face, she got her attack thrown off course as the redhead simply taped the tip of her hand and then run her elbow into the young medic's face. Before Mikka could react, the sand-nin grabbed her by the shirt and once more swiping her feet from below her, she made the Leaf shinobi flip and land hard on her face.

To her surprise however, Mikka stood back up again, breathing quickly, as she reached for her kunai. Tarakudo only smirked behind his bandages: "Damn, that girl sure don't know when to quit…" he announced, yet Kai only smile upon replying: "Naturally, she's a Leaf ninja and above all Senkou's teammate… she's not gonna give up just like that" and with that he turned towards the arena again: "Come on, Mikka, show her what you got!"

Instantly the young medic unleashed her knives at Aoru and ran after them, yet the redhead girl easily deflected them all with her fan and delivered a powerful knee into the leaf-nin's stomach, making Mikka drop to the floor yet again.

"Considering you're a medic, one would think you had enough knowledge to figure out the gap between us at this point" stated Aoru calmly as her opponent struggled back to her feet. "Even I can tell you're at your limit and with every assault you're just getting slower and slower… why do you wanna drag this so much?"

"He's watching" she replied quietly, loud enough only for Aoru to hear her. "And thus I cannot allow this to end just like that… just his presence makes me wanna do my best. This is something I need to do… do you understand that?" she asked, raising her sight at the surprised sand-nin.

The redhead kunoichi went speechless for a short moment, before her eyes narrowed: "_More then you could imagine_" she replied in her mind and then elbowed Mikka in the back while she was still helping herself up with her hands. "So this is all for your special someone, eh?" she asked as a sad expression crossed her face. "Sorry to say this, but what you're doing is pointless… because regardless to how hard you try, you can't change someone's heart…" and with that sorrow appeared in eyes before she kicked the young medic in the stomach. Then her sight traveled to Takai for a split second, yet the instant the scythe user caught her glance, she looked away.

"_I can't keep up at all_" Mikka concluded, breathing heavily as she once more began standing back up. "_At my current state, even if I were to actually land a blow on her, there's no way I'd make enough damage. I don't have any chakra to support my taijutsu… there's only one thing I can do_" and with that she gazed at Galu. The green-haired boy seemed to realize what she was thinking and only shook his head in negation as their eyes meet: "_Don't do this… you know this is not what Senkou taught you that for…_"

---Few months earlier, one of Konoha's training grounds---

Mikka blocked the kick aimed at her head with her arm and launched an attack with an opened palm at her opponent's chest. Galu however quickly leaned to his left and grabbed her by the hand. Before she could react, he twisted and pulled her hand, thus making the young medic flip and land on her back. In a flash she jumped back up and landed on her feet, once more facing her teammate.

Instantly she charged forward, unleashing a storm of attacks, yet the green-haired boy managed to either block or dodge them all. Noticing the kunoichi slowing down, he went to counterattack and by blasting Mikka's hands away by hitting her wrists, he threw a punch, that stopped right before the girl's face.

The young medic gazed at him surprised and as he retreated his hand, she spoke up in a little scowling tone: "Why did you held back just now, Galu-kun? I asked you not to do that!" but the boy only glanced at her as he replied, as calm as ever: "And what good would me landing that blow do? Without me finishing that attack, we can continue training…"

"I know" the girl admitted after a moment of silence as she lowered her head. "And I'm sorry… it's just that… well, I asked you to teach my taijutsu because I don't want to be useless anymore. I wanna be able to take care of myself and when you hold back I feel like… you're pitying me. And it's hard to bare…"

At hearing this Galu send her a worried looked, but he did not know what to say. Yet a voice did came and as the two looked in the direction it came from, they both saw Senkou standing on a nearby tree branch: "I was wondering what you two were doing after our team training. I suppose this is the answer" and with that he jumped to the ground, somersaulting before he landed: "Considering that you're a medic, I suppose taijutsu is a good choice, but when one base his skill on hand to hand combat only, he should make sure that he'll be capable of reaching his opponent with an attack…"

"What are you getting at?" asked Galu, crossing his arms. The masked boy noticed that and realizing he went too ahead of himself, he raised his hands in a defensive gesture to show he didn't meant anything wrong: "What I wanted to say is that Mikka may be talented, but she's not as well trained in taijutsu as you… no offense, but you lack speed, which puts you at a disadvantage when fighting a fast opponent. However there's a way to speed up by proper, chakra control in a different way then just placing it in your feet…"

"I use my chakra for healing, Senkou-kun" the young medic reminded him shyly. The silver-haired boy nodded at her, before responding: "Yes, I'm aware of that, but what if I could teach you a certain trick? My dad shown it to me once. It's hard for me to master, but you with your chakra control may be able to learn it. Plus it's not that chakra draining, so you can use it in case you're pinned to the wall after performing a lot of treatment..."

"Can't you get to the point?" the green-haired boy rushed him, slightly annoyed. Senkou only threw him a glare and then turned towards Mikka again: "Listen, I'm gonna force you to do anything, it's your decision. I just figured you might wanna learn this, just in case. Plus, I know for a fact, that this technique is the very same Dead Last's father became famous for…" and at those words the kunoichi's eyes widen.

The young medic hesitated for a moment before nodding and thus the masked boy went on: "Alright, I'll tell you what this is about. However, you must be aware that this is not something you can use just like that. It's only for life-treating situation, coz using it may result in your own death as well. I'll teach you only if you promise me to use it as your last chance of survival…"

---Flashback end---

"_I'm sorry, Senkou-kun… Galu-kun… but I gotta break my promise_" Mikka thought to herself as she began collecting her remaining chakra. Her breath speed up as she threw a quick look at the platform: "_Watch me, Kai-kun…_" and with that she let out loud cry: "Heal gate… open!"

In a flash Aoru was taken aback as all the cuts she inflicted onto the leaf-nin suddenly began healing: "_Wha… what the hell did she just do?_" Chakra kept on cumulating inside of Mikka's body as her skin suddenly became red: "Third, Life Gate… open!" she called out, making her eyes turn white.

"The chakra flow in her body" Hitomi's eyes widen as veins appeared around them. "It changed! And as Horohoro glanced over at her confused, asking what she meant, she added quickly with sweat appearing of her face: "It's faster then natural!"

"_She's capable of opening gates as well?_" Lee's eyes widen in surprise, while Kakashi narrowed his: "_Senkou, this is your doing, isn't it? Out of all the things I taught you… why did you let your teammate learn such a risky skill?_"

Meanwhile Mikka settled her eyes on Aoru. She tightened her fists as she felt her blood rushing through her body. She started shaking a bit as her exhaustion seemed to disappear. "Lets go!" she cried out and then charged at the surprised sand-nin at an incredible speed.

_**---reaching for the last resort… will this be the end of Mikka or Aoru?---**_

And that's it for now, but don't go nowhere, coz in a moment another chapter will pop out! Do review this one. It'd be really mean a lot. And with that said, I invite you to keep on reading!


	88. To the Limits

And so the double update continues, thus I'll stop blabbering and just let you read the next chapter of "Naruto: Next generation"! But before that I wanna repeat my request for you to review once you're done reading. And with that said:

**Chapter #88: To the Limits**

_**Title Page:**_ Mikka is giggling out front, while a little back Kai is walking around, wrapped in bandages like a mummy

"Lets go!" Mikka called out, instantly charging at Aoru. The redhead only managed to duck under the young medic's fist as it came at her face. However the instant her attack missed, the leaf-nin threw a knee at her adversary, making the Suna gennin widen her eyes: "_She's… faster then before!_" she only managed to think before the assault connected and send her flying back.

Aoru managed to flip in mid-air and land safely on her feet, yet Mikka was not done as she charged again, unleashing the storm of attacks at her opponent. In a flash the redhead found herself being pushed back, just barely dodging or blocking all the punches and kicks. She couldn't keep up for long however and soon received a powerful punch in the stomach, which made her bend to the front a bit. The young medic instantly used this opening and delivered a kick into the sand-nin's chin, thus sending her flying up and against the wall.

Once more Aoru somersaulted in the air and as she came closer to the wall, she opened her fan blade again and struck it into the wall, landing with her feet on the weapon: "_Dammit, what the hell's going on? Her speed seem to increase and I can hardly keep up! At this rate, she'll finish me off!_" she thought to herself, getting slightly nervous. Seeing this from the platform, Kusari's grip on the rail tightened, while he turned towards his companions: "What the hell? Mikka barely had strength to stand just a second ago! What's going on?"

"She just opened three of the celestial gates" Galu replied simply, yet the chain master managed to sense worry in the green-haired boy's voice. As he said so, Taki looked even more confused then before: "Celestial gates? What's that all about?"

"One might call them body's natural limits" Naruto replied with a single drop of sweat running down his face. "You see, in the inner coils of the body, chakra flows through eight spots, each of them being one of these gates. Those gates work to limit the among of chakra that flows through the body, however each can be released forcibly by using chakra itself, even though it requires great control to do so. By releasing even one gate, you gain incredible power…"

"By opening those gates, one can quickly increase his stamina and release the limitation on nervous system, gaining both greater strength and speed" Galu added quickly. Hearing this, Kumiko turned towards her sensei: "I don't get it… if those gates are so helpful and Mikka can open them, why didn't she do it earlier?

"It's because this power has a price" Hinata cut in as sadness appeared in her eyes. "In order to increase the body's physical capabilities, the user mixes the way it works. Haven't you wonder why Mikka's skin suddenly turned red? It's because her blood took more oxygen… to put it simply, with every gate, one's power increases, however the further you go, the more you damage your body… and eventually, opening the eight gate, equals death…"

Mikka suddenly charged straight at the wall, where Aoru struck her fan. Upon reaching her target, the young medic threw a punch at it, thus making a wide crack appear on it, which shoot up, right to the surprised redhead. Tsume's eyes only widen at the sight: "_She still had enough chakra to fill her fist with it? I thought that healing from before rid her almost completely!_"

"That's right, Mikka, kick her ass!" Kai cheered from the platform as the crack reached Aoru's fan, making it fell off the wall, taking the sand-nin along with it. As she fell, the redhead grabbed her weapon and spinning parallel to the ground, she aimed to cut her opponent in half from above.

Seeing this, Mikka jumped back, thus avoiding the assault. As soon as her blade hit the floor, Aoru jumped back as well and upon reaching the wall behind her, she bounced off it, somersaulting over the surprised, young medic. The instant she landed on the ground, she swung her weapon at the leaf-nin that now stood behind her.

Hearing a cutting sound, Mikka jumped up and twisting in the air she located herself facing Aoru's back. Collecting all the chakra she had left in her right fist, she threw a punch at the redhead, yet before the attack connected, the sand-nin managed to jump away as well. The assault hit the floor, creating a small crater.

The young medic didn't waste a second however and jumped right after her opponent with chakra still filling her fist. Incapable of dodging in mid-air, Aoru somersaulted and the instant Mikka came within her range, she delivered a drop kick at the leaf-nin, thus sending her towards the ground at an incredible speed.

As her back hit the floor, the young medic coughed out blood, while pain shoot through her spine. Kokoro once more called out Mikka's name as she laid on the ground, barely moving, while Aoru landed right above her, placing her legs on both sides of leaf-nin's body and bringing her steel fan down at her opponent's neck.

As the weapon sunk deep into the floor, Mikka found her neck between two, wavy blades of the redhead's weapon. She couldn't move, but aside from that, she was okay. The sand-nin gazed at Lee with a calm statement: "At any time I can close my fan and end this match… I suppose the result is obvious…"

The Leaf's Green Beast didn't hesitate and immediately announced, loud enough for everyone to hear him: "Winner: Aoru!" and as he said that the medics came rushing in to take Mikka for treatment.

"That was close" announced Hanamaru, letting out a sigh of relief. "If that redhead wouldn't miss just now, Mikka would be dead" but Ibuki merely shook her head, before cutting in: "She didn't miss… that fan didn't pierce Mikka's neck, because that Sand girl didn't want it to… to put it simply: she spared her life out of her own will…"

"What makes you so sure?" asked Takaru curious as he gazed at the young assassin. The weapon mistress now turned to him as she responded: "Back then, when she blew her fan into her hand… only few people would be capable of doing that. There's no way I'll believe that some with her skill all of a sudden missed for any other reason then on purpose…"

"_And above that_" Akira added in his mind without changing his expression. "_Even after that Mikka girl opened three of the gates, this whole Aoru was still capable of keeping up… she may not stand out much, but that sand-nin is certainly not someone to be taken lightly…_"

Meanwhile Aoru closed her fan as medics took Mikka away. She attached it back to her belt and giving her opponent one, last glance, she narrowed her eyes: "_It's admirable, that you're willing to go this far just for someone you care about… but as they say, hope is always the last to die_" and with that she gazed at the floor as a memory from few years back flashed in her mind.

---Four years ago in Hidden Sand Village---

A short, nine-year-old, redheaded girl tripped and felt to the sandy ground, lifting up a little dust. Panic appeared on her face as she looked over her should and saw two boys and one girl, only a year or two older then her each, getting closer to her. She quickly got back to her feet and resumed her run, but only few seconds later two, other boys grew before her, blocking her way.

"Where do you think you're going, Aoru?" asked the first one with black hair, clipped in a long ponytail, wearing black and yellow jumpsuit. The boy on his left had brown skin and grey outfit, which covered his mouth. The two grabbed the redhead by her arms, completely immobilizing her.

"You really thought we'd let you get away with this?" asked the boy, who seemed like the leader of the group. He had spiky, blonde hair and sandy eyes. The leader wore a black and yellow jumpsuit, just like the other boy, yet his had a big kanji symbol for dragon on its back. The boy gazed at the girl, narrowing his eyes: "Without Touba's protection you're really helpless… so tell me, what are you gonna do in this situation?" he asked teasingly, but to his surprise there was a reply, yet not from the girl.

"Let her go" they all heard a stern voice and upon turning in the direction it came from, they saw a boy around Aoru's age, with spiky, black hair, bloody red eyes, dressing black and carrying a large scythe on his back. But what disturbed them the most was a human skull tied to the boy's belt.

Instantly the leader took a single step back with sweat appearing on his face: "T-Takai… what brings you here?" he asked nervously, now him being the one panicking. The scythe carrier didn't reply and just kept on walking closer to them. With his desperation reaching its top, the boy with the dragon kanji on his back suddenly shoot: "What is it with you? Don't tell me you actually care about this girl or any of her friends! You were the one to kill Touba in the first place!" but Takai still didn't reply.

Aoru felt the grips on her arms loosen and in a flash she broke free. Instinctually she ran towards Takai, but to her surprise, no-one even tried to stop her. Apparently they were all paralyzed with fear. The leader of the group was the first from the gang to make a move, which was a step back, as he spoke again: "Come on, Takai, you don't wanna do this! If you'll start a fight again, after what you did, there's no way they'll let you live! Touch us and you'll die!" but to his fright the other boy didn't seem to make anything of it. He just kept on walking towards them as his hand suddenly reached for the scythe.

"Lets get out of here!" the leader of the group commended and sprinted away with his companions following him without a moment of hesitation. Takai's face remained emotionless as he retreated his hand and gazed at the place the group stood just a second ago. His eyes narrowed slightly for a moment before a sudden voice broke the silence: "Thank you for your help, Takai-kun…"

It was Aoru, who now stood right behind him. The scythe user looked over his shoulder at the girl, making her instantly turn away, a deep, red color appearing on her face. Feeling slightly uncomfortable, the redhead continued: "If it wasn't for you, Uryuu and his friends would surely beat me up good, so… thank you" and with that she bowed towards the boy, however he didn't seemed to make nothing of that either. He just turned his back towards the girl and walked away, leaving her alone in the hallway, confused, yet still blushing.

---Flashback end---

Aoru got back to her team, receiving an approving nod from Honemaru. Torune instantly patted her teammate on the back, smiling widely: "Nice job, girl!", while Temari smirked under her nose. Even Tarakudo managed a compliment. It was then that the redhead gazed at Takai, yet the scythe user merely glanced at her, with his arms still crossed, and then returned to observing the screen, showing no reaction. The kunoichi lowered her sight for a split second, only to raise it again in the next, putting her usual, emotionless expression once more.

"Umm, Naruto-sensei" Kai began, turning towards his instructor. "You seem to know a lot about this gate stuff… is… is Mikka going to be okay?" he ask hesitantly and hearing this the Kyuubi vessel only smirked, before replying: "You shouldn't worry. Although opening celestial gates thus put a strain on the body, she only got to the third. It may take her a while to return to top shape, but this shouldn't cause any, long-lasting damage to her…" and as he said that, the young blonde let out a sigh of relief, which made the jounin and Hinata exchange quick smiles.

"Lets move on to another, elimination fight!" Lee announced loudly, once more drawing everyone's attention to the screen. As the new participants got chosen, Karame somersaulted over the rail and landed on the arena, awaiting for his opponent to show up. Toku merely gazed at the names and then turned to his teammate with a worried expression.

"Good luck, Kogane-chan!" Hanamaru encouraged the blonde girl. The kunoichi only gave him a warm smile and turned towards the stairs, yet before she managed to make a single step, Shikamaru's hand blocked her way. As she glanced at her instructor, the lazy jounin warned her with a serious voice: "Regardless to everything… don't push yourself, Kogane…"

The girl merely nodded and headed down the stairs to meet her adversary. Kitsune gazed quickly at Rei and with his arms still crossed, he announced: "Kogane's about to fight… you could wake up to cheer for her at the very least" and as the lazy girl lifted her head up, her eyes settled onto the two gennin that were about to start their match: "_Another one of those sand-nins… this is not gonna be easy for her…_"

Horamaru smirked as he observed his teammate standing in the middle of the arena: "_That girl has no chance at winning… I hope you'll make a good entertainment out of this, Karame…_" and with that he licked his lips, while Lee called out as the two gennin stood before each other, ready to go at it: "Twenty seventh match: Rikoteki Kogane against Karame! Ready and… BEGIN!"

_**---the match is over and eliminations move forward… what awaits Kogane?---**_

And so this concludes this double update. Hope you enjoyed it and that you'll leave me a review once you're done reading. It'd mean a lot. No jutsu this time around (though in the next match there will be some). As for now, I leave you with the updated list of gennin:

**Konoha #7:** Murasakki Kumiko, Tanken Ibuki, Gekido Takaru, Hagane Kusari, Haisha Kai

**Konoha #3:** _Konpaku Rei_, Rikoteki Kogane (in progress), Amagasa Toku, Debano Kitsune, _Gusoku Hanamaru_

**Konoha #4:** Inuzuka Tsume, Benda Kokoro, Kobushi Galu

**Konoha:** Hamano Taki, Hyuuga Hitomi, Manako Akira, Tanken Funbo, Horohoro

**Suna #1:** Aoru, Torune, Honemaru, Tarakudo, Takai

**Suna #2:** Sabaku no Sabure, Hari, Dekai, Horamaru, Karame (in progress)

**Kusa:** Hokku Tobane, Kanraku Nezumi, _Kuchibashi Taka_, Kyohaku Tokame, Wanabi Hizoku

**Ame:** Furikuzu Tsuino, Hebereke Nazaa

**Bakufu:** Abura Tetsu, Makko Shita

**Tsuki:** Junsei Teela, Tenka

**Hane:** Ono Reiji

**Kumori**: Kyuu

And that's really that for this time. Thanks for reading and hope to see you next chapter! Take care!


	89. The Mummy

Yes, I've managed to finish this on time! I was getting kinda worried, coz at the very end of the chapter I got an author's block and kinda lost hope that I'll manage to get inspiration in time to submit this. But everything turned out okay and I must say that I'm pretty much happy with how this chapter turned out in the end.

As always I wanna thank everyone who reviewed the last time, especially those who took their time to review both chapters of the double update! Thanks guys, it really means a lot. Those reviews that I could, I've answered, there's one that I was unable to and thus I'll be answering it now:

_Mikka knowing too much stuff:_ well, to start off, you should remember that she comes from a clan of medic-nins, thus medical traditions in her family go way back (hence her last name Igaku, which means 'medicine' or 'medical science'). From one of the flashbacks you could tell that when she was only eight she already knew medical ninjutsu. Also her clan was thought to be the first medics in the Leaf (from the manga it's safe to assume there already were medics before Tsunade) and thus I made them the ones to make medics learn super-strength by the right chakra control (and Tsunade learned it from them). As for instant regeneration: first to show it was Kabuto, but he was taken into Konoha by one of the medics. Guess which clan took him in according to my story. And when it comes to the gates: I assume that in order to execute them one must have perfect chakra control and medic-nin must have that to fulfill their tasks. Once Senkou taught her about them (and Senkou heard of it from his father, who saw Lee and probably even Gai opening them) he taught it Mikka. At this point three gates is her limit. I do realize that in many cases my explanations are just filling the blanks in the manga itself, but still I don't suppose that even with all that I wrote above this is AU, as I don't see Kishimoto-sama filling those blanks as they're not all that important. I think that covers it.

Just one, last thing before I get on with the show: I have a very important exam on the 10th and thus I will need to sacrifice some of my time to prepare for it (especially since I lacked motivation so far and haven't really started yet), thus the next chapter might come a bit later. Might, but not necessary has to. We'll see how thing will go, however I figured it's better to warn you.

And now, without further to do, I'd like to invite you to read the newest chapter of "Naruto: Next Generation"! If you can, please review. It'd mean a lot:

**Chapter #89: The Mummy**

_**Title Page:**_ ice rink: Kogane is trying to teach Takaru how to ice skate, while a little further Kai lays flat on the ice after losing his balance

"Twenty seventh match: Rikoteki Kogane against Karame!" Lee announced loudly, as both fighters prepared themselves. "Ready and… BEGIN!" and the instant he said so, the blonde changed at the sand-nin, picking out her kunai in the process. As her opponent came within her range, the kunoichi swung her knife at him, yet the mummy simply jumped back and with performing a quick set of hand seals, the bandages on his back began swirling.

In a flash they formed themselves into a huge spike, which from Kogane's perspective resembled a scorpion's tail, and went straight at the surprised blonde, who jumped to her right in the last moment to avoid the attack. Karame was not done yet however with another set of hand seals, single stripes of his bandages flew after the leaf-nin, swirling into drills in the process.

Kogane jumped to every side, trying to avoid all the attacks, making some of them dig into the floor, yet still her body got shallowly cut in several places. Once the assault was over, the kunoichi stared at her opponent, breathing heavily as the bandages slowly retreated back to him, returning to the original form and wrapping themselves around Karame again.

"What the hell are you?" the girl asked confused, not taking her eyes off the sand-nin. Karame merely smirked at this, before replying: "By putting chakra into it, I can shape paper any way I desire. I can make it harden or soften, extend it's length. There are limits naturally, but if I have paper, I can do almost anything. You thought I wrapped myself in bandages just to look cool?"

"Actually, I did think that" admitted Kai as he turned to Kusari, sweat dropping. The chain master only gazed back, as he responded: "I just thought he's really ugly" and hearing all this, Ibuki covered her eyes with her hand as she shook her head: "_Morons…_"

"_So basically it's similar to that guy from Stone Country_" concluded Kumiko as she narrowed her eyes. "_He can change some of the material's properties by using chakra. And with being wrapped in paper, he made his entire body a weapon. What's worse, in actuality, there's no saying at which point his power reaches its limits. We may not like each other, but one thing's for sure: I wouldn't wish such an opponent to anyone, even Kogane…_"

In a flash Kogane ran to her left as she went through a series of hand seals: "It's some skill you got there, but regardless to that chakra you put into it, that's still paper!" and with that she took a deep breath: "Katon: Ryuuka no Jutsu!"

As she breath out air, a long steam of fire blew out of her mouth, heading straight at Karame. Seeing no, other way to dodge, the sand-nin jumped into the air, once more performing a quick chain of hand seals: "Kami Henzuru: Kumoashi!" and in a flash long, spiky, paper legs shoot out from both sides of his body, resembling legs, which held the mummy above the flames.

However as new legs grew out of his body, Kogane threw her shuriken at him yet again Karame once more used his ability and as the set of hand seals was completed, with a cry: "Kami Henzuru: Tsubasa!" the bandages on his back started to bend and rip, forming a huge wing, that covered its master, making all the shinobi stars sink into it.

In a flash another wing shoot from his back and as his spider legs detached themselves from his body, Karame flew away, landing behind his opponent before she could react to it in any way. Instinctually Kogane looked over her shoulder as the sand-nin held out his hand and instantly the bandages around his fingers shoot out. In a fraction of a second they turned into spikes and cut the blonde's left cheek as she dodged to her right in the last moment.

Yet as she did so, Karame acted immediately and delivered a powerful knee into her stomach, which send her to her knees. Meanwhile on the platform, Tsume was completely shocked: "Just now… this that guy flew?" she asked confused as she looked at her companions. Kokoro merely narrowed his eyes upon replying: "Soared… basically he used those wings to create air resistance, which kept him in the air longer then he should be. One might guess that's one of the limits he talked about…"

"_Perhaps, but even if that is so, what he shown so far proves that there's no way how he may attack_" Takaru added in his mind, analyzing the situation. "_He can shape those bandages any way he desires and use a perfect counter, regardless to the attack. With an opponent like that… how can you even try thinking ahead?_"

"It would appear I exceed you in fighting skills" announced Karame as the kunoichi slowly struggled back to her feet. "Why not surrender?" but the blonde remained silent as she finally stood back up, breathing a little faster then usual. At seeing this, Horamaru played with his down lip as he purposed: "Obviously she cares not… maybe if you'd cut off her leg?"

Hari merely send her teammate a disgust look, yet said nothing. Meanwhile Sabure, who still had her arms crossed, spoke up: "Just end this already" she said in an ordering tone, making Dekai shiver slightly: "_I think I prefer when Touba's taking over…_" he thought nervously. Kankuro narrowed his eyes at all of this, yet decided not to join the conversation. He just send Shikamaru a worried look, caught by the lazy jounin.

"_Kogane may be determinate, but there's no doubt about who has the advantage here_" Toku noted, slightly worried. "_Her fire attacks could be seen as a chance, but they're really useless unless she'll manage to make them connect with the target. She can't win… even with her goal she won't use that in a elimination fight… right?_" he asked himself as his eyes traveled to Kitsune. The blacksmith caught his gaze, showing that he was at least as worried as the umbrella user.

Once more Karame went through a set of hand seals and in a flash bandages started to arise from his body. Right before Kogane's eyes they began ripping, sending small pieces of it at her, each swirling in the air, forming itself into spikes. Having no, other way to dodge, the kunoichi jumped up, however at noticing that Teela only narrowed her eyes slightly: "_Big mistake…_"

As she flew up, Kogane noticed Karame suddenly appearing above her and as he somersaulted, one of the bandages unwrapped itself from his hand. Acting like a whip, it hit the defenseless at this time leaf-nin, surprisingly leaving a deep cut going through her left shoulder. The girl left out a yell of pain as she crushed against the ground and grabbed her fresh wound, from which blood escaped at an incredible speed.

Funbo smirked at this, while Reiji put a playful look on his face: "_That mummy guy… I like him_" he said to himself. Tokame narrowed his eyes at the turn of events as he spoke up to no-one in particular: "That Sand guy is obviously stronger then that girl… why is she pushing herself? It's not like she can win…" but as he said so, Taka and Hizoku exchanged quick glances. None of them said a word however.

"This is really amazing" admitted Akira, gaining Horohoro's attention. "That sand-nin can actually put his chakra into paper in a fraction of a second, regardless to its shape and size. Basically at any moment he can make himself a weapon or a shield" and as he said so, his blue-haired teammate concluded: "So what you're saying that it's better for that blonde to just give up, while she can?"

At hearing this Hanamaru clenched his teeth for a brief second and then yelled from the bottom of his lungs: "Come on, Kogane-chan, don't give up!" and in a flash the girl stood back up, still covering the wound on her shoulder, breathing heavily. Karame merely shook his head, while the blonde smirked and performed a quick hand seal. To her surprise however, nothing happened.

As she gazed at her opponent with her eyes widen, silence fell between them, before the sand-nin spoke up: "Oh, right. You're probably wondering what happened with that explosive tag you placed on my bandage when I cut your shoulder. Sorry to say this, but do you really expect to catch someone like me with a cheap trick like that?" he asked, throwing something away. It was only then that Kogane noticed her explosive note got cut in half and thus became useless. "I'll say this again" announced the mummy calmly: "You cannot win…"

Without a word the kunoichi just reached to her hostel and placed a small pill in her mouth. Seeing this, Galu's eyes narrowed: "_Mikka mentioned these_" he recalled, slightly surprised, yet didn't show it. "_It's suppose to stop blood from escaping the body… but wasn't that suppose to be something only medics carry around?_"

Instantly Kogane charged straight forward at Karame, once more going through a set of hand seals. The sand-nin only narrowed his eyes at the realization: "_Trying the same trick twice?_" he asked with the smirk as the kunoichi ended the chain of symbol. Once more taking a deep breath, she made her opponent bend his knees slightly, ready to dodge, yet his eyes wide when the blonde directed her face to the floor, making the fire blast hit the ground, thus shooting her to the sky.

"_She used Dragon Fire to blast herself over that mummy guy!_" Taki's eyes widen, while Hitomi smirked at the turn of events. As Kogane somersaulted over Karame, the sand-nin was too shocked to react in time and received a powerful kick in the back of his head, which forced him to take several steps forward in order to keep standing.

As soon as her feet touched the ground, Kogane once more went through a set of hand seals and upon spinning on her foot, she released another Ryuuka at her opponent, who was still trying to catch his balance. However hearing a burning sound, Karame acted on instinct and holding out his left hand, bandage shoot from it, wrapping itself on the rail of the platform.

In a flash he pulled himself away from the fire steam and landing on the wall, he quickly reached under his bandages, picking out tens of paper sheets, each tied to each other with strings. With a quick hand seal, the sheets began ripping and bending, forming themselves into shuriken. Once the transformation was done, Karame swung the strings around, making all the paper star fly right at Kogane, who instantly picked out a kunai and used it to deflect those of the incoming blades which she was incapable of dodging as she kept on jumping back.

"_At this rate I won't win_" Kogane noted in her mind as she came to a skidding stop. Her eyes traveled to the platform as she gazed at Shikamaru. For a split second she hesitated and then settled her sight on Hanamaru, who stood right beside the lazy jounin, cheering loudly for her: "_We made a pact, haven't we, Hanamaru?_" she asked as a smile appeared on her face. "_You went all out during your match… how would I look if I were to hold back?_" and with that she reached to one of her hostels, picking out two mixtures, one green and one blue. "_I remember my promise, dad, but this can't be helped this time. You ain't gonna like this, Shikamaru-sensei, but regardless I need to do this… I can't win without THAT…_"

_**---Kogane's secret weapon… what is THAT?---**_

And that's it for now. Hope you enjoyed it and that you'll review. It'd mean a lot (as I already said like a thousand times XD). The technique Kogane used is basically from the manga, so I'll just stick to descriptions of Karame's jutsu:

_Katon: Ryuuka no Jutsu_ (Fire Element: Dragon Fire Skill)

_Kami Henzuru: Kumoashi_ (Paper Transformation: Spider Legs) – technique used by Karame. By sending chakra into paper, the user makes it bend and rip with the right set of hand seals. Through these actions paper forms itself into long, sharp-ended, spider legs with chakra still in them, making the legs stronger then they should be (otherwise Karame wouldn't be able to stand on them like he did).

_Kami Henzuru: Tsubasa_ (Paper Transformation: Wing) – another technique of Karame's. Basically the usage's the same as in the previous case, the only difference is that this time paper forms itself into wings. However those wings are incapable of flying and only allow the sand-nin to soar in the sky for a short while (think paraglide).

**Konoha #7:** Murasakki Kumiko, Tanken Ibuki, Gekido Takaru, Hagane Kusari, Haisha Kai

**Konoha #3:** _Konpaku Rei_, Rikoteki Kogane (in progress), Amagasa Toku, Debano Kitsune, _Gusoku Hanamaru_

**Konoha #4:** Inuzuka Tsume, Benda Kokoro, Kobushi Galu

**Konoha:** Hamano Taki, Hyuuga Hitomi, Manako Akira, Tanken Funbo, Horohoro

**Suna #1:** Aoru, Torune, Honemaru, Tarakudo, Takai

**Suna #2:** Sabaku no Sabure, Hari, Dekai, Horamaru, Karame (in progress)

**Kusa:** Hokku Tobane, Kanraku Nezumi, _Kuchibashi Taka_, Kyohaku Tokame, Wanabi Hizoku

**Ame:** Furikuzu Tsuino, Hebereke Nazaa

**Bakufu:** Abura Tetsu, Makko Shita

**Tsuki:** Junsei Teela, Tenka

**Hane:** Ono Reiji

**Kumori**: Kyuu

And this really concludes this chapter. Hope you enjoyed it and that you will review. Best wishes and until next time, hopefully!


	90. Kogane's Secret Weapon

Well, I've managed to write this between my breaks from studying and thus I'm uploading. But right now I don't have the head for any, cleaver comments (if I ever managed to write one), so I'm just gonna stick to "here's the new chapter".

As always I wanna thank everyone, who reviewed the previous chapter. I'm happy to know you enjoyed it and hope that this one will live up to your expectations as well. Naturally I won't mind if you'll review this one as well.

**VERY IMPORTANT:** it's hard for me to think about it, so I'll just write it straight: recently I found out my father has cancer and is going to have an operation soon. That naturally turned everything upside down for me and thus I may not have the time (and most likely even the heart or will) to write more, so I'm afraid this story may not be updated for a while. It all depends on how the situation will evolve, however I figured it's best to warn you guys about it.

Almost forgot: there were some of you who gave the eliminations match-up another guess and just to keep the… hmmm… game going, here are the results of how many fights from another try you got right:

_Super Tay_ – 0 (sorry)

_Morlin_ – 0 (also sorry)

And with that, lets just get on with the show:

**Chapter #90: Kogane's Secret Weapon**

_**Title Page:**_ Kogane in a laboratory suit is preparing mixtures, wearing rubber gloves on her hands and goggled on her eyes

"_I don't suppose you gonna like this, Shikamaru-sensei_" Kogane thought to herself as she picked out two mixtures, one green and one blue, in thin bottles. "_But it appears I can't win without THAT_" and hesitating for one, last moment, she uncorked the first bottle, pouring the green substance into her mouth: "_First, the green one!_"

"_No!_" Shikamaru yelled internally as he saw what just happened. "_She's actually going this far to win an elimination match? This is beyond troublesome!_" however there was nothing he could do as veins suddenly began appearing on Kogane's body, while her muscles on legs and hands seemed to grow. Her skin darkened a bit, making Aoru narrow her eyes: "_This is something like that medic girl I fought, but at the same time different… what the hell did she just drank?_"

"I never really liked buff women" stated Kusari with a note of disappointment in his voice. In a flash Kumiko gave him a hard smack in the back of his head with a vein pulsing on her forehead as well: "Is that all you ever think about, wack-job?" she yelled, making the chain master hold his head and moving away. Regardless to that, Takaru seemed to grew worried: "_This is strange… that mixture seemed to increase her muscle mass, but neither of the soldier pills have the effect that'd be this visible… what was that substance?_"

Instantly Kogane charged forward, appearing before Karame at speed he found hard to follow. Acting on instinct he jumped aside of the incoming punch, just barely avoiding the attack which hit the wall he stood on, making it break into pieces.

The sand-nin landed safely on the floor, which his eyes slightly widened: "What the hell is this suppose to be? Does all, Konoha kunoichi tend to increase their strength and speed just like that? What was in that bottle, liquid soldier pill?" he asked annoyed as he observed his opponent's muscle mass still growing.

"Not quite" was Kogane's only reply before she engaged her adversary again. In a flash Karame found himself pushed back as he kept on dodging and blocking all of the leaf-nin's attacks, yet it didn't took him too long to realize that their speed was increasing. With no, other alternative, the bandaged boy jumped back, instantly performing another set of hand seals while he was still in mid-air.

In a fraction of a second his bandages shoot out again, forming themselves into spikes as they came at the charging Kogane. The kunoichi made an effort to dodge some of them, yet surprisingly she ignored most as the cut her arms, legs and torso shallowly. Karame was completely shocked by this and was incapable to react in time. The instant his feet touched the floor, the blonde delivered a powerful spin-kick into his face, thus sending him flying back.

As he came closer to the wall, the sand-nin performed another set of hand seals, making the bandages on his back and right shoulder unwrap and form into some sort of a shield. As Karame crushed against the bricks, the paper folded itself back to its original form, leaving the boy rubbing his soaring shoulder.

"_He made his paper more fluffy to amortize the hit_" Kitsune quickly analyzed as he observed the whole scene. "_He really can change some of that paper's properties. If he wouldn't act in time, his shoulder would surely be dislocated by now" _and with that henarrowed his eyes, settling them on the sand-nin.

"_This is bad_" Karame thought to himself as he rubbed his shoulder. "_Even though I made a paper sponge it sure hurt and that kick from just now… it almost broke my jaw! Her strength increased at least several times and what's worse it seems to keep growing by the minute. Allowing this match to last any longer can result in my defeat! I need to end this!_" and with that he went through another set of hand seals.

"_Just a little more_" the blonde kunoichi reminded herself as her breath became quicker. At that instant Hanamaru's yell 'come on, Kogane-chan, you can do it' reached her ears and instantly she charged again, coming at Karame with her fists ready. As she came close however, the sand-nin finished his chain of hand seals and slamming his hands to the floor, he called out: "Kami Henzuru: Kami Hitoya!"

In a flash his bandages dug into the floor and shoot out around Kogane, wrapping themselves around her legs. Before the leaf-nin knew it, her legs got tied together and she found herself incapable of moving them, while she felt to the ground. "Gotcha!" Karame exclaimed, letting out a sigh of relief.

"_So it's not just about giving different properties to a certain sheet of paper_" concluded Toku as his eyes narrowed. "_He can change the paper properties at will! In order for it to dig into the floor, it needed to be sharp, the instant it began wrapping around Kogane's legs it became flexible and then, to hold her down, it hardened like steel. That mummy guy spoke the truth: with paper he can do almost anything!_"

"It looks like this match is over" announced Horamaru with a wicked smile. "Now all that's left to do is to squeeze those pretty legs so that the only thing left from them would be a puddle of beautiful, crimson blood" at this point Sabure gazed at her teammate, and although the mask still covered her face, Dekai could've sworn he felt enjoyment shining through it.

"It's not over yet" Hari disagreed, gaining her companions attention. "Unlike you, sicko, Karame isn't a sadist. He certainly won't do anything like that. At the very least he needs to immobilize the girl completely and by using Paper Prison, he limited his hands. This match has not being resolved yet…"

"I'd prefer not to kill you, so do surrender" the mummy purposed as he observed the girl still laying on the ground with her legs wrapped in his bandages. Kogane merely gazed up and then smirked under her nose: "You forget one, important detail. I may not be able to break those bandages of yours… but my strength keeps increasing!" and with that she threw her legs in different directions, making the paper holding them rip.

"_Crap, I forgot to harden the bandages constantly!_" Karame cursed in his mind at the remains of his paper prison slowly retreated back to his hands. This gave the blonde kunoichi all the time she needed as she got back to her feet and charged again: "_With those bandages still retreating underground, he's nailed to the floor! I can use that!_"

Once his bandages finally returned onto his hands, Karame found Kogane being merely inches before him. As the kunoichi threw a kick at his head, the sand-nin instantly bended his knees, making the attack go right above his head, yet at the same time the blonde launched a punch coming directly at his face.

With no time to dodge, Karame performed a quick hand seals, making the bandages around his feet unwrap and spin near the floor around him. Seeing this Kogane instantly jumped back, thus avoiding getting cut by the paper, which immediately retreated back to covering the sand-nin's legs.

"_This should do it! Now the blue one!_" the kunoichi thought in mid flight and in a flash she reached for her hostel, uncorked the second bottle and poured the blue liquid inside it down her throat.

"_This is not good_" Rei thought to herself as a worried expression crossed her face. "_She's really planning to go all the way through with this!_" and with that she gazed at Shikamaru, but the lazy jounin only threw her a sad look back, which told the kunoichi everything: "_Right, this is still an elimination match… we can't interfere… but why… why would you go this far, Kogane?_" she asked herself as her eyes traveled to Hanamaru, who kept on cheering for his teammate.

Immediately Kogane performed another set of hand seals, once more gathering air in her mouth. "_She's planning to use the same attack again?_" Ibuki raised her eyebrow, confused about the blonde kunoichi's behavior, yet Kitsune only narrowed his eyes.

In a flash the Leaf gennin let out the air with a call "Katon: Ryuuka no Jutsu!" making a huge steam of fire escape her mouth, much more powerful then the previous ones. Karame's eyes only widen at the sight as he instinctually went through another set of hand seals: "_Son of a… this is totally different from those fire waves from before! The among of chakra she put into it… it's unbelievable!_"

Flames covered Karame's body, instantly burning the bandages on his body to ashes. As fire hid the sand-nin from everyone's view, Kai leaned over the rail, shocked: "She got him!" he yelled surprised and slightly terrified, yet Kokoro merely shook his head in disagreement: "No… he managed to escape…"

And at that very moment Karame shoot from underground behind Kogane, delivering a powerful kick into her face, which send her flying back and the came to a rolling stop few meters away.

"What just happened?" demanded Tsume as she looked around the other people gathered at the platform. Hitomi, who still had her Byakugan activated, only narrowed her eyes as she explained: "A simple Kawarimi. That time, when that mummy guy made his bandages retreat after Paper Prison, he purposely ripped of a small piece of paper, leaving it in the underground tunnel his bandages made. Apparently he made the tunnels wider then one would think, but since they were underground, his opponent couldn't notice that…"

"So he left that piece for a quick getaway and possible counter" concluded Horohoro as he gazed at the white-eyed kunoichi. "Once he replaced himself with that piece, it was easy for him to dug a tunnel going behind this Kogane girl and attack by surprise. He certainly thought ahead…"

Kogane slowly struggled back to her feet as her body started shaking a bit. Karame narrowed his eyes as he realized what state his opponent was in and was about to purpose her to give up again, when suddenly a strange sensation hit him.

Kogane's breath became fast as her shoulders kept on going up and down with every in- and exhale. The whole picture gave the impression that her lungs were at their limits and were desperately trying to keep their host living. However Karame's concern over his opponent instantly disappeared as chakra suddenly began escaping her body at an incredible paste… and in great among.

"_What the hell's going on?_" the bandaged sand-nin asked, taking a single step back, while the kunoichi raised her head to look at the mummy. Chakra kept on escaping from her body, but surprisingly it seemed to settle all around the blonde as a memory from few years ago flashed in her mind: "_Dad…_"

---Three years ago in Konoha---

"Hey, dad, why are you taking me to the laboratory?" a ten-year-old girl with long, blonde hair, clipped in a ponytail, and hazel eyes asked excited as she hoped around an older man with spiky hair in the same color as her and eyes incredibly similar. As they entered a room with hundreds of mixtures in all colors of the rainbow and useful tools, the man turned towards his daughter and kneeling before her, he began with a serious face: "Kogane, what I'm about to tell you is really important, so please, listen carefully…"

"Oh, not another lecture" the girl pled with a bored and sad tone. "Please daddy, can't we skip it? You promised you'll show me how to prepare soldier pills!" but at this point the man dropped his hands on her shoulders, forcing her to stay: "I'm sorry, but you have to listen…"

"Daddy" she tried to continue, but was instantly cut off by the man: "No, Kogane! You have to listen, because what I'm about to tell you concerns you more then you can imagine. And you must know it in order to understand why our clan is the way it is right now! I wanna tell you about our bloodline limit…"

_**---sudden turn of events… could this be the awakening of the Rikoteki's Kekkai Genkai?---**_

And this concludes this chapter. I do hope you enjoyed it and that you'll leave me a review. It'd mean a lot. As usual I'm placing a jutsu encyclopedia bellow, but due to recent events I don't have the heart to write a description to it. Maybe another time:

_Kami Henzuru: Kami Hitoya_ (Paper Manipulation: Paper Prison)

**Konoha #7:** Murasakki Kumiko, Tanken Ibuki, Gekido Takaru, Hagane Kusari, Haisha Kai

**Konoha #3:** _Konpaku Rei_, Rikoteki Kogane (in progress), Amagasa Toku, Debano Kitsune, _Gusoku Hanamaru_

**Konoha #4:** Inuzuka Tsume, Benda Kokoro, Kobushi Galu

**Konoha:** Hamano Taki, Hyuuga Hitomi, Manako Akira, Tanken Funbo, Horohoro

**Suna #1:** Aoru, Torune, Honemaru, Tarakudo, Takai

**Suna #2:** Sabaku no Sabure, Hari, Dekai, Horamaru, Karame (in progress)

**Kusa:** Hokku Tobane, Kanraku Nezumi, _Kuchibashi Taka_, Kyohaku Tokame, Wanabi Hizoku

**Ame:** Furikuzu Tsuino, Hebereke Nazaa

**Bakufu:** Abura Tetsu, Makko Shita

**Tsuki:** Junsei Teela, Tenka

**Hane:** Ono Reiji

**Kumori**: Kyuu

And that's that. Hope you enjoyed reading this chapter. Thanks for tuning in and have a great day. Take care!


	91. The Way of the Leaf

More and more things came crushing down on me, but at the very least I was capable of writing this. And to be honest I'm pretty glad about how this chapter turned out. The part with Kogane's flashback turned out slightly longer then I first expected it will, but it still went pretty well (at least I think so).

As always I wanna thank everyone who did sacrifice their time and reviewed. It means a lot. Also thank you for encouraging words. I must say that I was slightly disappointed with the number of reviews for last time however. Sorry to say this, but with all the things on my head, I'd really prefer to know if this fic is worth continuing and thus I want to ask you all to give me your opinion about it. I WON'T UPDATE, UNLESS I GET REVIEWS!

I'd also like to invite everyone to read and review my other, next generation fic "Those Who Inherit the Will of Fire". If you like this story, you should enjoy that one as well. And if you're looking for something even more closer, you might wanna check Jackyl 2000's "Naruto Beyond". I think it's very good.

And one, last thing before I get to the newest chapter: the second, popularity contest will be starting very soon, so those of you who're planning to take part in it might wanna slowly look through the characters to choose your favorites. If nothing unexpected happens, I'll most likely open the voting along with the submission of chapter 93 (rules and the sort will be given then).

And so the only thing left to do is to invite you to read (and hopefully review) the newest chapter of "Naruto: Next Generation":

**Chapter #91: The Way of the Leaf**

_**Title Page:**_ Kogane is standing on the roof, propping her back against the rail, while a little further a giant gorilla is climbing up to the roof and points at the kunoichi

"Our bloodline limit?" the girl repeated, instantly curious once more as she gazed at her father. "What bloodline limit? I didn't know our clan had a bloodline limit? Is it powerful? Is it scary? Or maybe it's cool like that Sharingan thingy I've heard so much about? Huh? What is it? What is it?"

"Well, it's no wonder you didn't knew about it" admitted her father with a note of regret in his voice. "Basically very little people from outside our clan even remember we have one. That's mostly due to the fact that since the last Great Shinobi War it haven't been used even once… and initiated naturally even longer…"

"Initiated naturally? What does that mean, dad?"

"Well, in order to understand that, you must know one thing, Kogane" her father began as he slowly picked the right words to explain. "You see, our bloodline was thought to be one of the most powerful in the Leaf. Not as famous like Sharingan or Byakugan, however when faced in battle it was truly fearsome for those who opposed us. Basically our ancestors were able to manifest their chakra in a solid form… a form of any animal. Dependable on the clan member, the animals differ. Because in that state they resemble the feared Jinchuuriki so much, the Rikoteki clan struck terror in the hearts of Konoha's enemies… that is until things changed…"

Her father stopped for a minute, which earned him a puzzled look from the girl. After a moment of silence, he continued, his face even sadder then it was before: "You see, although our bloodline gave us incredible power, it also placed a great strain on the user's body. In order to manifest the chakra, user's body must be well prepared, both physically and mentally. Because releasing the beast form requires a great deal of chakra to be released from the body, one performing it must also make sure that the among that'll remain inside his organism will be enough for him to survive and above that move if he wishes to use the bloodline once he'll activate it. The second requirement is the fact that in order to keep the release of chakra on the needed level, the muscles are being pushed to their limits. If the body isn't strong enough, the user might find himself injured for life… or worse…"

"I don't get it" announced Kogane, quickly analyzing what her father just said. "If activating our clan's bloodline limit is so dangerous, why would anyone be willing to do that? And above that how can someone fulfill both requirements? Such person would need to be very strong to begin with… it's not like someone like that would really require to use it…"

"That's the most tragic part about it" stated the man as he narrowed his eyes slightly. "For several generations now no-one in our clan was born with an ability to awaken that power. It's still there, coz every member of the Rikoteki family carries it in the genes, however our mental or physical capabilities made it impossible to awaken the bloodline. And that is why our ancestors took alchemy…"

"I don't really see a connection, dad…" the girl announced and the instant she said so, the man reached for one of his hostels, thus picking out two mixtures: one green and one blue. As the younger blonde stared at the two, thin bottles, her father continued: "This is our clan's greatest achievement… but at the same time our greatest disgrace. These, two mixtures can be considered ignitions. Upon drinking them, one has a chance to activate our bloodline limit. The green one releases any limits the brain puts on muscles along with limits put on the nervous system. Thanks to that the one to drink it can move faster and his strength increases. The blue one accelerates the flow of chakra and causes the quicker chakra regeneration. This makes it possible to release even huge among of chakra without fearing that you'll waste too much. However in order for unnaturally fast flow of chakra to not rip one's body apart, it must be well prepared. Because of that, the mixtures must be drank in a certain order: first the green and then the blue one… and once they both start working, one can try activating our bloodline limit… this is how we fought during the last Great Shinobi War…"

"Why are you saying it's our disgrace then? Those mixtures allow us to recreate the bloodline which seemed to be lost ages ago! And above that, even drinking one would increase one's fighting capabilities! These things are even better then soldier pills!"

"You have no idea, Kogane" admitted her father as he looked away for a moment. "However every time you use them, it just reminds you what you have lost… a clan with a bloodline limit which cannot be performed without the help of alchemy. Can you even imagine what shame this brings?" he asked, making the girl stare at the floor. He let out a sigh and then continued: "And above that, these mixtures carry even scarier side-effects then the Akimichi clan's three-colored pills. They force the organism to put itself beyond its natural limits. By drinking both, regardless to how strong one is… his life spam gets shortened…"

"Shortened? By how much?" Kogane instantly asked, raising her head. A worried expression crossed her father's face before he replied: "It depends on how the user's body is resistant to hardships. It could be that with every minute one uses the mixtures, he loses one minute of his life… but if the body and spirit are weak, one minute can cost him even tens of years! The only way to stop the clock ticking, is by drinking this" with that he held out a small, thin bottle with black liquid in it. "This mixture can be called an antidote. It vacuums the air from the lungs and forces the oxygen from the blood circulation system to replace it. This makes the organism tire out and thus calms it down. After a long rest you return to functioning normal as if the first, two mixtures were never drunk… that is, if you haven't made your body run on them for too long…"

"So that's how it is?" the girl asked rhetorically, making her father rise one of his eyebrows. Her body began shaking a bit as she tightened her fists. "I can't allow that!" she announced as determination started to show in her voice. "I promise, that no matter what it takes, I'll learn to activate our bloodline limit without the use of those mixtures! I'll make the Rikoteki clan reborn!" and with that statement her father only smiled warmly to her.

---Flashback end---

Chakra kept on escaping Kogane's body and suddenly started swirling. Right before everyone's eyes it began to shape itself, surrounding the kunoichi. Naruto's eyes narrowed as he saw it growing claws and a tail: "_What the…? It's impossible for her to carry a tailed beast! What the hell's going on?_" he asked and gazed at Shikamaru, but the lazy jounin didn't even seemed to notice. Sweat began appearing all over him as a worried expression froze on his face.

The next moment Kogane's body got surrounded with chakra that formed itself into some sort of a tiger with long, sharp claws, long tail and pointy ears. Karame took another step back, slightly terrified by the sight: "_What the hell is she?_" he asked himself as his breath became a little faster then it usually was.

"It'd appear my inner animal is a tiger" stated Kogane, still breathing heavily. "I always imagined it'd be something less feral, but in this situation I guess it's for the best. Lets end this" she purposed, settling her eyes on Karame as she crawled down and then, in a flash, lunged forward with her claws ready.

Instinctually the sand-nin jumped back, barely avoiding the assault which broke the floor he stood on just a second ago into pieces. Instantly he reached under his bandages again as a single drop of sweat appeared behind them: "_Dammit, her speed didn't decrease and her strength is even more insane then before! If I'll let her catch me, I'm done for!_" and with that realization he picked out several sheets of paper, forming another set of hand seals.

In a flash the sheets began to twist and rip, forming themselves into a miniature lion. Karame then threw his creation to the sky and formed some more hand seals, calling out with the last symbol: "Origami: Henzuru Shishi!" and immediately the paper lion got covered with white smoke only to reveal as the smoke cleared a full-sized, life beast made of paper.

"What's that, some sort of weird summoning?" Ibuki asked confused as she gazed at her companions. But Kankuro only shook his head: "Not quite. You might say that it's sort of kage bushin, only in stead of an identical clone, a lion is formed." But at this point Kai looked at him confused: "I don't get it" he announced, earning a smack from Kumiko: "That's nothing new. However, even the way you say it, Kankuro-san, to pull something like that, especially at his age, is pretty unbelievable…"

"Believable or not…" Takaru cut in calmly as he narrowed his eyes. "Be it a puppet, summon or bushin, that lion is still alive and as such can inflict real damage. That's all you need to know" and as he said so, a psychotic smile crept onto Horamaru's face: "_You don't know the half of it_" he thought to himself, making Dekai shook his head slightly. The swordsman however decided to remain silent.

Meanwhile the paper lion jumped forward, aiming his claws at Kogane. Acting on instinct, the blonde strafed to her right and held out her right hand. In a flash the chakra surrounding it shoot out, going straight at the beast. Just barely Karame's creation managed to avoid the assault, yet still got it's side slightly ripped by the chakra claw.

As the origami creature came to a sliding stop, Kogane bended her knees, ready to attack again, only to spot paper whips coming at her from the side with a corner of her eye. Once more acting on instinct she jumped into the air, spinning wildly, thus avoiding most of the spikes that struck the floor, yet few still manage to cut her body shallowly.

Upon landing on her feet, Kogane charged forward, ripping the retreating whips of paper on the way. Karame's eyes only managed as much as to widen in surprise before the kunoichi reached the place he stood and swung her claws. Jumping back in the last moment, the sand-nin managed to avoid a fatal blow, yet still got his chest slash shallowly, thus making some of the bandages in that area of his body hung down freely.

"Go babe, kick his ass!" Kusari cheered from the platform, right next to Hanamaru who also yelled from the bottom of his lungs. Sadly the chubby gennin didn't drew any of Kumiko's attention, who for some reason, got incredibly annoyed and began beating the hell out of the chain master.

As his feet touched the ground, Karame was forced to jump away again in order to avoid Kogane's claws that once more broke the floor he stood on a moment earlier. As the blonde's head shoot to her right, where the sand-nin was, a weird sound came to her ears from above and in an instant she propped her hands on the ground, thus standing on them and just barely avoiding the claws of the paper lion that jumped at her from the sky.

As the beast roared, the kunoichi spun on her palms and delivered a powerful kick into its face, thus sending it flying back. Immediately she landed back on her feet and once more threw her chakra claws at the lion, piercing it when it was still in mid-air. As the origami creature froze in the air, hanging on chakra claws, Kogane moved them quickly, making Karame's helper rip to shreds.

"So much for your backup" she announced coldly, turning towards the sand-nin, who instantly began another set of hand seals. As it came to an end, paper spikes shoot out from his body again, formed from the bandages Kogane cut loose a moment earlier and paper whips shoot from his back, coming at the kunoichi from the side and above, thus blocking any, possible way of escape.

Upon narrowing her eyes, the leaf-nin charged forward, avoiding all the spikes with an incredible speed and ripping to pieces those she couldn't dodge with her chakra claws. As the whips came closer, the girl also avoided them by jumping over them, using some to bounce off. When it seemed that she made it through and landed safely on the floor, some of the whips came from the sky, piercing through her shoulders and striking her back as well.

Kogane let out a cry of pain as she collapsed to the ground with Karame's paper whips still in her body. Hanamaru only managed to call out his teammate's name, while Rei narrowed her eyes: "_He used so much paper purposely. When Kogane concentrated on dodging the spikes and the whips, he made those that came from the sides miss on purpose. That way, when they got tied together, they formed a mess, through which Kogane didn't saw that few of those whips were still loose… damn, that mummy guy sure thinks ahead…_"

"I've missed your vital points and didn't allow my whips to go too deep, so you won't die" announced Karame calmly as Kogane tried to get back up, yet failed miserably. "However your wounds are still pretty serious and thus I suggest you surrender quickly and let the medics take care of you…"

"If this is the end" the kunoichi began, finally managing to stand back up. "Then it's yours at best!" and suddenly she charged forward, making the whips rip in two as she sped up, leaving them behind. With the two spikes that still stuck in her shoulders, she moved too fast for the bandaged boy to follow, thus making it impossible for him to take counter measures.

"Karame, bellow you!" Hari only managed to yell, making her teammate gaze down. It was then that he saw a sudden blur appearing before him in a crawling position, yet he was too slow to react. In a fraction of a second a hand shoot out from the figure and went straight through his chest, piercing his body and coming out his back.

Tobane covered her mouth, while Takai merely narrowed his eyes. He gazed at Sabure, who didn't seem to change her posture at all. Even Hanamaru, who cheered the loudest for Kogane, went silent, as the blonde kunoichi looked up into her opponent's eyes as his body became motionless: "Sorry, but this is the end…"

_**---Kogane's fury pierces Karame!---**_

And so this chapter is concluded. Hope you enjoyed it and that you'll leave me a review once you're done reading it. It'd really help this fic keep going. Now, before wrapping this up, here's the gennin list again:

**Konoha #7:** Murasakki Kumiko, Tanken Ibuki, Gekido Takaru, Hagane Kusari, Haisha Kai

**Konoha #3:** _Konpaku Rei_, Rikoteki Kogane (in progress), Amagasa Toku, Debano Kitsune, _Gusoku Hanamaru_

**Konoha #4:** Inuzuka Tsume, Benda Kokoro, Kobushi Galu

**Konoha:**Hamano Taki, Hyuuga Hitomi, Manako Akira, Tanken Funbo, Horohoro

**Suna #1:** Aoru, Torune, Honemaru, Tarakudo, Takai

**Suna #2:** Sabaku no Sabure, Hari, Dekai, Horamaru, Karame (in progress)

**Kusa:**Hokku Tobane, Kanraku Nezumi, _Kuchibashi Taka_, Kyohaku Tokame, Wanabi Hizoku

**Ame:** Furikuzu Tsuino, Hebereke Nazaa

**Bakufu:**Abura Tetsu, Makko Shita

**Tsuki:**Junsei Teela, Tenka

**Hane:**Ono Reiji

**Kumori**: Kyuu

And that's that. Hope you had fun reading this and until next time, hopefully.


	92. Shadow Blade

To be honest, for a while there I wasn't sure if I'll manage to update today. There's been some trouble and I don't suppose it's really important to bore with them. Everything seems to be fine now and I just hope that trouble won't occur with this chapter and that you'll be able to read it.

As always I wanna thank everyone who reviewed the previous chapter. It seems that very few of you actually believed that I'd dare to kill off Karame at this point of the story… but whether you were right or wrong, this chapter will give you the answer. Also, on a side note, the popularity contest will be opened next chapter, so those of you, who're willing to participate, might wanna go over the characters once more, just in case.

AND PLEASE REVIEW! IT'D MEAN A LOT!

Now, without further to do:

**Chapter #92: Shadow Blade**

_**Title Page:**_ Kai out front and in the center, giving the thumbs up and in the background the page is divided into four squares with Ibuki being shown in the upper left one, Takaru upper right, Kusari lower left and Kumiko right bottom

"This is the end" announced Kogane as Karame's body hung motionlessly on her hand. The kunoichi lowered her head and then slowly retreated her arm, but it was then that she realized something hold her. In a flash the sand-nin's body started deforming and before she knew it, bandages wrapped around her, immobilizing her. Her eyes only wide at noticing there was no-one inside the mummy outfit.

A moment later there was a puff of white smoke and Karame appeared few meters behind the blonde, surrounded by ripped pieces of paper: "Looks like I finally caught you" he stated with a tiny smirk appearing under his bandages, while Kai yelled, totally confused: "What's going on? Kogane's hand went right through his chest! He should be dead or something!"

"How did you escape?" the kunoichi asked her opponent as her breath speed up again. Karame slowly walked over to her as he replied: "Another Kawarimi, actually. I carry a lot of sheets of paper under my bandages, thus it's easy for my to form them away from your view. I made one of them form itself into a human form and replaced it with my own body…"

"Henzuru Bushin" Kumiko concluded, not even trying to hide the fact that she was impressed. "Now I get it! That's why he used so many sheets of paper to form that lion! He disgusted himself as one of the sheets and made the clone fight for him, while he awaited a better time to act!"

"What are you talking about, Kumiko-chan?" Kusari asked, still a little confused, only this time it was Kitsune, who explained: "That paper lion could've been formed from a single sheet of paper. That sand-nin purposely used more then one, so that even when the lion gets destroyed, there's bigger hope that one sheet remains unharmed. The sheet he disgusted himself as" and at this point Galu narrowed his eyes: "So you mean since the moment he formed that lion, the one under the bandages was his paper bushin?"

"Pretty much" admitted Kumiko calmly as she settled her eyes on Karame. Meanwhile the mummy stopped a meter or two away from his opponent and glanced at her: "I do suggest you give up, otherwise I'll be forced to get brutal. I'm not gonna make the same mistake like with Paper Prison…"

"Actually, you just did!" Kogane announced and in a flash chakra spikes shoot from her body, ripping the bandages that imprisoned her. "My body is surrounded with chakra, which in this state I can manipulate to an extend. Now you're…" but she never managed to finish as a sudden pain in her chest brought her to her knees. In an instant she cough out blood, collapsing to the floor.

"_This is not good_" noticed Shikamaru as he quickly jumped down to the arena and located himself next to his student. Immediately he reached to her hostel, picking out a thin bottle with black liquid in it. He helped the girl drink the mixture, making her breath calm down a bit. In a flash chakra stopped escaping her body as the sphere surrounding her disappeared, "Sorry, but I don't think she can continue" the lazy jounin stated, lifting up the blonde kunoichi in his arms.

Lee only gave a weak nod, before announcing out loud: "Winner: Karame!" In an instant Hanamaru appeared next to his instructor, along with his teammates, Kumiko, Kai and Naruto. The chubby gennin gazed at the now unconscious kunoichi and with a worried expression on his face, he began: "Shikamaru-sensei, will she…?" but before he could finish, the lazy jounin guessed his thoughts and replied: "Right now she's really drained and it'll take her a while to get back to top shape, but she should be fine" and at those words he looked at the whisker-marks and loud enough only for him to hear, he whispered: "The medics won't really do her much. Her state is bad. She let the mixtures effect last too long. I need to take her to Sakura and call her father. That way her state can be stabilized. I know it's troublesome, but since all my students already fought, there's no need for me to stay here. Would you look out after them for me?"

"Sure thing" Naruto replied with a serious face, which earned his a nod from Shikamaru, who was gone the next instant, along with Kogane. Hanamaru hung his head down and stared at the floor. Seeing this, a worried expression crossed Rei's face. She wanted to say something, but couldn't think of anything. It was then that Toku walked over to the chubby gennin and placed his hand on his shoulder: "Don't worry about her, I'm sure she'll be fine. You heard what Shikamaru-sensei said. We should get back to the platform, coz they can't start the next match because of us. The sooner eliminations end, the sooner we can go and visit her…"

"Yeah, you're right" Hanamaru admitted and soon they all headed back to the platform. The lazy kunoichi only gazed at the umbrella user and then trailed off in her thoughts: "_Even though Shikamaru-sensei did say that… those mixtures surely left some effect on her organism. And if those effects could be easily taken care off, why would Shikamaru-sensei disappear with Kogane? Although I prefer not to think that, but Kogane may not be fine…_"

"Took you long enough" Sabure said to her teammate with an accusing tone, once Karame retuned to the platform. The mummy didn't reply. He just gazed at the redhead and then looked towards the Leaf shinobi, who were just returning to their places as well. As Hanamaru passed him, he stopped the chubby gennin, making him and his companions attention get drawn to him: "You teammate fought well. She gave me quite a bit of trouble. I do hope she'll be okay…"

Hanamaru just kept on staring at him with an emotionless face, when finally he managed to let out a weak and a little fake 'thank you', before continuing on his way. Horamaru merely crossed his arms, as a playful smile appeared on his face: "Why do you even bother? This is a battle and it's only natural people get hurt in it. Regardless to how you feel, you're the better warrior. No need to feel sorry for the defeated…"

"Even when two people are enemies, it doesn't mean they can't respect one another" Dekai cut in, sending the blonde a cold stare. "Shinobi are still human… they still feel, no matter how much they're forbid to do so. Well, most of them" and with that his eyes settled on the string user, which made Horamaru's smirk widen even more.

"Lets move on to another, elimination fight!" Lee broke the tension slightly, by directing everyone's attention to the screen again. Names began switching again and after a short moment next contestants were revealed: **TANKEN FUNBO versus MAKKO SHITA**. And in a flash Taki jumped up, delivering a powerful pat in the back on Ibuki's brother, almost making him fall through the rail: "Good luck, Funbo-kun!" she cheered, making Horohoro sweat drop at her behavior.

"Just don't go too far" Hitomi warned him, but Funbo only smirked at that. In a flash he jumped down to the arena, awaiting his opponent. Meanwhile Tetsu looked to his left, where Shita sat on his shoulder. The small boy stood up and turning to the hammer carrier, he stated: "Looks like it's my turn! Wish me luck, Tetsu-san!"

The chubby boy merely gave him a nod before the tiny gennin also jumped down, somersaulting several times in the process. Ibuki on the other hand narrowed her eyes as she observed Funbo walking towards Lee: "_Now we'll see just how strong you really are, niisan…_" she thought to herself, while the Leaf's Green Beast raised his hand: "Twenty eight match: Tanken Funbo against Makko Shita! Ready and… go crazy!" and immediately he moved out of the way, seeing the waterfall-nin going through a chain of hand seals.

"Katon: Doragon Enkou!" the tiny gennin called out and in a flash a huge dragon made of flames arose, surrounding the waterfall-nin with its burning tails. Instantly Kai panicked a bit as he flipped his hands up and down: "What's going on? How could that Bakufu guy do that? This is…" but at this point Takaru grabbed him by the collar, slightly annoyed: "Would you just shut up and watch the fight?"

The flame dragon suddenly shoot at Funbo with its mouth opened, ready to burn the young assassin to ashes. Instinctually Ibuki's brother reached for his stick and charged forward, completely surprising Shita. As the dragon came closer, the leaf-nin slammed one end of his stick into the ground and used that instant to bounce of the floor, thus flying his into the air, way above the burning beast.

In a flash Shita found himself jumping back in order to avoid Funbo's stick, that came at him from above. As the weapon smashed the floor hard, the young assassin pushed it forward, thus hitting the surprised waterfall-nin right in the stomach while he was still in mid-air. While the impact threw him even further, the Bakufu shinobi went through another set of hand seals and as electricity surrounded his right hand, he extended it, calling out loudly: "Raiton: Ikazuchi Tooriame!"

In a blink of an eye tens of small bullets of electricity shoot out at Funbo, who once more acted on instinct and propping his stick on the floor behind himself, he bounced off the ground and somersaulted, avoiding most of the incoming attacks. As some of the thunderballs came at him however, the young assassin landed with his left foot on his stick before it felt to the floor and used that instant to jump higher, above all the charges.

Immediately he reached for his shuriken and unleashed them at Shita, who began jumping and strafing in every direction, barely managing to avoid all the shinobi stars. In the meantime Funbo landed on the ground and with just few flips back, he picked up his stick, that laid on the floor, and came to a stop, again in a fighting position.

Instantly Shita performed another chain of hand seals and with the last symbol, he called out from the bottom of his lungs: "Hyouton: Tsurara Shindou no Jutsu!" and at this point Horohoro's eyes narrowed as a huge icicle suddenly shoot out of nowhere, coming straight at the young assassin: "_So that's it…_" he thought immediately, throwing a quick glance at Hitomi.

Funbo narrowed his eyes as well and spinning his stick in his hand, he charged forward, going straight at the incoming icicle. "Is he nuts?" Tsume only managed to yell as she grabbed her head, but to her great surprise, the ice spike just went right through the young assassin, without causing him any harm. Shita didn't manage to react on time and in the next instant his chin got smashed by the leaf-nin's stick, with the impact sending him few meters back and landing hard on the ground.

"How did you figured it out?" the waterfall-nin asked as he slowly struggled back to his feet. Funbo merely placed one end of his stick on the floor and used it to prop himself coolly as he replied: "Do you take me for someone that stupid, rookie? In case you haven't noticed, that blind guy from before is my teammate. He's an expert in genjutsu and taught me a few things about it. And even if he didn't, there's no way in hell I'll believe someone with such pitiful level would have a talent for so many elements. With all that, even a total moron would figure out you were using genjutsu from the very start…"

At this point Kai's eyes narrowed slightly as a single drop of sweat run down the back of his head. In a flash be placed his hands behind his head and with a confident voice, he announced: "It was so obvious, I can't imagine someone not figuring that out already" and as he said so, Kokoro gazed at him, also sweat dropping: "_So you didn't figure that out…_"

"I'm slightly worried" stated Akira, loud enough only for his teammates to hear him. Hitomi instantly gazed at him and returning to observing the fight, she replied with her arms crossed: "Don't be… if that Waterfall guy can only use genjutsu, Funbo won't have any trouble winning…"

"Actually Funbo winning this match… is the thing I'm worried about" the blind gennin responded, while the young assassin lifted his stick again and preparing himself to charge, he announced calmly: "Best to tell you this right now, so you won't be surprised later… I will kill you…"

_**---a dreadful statement… and then?---**_

And this concludes this chapter. Hope you enjoyed it and that you'll review once you're done reading it. It'd mean a lot. As usual I'm placing a jutsu encyclopedia, but since the only techniques used this time are genjutsu cast by Shita, I figured I'll leave out the descriptions, as they aren't necessary:

_Katon: Doragon Enkou_ (Fire Element: Dragon Flame)

_Raiton: Ikazuchi Tooriame_ (Thunder Element: Thunder Shower)

_Hyouton:__Tsurara Shindou no Jutsu_ (Ice Element: Icicle Impact Skill)

**Konoha #7:** Murasakki Kumiko, Tanken Ibuki, Gekido Takaru, Hagane Kusari, Haisha Kai

**Konoha #3:** _Konpaku Rei_, Amagasa Toku, Debano Kitsune, _Gusoku Hanamaru_

**Konoha #4:** Inuzuka Tsume, Benda Kokoro, Kobushi Galu

**Konoha:**Hamano Taki, Hyuuga Hitomi, Manako Akira, Tanken Funbo (in progress), Horohoro

**Suna #1:** Aoru, Torune, Honemaru, Tarakudo, Takai

**Suna #2:** Sabaku no Sabure, Hari, Dekai, Horamaru, Karame

**Kusa:**Hokku Tobane, Kanraku Nezumi, _Kuchibashi Taka_, Kyohaku Tokame, Wanabi Hizoku

**Ame:** Furikuzu Tsuino, Hebereke Nazaa

**Bakufu:**Abura Tetsu, Makko Shita (in progress)

**Tsuki:**Junsei Teela, Tenka

**Hane:**Ono Reiji

**Kumori**: Kyuu

And this is it for now. Hope you enjoyed reading this chapter and that you'll drop a review. Best wish and have a great day you all!


	93. The Code of the Tanken

I must say that lately I got quite a bit of inspiration for this story. Almost entirely this chapter was written today, just moments ago. I'm not that happy with how it turned out, but this is how it was suppose to look like. Tanken fans will probably be happy as they'll learn a bit more about that clan from this, but…

As always I wanna thank everyone who reviewed the previous chapter. I know I say it over and over again, but it really does mean a lot and I'm glad that you're still enjoying the story. I do hope that you won't get bored with it too soon (especially now, when eliminations ain't that far from over). And there's also a special announcement to be made:

**SECOND CHARACTER POPULARITY CONTEST OPEN:** just as the title states, I'd like to announced that the second "Naruto: Next Generation" Character Popularity Contest has begun! Everyone is welcomed to take part in it and the rules aren't that different from the last time, but just in case they're written down at the end of this chapter, along with the updated list of characters on which you can cast your votes on (not many new, but still…).

Oh yeah, almost forgot. SPOILER WARNING: Cranky Wonder Joe, about your question, if you really wanna know, then yes, you got it right. SPOILER END!  


With all that said, I'd just like to invite everyone to give a try to my other, next generation fic entitled "Those Who Inherit the Will of Fire". You might just like it. And now, there's nothing left for me to do then to get on with the 'show':

**Chapter #93: The Code of the Tanken**

_**Title Page:**_ on the left there's Funbo, holding his stick behind his back and next to him Ibuki is kneeling on her left knee with kunai in her hands

"I will kill you" stated Funbo calmly as he prepared himself to charge forward. In a blink of an eye the young assassin took off and before Shita could react in any way, he appeared before him, smashing his face with his stick. As the waterfall-nin began falling onto his back, the Leaf gennin quickly spun his weapon in his hand and hit his opponent with it again, crushing his stomach and making his fall even harder.

Shita rolled away from his adversary and slowly struggled back to his feet. Instantly he began another set of hand seals, calling out in the process: "Doton: Ishi…" but he never managed to finish as Funbo once more charged at him, hitting his stomach with the tip of his stick. The waterfall-nin leaned forward due to the impact, gasping for air, right before the young assassin smashed the end of his weapon into his back, thus making him fall to the ground again.

"Are you really that dumb?" Funbo asked without any trace of emotion showing on his face. "I already told you that genjutsu won't work on me. Especially not one of such poor level. If you want to fight me, using something different… or just wait until I finish you off" and with that he smashed his stick against Shita's back again, making the masked boy fall onto his face once more while he tried to get up.

Seeing this, Tetsu narrowed his eyes while Funbo kept on hitting his opponent every time he tried to get up. As blood began dripping from behind the little gennin's mask, Shita's words echoed in his head: "_Hey, Tetsu-san, you're a shinobi now! I always knew you were gonna make it! That's why I looked up to you! You'll surely bring Bakufu to its former glory! Please, allow me to assist you in that quest! I know I'm nothing much, but I promise I'll do my best to keep up with you! We'll fight together for the Hidden Waterfall's reputation! What do you say? Huh? Huh? Huh?_"

As Funbo's stick smashed against the masked boy's body again, the waterfall-nin tried to get up, helping himself with shaking hands and legs. He didn't got far as the Leaf gennin's bo hit him once more, making him collapse to the floor. For the first time ever Tetsu lost his calm as he yelled through the rail: "Shita, dammit, you can't beat this guy! Give up already or you'll end up injured for life! How are you gonna fulfill your promise then?" he asked, making the little boy gazed at him.

"_I've trained so hard…_" Shita reminded himself as he clenched his teeth, while blood run down his face. "_I've completed missions and then practiced my techniques… I always tried to put my best effort into it and yet… why is it always me, who…_" he began as he felt tears gathering in his eyes. He managed to hold them in however and disgust with himself, he announced, this time out loud: "I… give up" but to his surprise his opponent's stick smashed his back yet again.

"You know, my clan has few rules regarding how a shinobi should be" Funbo suddenly stated as he stood above Shita, who found himself incapable of rolling away anymore. His eyes were cold and emotionless as he seemed to completely ignore the waterfall-nin's statement from a moment ago. "Those rules are a code if you will, which every Tanken should follow, though few losers prove to not be strong enough to do so" and with that his eyes traveled to Ibuki for a split second, before they returned to the fallen waterfall-nin: "Rule number one: emotions cloud one's judgment and thus an assassin must learn to keep them in check. Rule number two: assassins are the men of the shadows. One man can move unspotted much easier then a group and thus any form of companionship is useless to us…"

At this point Taki lowered her head and stared at the floor, while Horohoro merely shut his eyes without a trace of emotion on his face besides that. Hitomi remained as she was, while Funbo continued: "Rule number three: shinobi's value is measured by his usefulness and thus for an assassin his mission is the only priority he has… and the last one: when you fight… you fight to the death" and with that he raised his stick to deliver the final blow, yet before he managed to do that, his weapon got grabbed by someone's hand and as he turned around, he saw that the one interrupting his fight was his teacher.

"Funbo, that's enough" Shino announced calmly, yet he didn't let go of the stick. Funbo hesitated for a moment and then narrowed his eyes, not so much because of anger, but more because of annoyance, placing his stick on his back again and heading to the platform, while Lee made the final statement: "Winner: Tanken Funbo!"

Instantly the medics appeared next to Shita, taking him for treatment, while Funbo didn't even bothered to glanced at his opponent. Reiji smirked under his nose as he observed the young assassin slowly getting back up: "_I think I'm gonna like that guy_" he thought to himself, while Kumiko shivered: "_What a scary person…_"

"I gotta say, Ibuki, your brother is…" began Hanamaru as he turned to the young assassin, yet the kunoichi immediately interrupted him as he glared at the older Tanken: "I know…" and as Funbo caught her gaze, he smirked under his nose for a fraction of a second, before returning to ignore her. "_You've really become just as cold as our father, niisan… and just as ruthless._"

"Well, that was freaky" stated Kai as he felt shivers going down his spine. "Are all Tanken such psychopaths?" he asked, making Ibuki instantly snap and pummel him to the floor, yelling things that should be concerned in the process. Takaru looked at the two for a while and then traveled with his gaze at the older assassin: "_This guy is dangerous… back then, in the forest, if his teammates wouldn't interrupt… he'd surely kill us!_"

"Did you ever considered showing compassion?" Horohoro asked his teammate, once he got back to them. Funbo threw him a quick glance, but said nothing, making the blue-haired boy narrow his eyes: "Of course not…" and his was about to say something more, until Akira cut in, making his attention settle on him: "Leave it… as sad as it is, he'll never change. You can either moan about it or accept it, but whichever you choose, that fact will remain. We were put in the same team, thus he tolerates us, but in his case… that's the best we can count for…" and with that Hitomi felt a note of regret in the blind gennin's voice, yet said nothing. She just settled her eyes on the young assassin for a moment and then returned to observing the screen.

"_To think siblings can be that different_" Taki thought to herself as she glanced at Ibuki who was now holding Kai by the collar and yelled in his face, though the boy was so beat up, that he probably was only half-conscious. Very few of the gennin even heard Lee announcing that the screen got activated again and names began skipping on it.

Kakashi looked at it for a moment, before he calmly gazed to his left, where an instant later a mysterious figure appeared. As the man raised his head, the Rokudaime noticed a white and black tiger mask. The Hokage said nothing, awaiting for the figure to speak. With a respectful nod, the ANBU began, loud enough only for the Leaf's leader to hear him: "I'm terribly sorry for the interruption, Kakashi-sama, but there are matters I need to discuss with you…"

"What is it, Sasuke?" the Rokudaime hurried him as the other jounin settled their eyes on the two. The Sharingan user looked around and narrowed his eyes as they meet Hinata. His masked covered his mouth, yet with the Hyuuga Byakugan, the kunoichi still could read his lips. Leaning towards the Hokage, he whispered into his ear about Kasui and his dead body that his subordinates found a while ago.

Kakashi narrowed his eye slightly as he lowered his head: "This is most disturbing… things are starting to fall apart without us even knowing. We need to make countermeasures, otherwise the Leaf may crumble again… and this time it may not bloom once more" the Rokudaime announced grimly, making the ANBU nod slightly.

"I have already made some preparations, Hokage-sama" Sasuke reported, bowing his head. "However I'm afraid your assistance will be required, Kakashi-sama" and with that he settled his eyes on the Leaf's leader, who traveled with his sight through the room. After a moment of hesitation, he replied, turning to the Sharingan user once more: "The eliminations are almost done… it's best to not cause unnecessary disturbance among the gennin. I'll attend to those matters once eliminations will come to an end. Until then, I trust you'll handle things…"

Sasuke bowed again and with a quick 'yes, Hokage-sama', he was gone again, making Naruto narrow his eyes as he observed the whole scene. Also Toku had his eyes on the Rokudaime, as suspiscions appeared in his mind: "_For an ANBU to show up here… something must be going on in the village…_"

"_Saiken, you pinhead, this is your doing, isn't it?_" Kyuu cursed in his mind as his eyes slightly narrowed, yet he didn't gave away his thoughts in any, other way. Little he have forgotten, was that there was someone who could still learn about them. Kokoro gazed at the Kumori gennin and also narrowing his eyes, he returned to observing the screen.

"Say, wasn't that that ANBU guy we meet in the Stone Country?" Kusari asked, turning to his teammates, making Takaru merely nod without even taking his eyes off the screen. It was then that the chain master followed his sight and noticed the next pair of contestants was already chosen: **INUZUKA TSUME versus HONEMARU**.

"Honemaru, you're turn" stated Torune as she gazed at the white-haired boy, who merely glanced back at her before nodding and slowly heading towards the stairs. Takai run his hand down his face as excitement slowly crept onto it. Aoru narrowed her eyes at this as a worry grew in her: "_Damn that Tanken guy… he saw blood and now he's seriously starting to lose it… and Honemaru surely won't hold back just to keep Takai calm…_"

"Hope you'll show them what you're made of" Galu said simply, receiving a nod from Tsume, who jumped down to the arena a moment later with Uramaru close behind. She walked towards Lee slowly with Honemaru marching few meters behind her. After a few moments, which seemed like eternity for Kai, the two reached the examiner and began a staring contest, which none of them intended to lose.

"Twenty ninth match: Inuzuka Tsume against Honemaru!" Lee announced loudly as the two fighters stood before each other, the dog kunoichi with her knees bended a little and the sand-nin without even preparing himself for the match. "Ready and… BEGIN!" he yelled, moving out of the way as the Leaf gennin charged forward immediately.

Honemaru easily dodged the assault however by strafing to his right and then leaned over, thus avoiding Uramaru who flew just inches above him with his teeth biting air. As the kunoichi and her dog came to a sliding stop, the sand-nin gazed up, still no trace of emotion on his face: "You're pretty quick to get into a fight…"

"Yeah well, I have a dream that's worth completing" Tsume replied with a smirk as she crawled down slightly. "In order to achieve it, I need to become Hokage and in order to become Hokage, I need to defeat you! Simple as that… so sorry, but I'm gonna beat the shit out of you!"

"Is that so?" the white-haired boy asked calmly as he raised his hand up and opened his palm at the girl. "Well, whatever your dream may be, I'm afraid I cannot allow you to defeat me, so this won't be easy for you" and with that chakra began escaping his body, making Lee widen his eyes at the sensation.

Naruto's eyes also widen as a familiar feeling his hit senses. "_This can't be!_" he thought to himself as his sight settled on Honemaru. His fear grew as he saw what occurred afterwards: a bone began growing out of the sand-nin's hand, aiming its sharp end at Tsume. "_This is… Kaguya's bloodline limit!_"

_**---natural, bone thriller! Ghosts from the past come to surface! What is going on?---**_

And this concludes this chapter. Hope you enjoyed it and that you'll leave a review once you're done reading. No jutsu this time around, but before I'll go to the rules of the popularity contest, here's another list of gennin that are still in the game:

**Konoha #7:** Murasakki Kumiko, Tanken Ibuki, Gekido Takaru, Hagane Kusari, Haisha Kai

**Konoha #3:** _Konpaku Rei_, Amagasa Toku, Debano Kitsune, _Gusoku Hanamaru_

**Konoha #4:** Inuzuka Tsume (in progress), Benda Kokoro, Kobushi Galu

**Konoha:**Hamano Taki, Hyuuga Hitomi, Manako Akira, Tanken Funbo, Horohoro

**Suna #1:** Aoru, Torune, Honemaru (in progress), Tarakudo, Takai

**Suna #2:** Sabaku no Sabure, Hari, Dekai, Horamaru, Karame

**Kusa:**Hokku Tobane, Kanraku Nezumi, _Kuchibashi Taka_, Kyohaku Tokame, Wanabi Hizoku

**Ame:** Furikuzu Tsuino, Hebereke Nazaa

**Bakufu:**Abura Tetsu

**Tsuki:**Junsei Teela, Tenka

**Hane:**Ono Reiji

**Kumori**: Kyuu

**POPULARITY CONTEST DETAILS:** okay, so for those who actually did decide to take part in the voting, the rules aren't that different from the previous contest. Just like before you can vote for ANY character that appeared in the story so far, including the characters from the manga (however in that case I'd like to ask you to base your choice on this story only, meaning if you pick Hinata, do so because you like her adult self, not just because you liked her in the manga). Please note that Gaara still haven't appeared and thus he's not a choice (I promise though that he will be before the next contest will take place… if the story will keep going).

Just like before one person can give only one vote, however in it you're allowed to cast your vote of five characters. The votes will be given in reviews (to keep it fair and so that anyone could check the votes himself) in the form of a list with five spots in it, however the order in which you'll write the characters is important. Although it's the number of people who voted on a certain character will be the thing that counts most, if two characters should get the same among of votes the so-called 'voting points' will decide which will take a higher position in the ranking. As an example:

Kai Haisha

Funbo Tanken

Shikamaru Nara

the sand-nin with the gourd (Sabure)

In the example above, Kai would get 5 'voting points', Funbo would receive 4, Shikamaru – 3 and Sabure – 2. In this case the voter decided to vote on only four characters, although he/she still could choose one more character, which would receive 1 voting point. Now, let's say there was another vote, which placed Sabure first and Kai fifth and those two votes were the only ones these, two characters got. Now each of them received 2 votes, yet Sabure gets a higher position in he ranking, coz the total of 'voting points' she collected equals 7, while Kai got 6.

To make it easier, just like before, I'm placing a full list of characters you may give your votes for (I don't think I left out anyone, but if I did, you can still cast your vote on him/her… and remember that Gaara isn't an option yet):

**KONOHA:**

Kumiko Murasakki, Ibuki Tanken, Takaru Gekido, Kusari Hagane, Kai Haisha, Naruto Uzumaki;

Mikka Igaku (the medic-nin), Tsume Inuzuka (Kiba's daughter), Uramaru (Tsume's dog), Kokoro Benda (the telepath), Senkou Hatake (Kakashi & Anko's son), Galu Kobushi (the green-haired, taijutsu expert), Hinata Hyuuga;

Rei Konpaku (the lazy girl), Kogane Rikoteki (the alchemist), Toku Amagasa (the boy with umbrella), Kitsune Debano (the one with iron in his body), Hanamaru Gusoku (the chubby boy), Shikamaru Nara;

Taki Hamano (the boomerang girl), Hitomi Hyuuga (Neji & Tenten's daughter), Akira Manako (the blind boy), Funbo Tanken (Ibuki's older brother), Horohoro (the boy using ice and water), Shino Aburame;

Sasuke Uchiha, Sakura Uchiha, Kiba Inuzuka, Ino Yamanaka, Chouji Akimichi, Tenten Hyuuga, Neji Hyuuga, Lee Rock, Kakashi Hatake, Iruka Umino, Tsunade (appeared only in flashbacks), Satsu Tanken (Ibuki & Funbo's father, appeared only in flashbacks), Chitose Haisha (Kai's mother, appeared only in flashbacks), Akamaru, Kenji Rikoteki (Kogane's father, appeared only in flashbacks);

**SUNA:**

Aoru (the girl with fan blade), Torune (the wind using girl), Honemaru, Takai (the scythe user), Tarakudo (the boy with bandages), Temari;

Sabaku no Sabure (Gaara's daughter), Hari (senbon user, Kankuro's daughter), Dekai (the swordsman), Horamaru (the string user), Karame (the mummy, paper user), Kankuro;

Uryuu (bully with a kanji for dragon on the back, appeared only in flashbacks), Mokuba (a boy wearing grey with brown skin, friend of Uryuu, appeared only in flashbacks), Shiba (brunette wearing a black and yellow jumpsuit, friend of Uryuu, appeared only in flashbacks);

**KUSA:**

Tobane Hokku (the girl with hooks), Nezumi Kanraku (the girl with a rat), Hamaru (Nezumi's rat), Taka Kuchibashi (the masked boy with a chain), Tokame Kyohaku (the boy that could become invisible), Hizoku Wanabi (the redhead);

Nakamoru Wanabi (Hizoku's father, appeared only in flashbacks), Kiro (Grass gennin, he fought Kumiko during the second exam);

**AME:**

Youji Kasano (girl with umbrellas), Karei Nokogiri (girl with a saw on a chain), Ryo Eshaku (the boy who could materialize chakra), Tsuino Furikuzu (the guy with scars on his face), Nazaa Hebereke (the redhead rain-nin);

Mushi Furikuzu (Tsuino's brother, he encounter Naruto's team and Hizoku during the third exam);

**BAKUFU:**

Kawa Azarashi (the girl using water from bottles), Miaka Tora (the girl with the white tiger), Torabaku (Miaka's tiger), Tetsu Abura (the chubby boy with a hammer and pipes on his back), Shita Makko (the masked pipsqueak), Kasui Rein (senbon user, killed by Saiken);

**TSUKI:**

Teela Junsei (the blue-haired girl), Tenka (the redhead girl), Kumo Chishio (the green-haired twin), Nobu Chishio (the blond twin), Tasuki Kihako (the swordsman), Hinami Hoshiru (the jounin instructor of the cell, appeared only in flashbacks);

Oujin Chishio (Kumo and Nobu's grandfather, appeared only in flashback);

**KANE:**

Naginata (the girl with a stick), Reiji Ono (the bald guy with an axe), Futatsu (the boy using two katanas), Hogosha (the boy with metal protectors), Sentou (the boy with metal arms);

**YUKI:**

Aisu Nadare (the girl using ice), Kuri Sutaru (the girl using crystals), Yari Sarumaru (the spearman), Kato Urufu (the guy with a bulldog), Yamazaru (the monkey);

**KUMORI:**

Raina (the girl with a metal glove), Saiken Tenma (the boy with a headgear), Bakara (the boy with a skull mask), Fuma (the boy who could transform), Kyuu (the mysterious, last member of the team), Tategamaru (the mysterious, cell leader);

**OTHER:**

Deji (Stone Country princess), Recca (Deji's husband), Takashi (Deji's father), Kataki Momochi (Zabuza's brother, missing-nin), Ryu Togatta (missing-nin, one of the Seven Swordsmen), Kouba (missing-nin that could use Mokuton), Fugou (kunoichi with tattoos), Karuto (card using missing-nin), Mabui Gusoku (Hanamaru's mother, appeared only in flashbacks), Gamabunta, Manda, Inosu (large boar, summoned by Hanamaru), Zassaouku (giant, living sundew, summoned by Kiro)

Even if the list above doesn't help, you can write a short description of a character (the village he/she is from, personality, who he/she looks, abilities). Considering I've created them all (besides the ones from the manga) I should be able to figure out who you meant.

Last thing about the voting is that you don't have to cast your votes now. The results will be given with the 100th chapter (that's when the voting will be closed) and until that happens you can cast your votes anytime in between (but only in a review). This gives you about 7 weeks to choose your favorites and give the vote if you do not wish to make a choice now.

If you have any questions considering the voting, do ask (be it through review, PM or e-mail) and I'll try to answer them to the best of my ability.

And with all that said, I believe the only thing left to do is to wrap this up. Thanks for tuning in and hope to see you guys next time! Take care!


	94. Sound of the Desert

Hmm… for the first time in a long while I really don't know what to write before starting a chapter. I must say that lately I found myself with my inspiration for "Naruto" stories dropping down. Not sure what cause it, but I know this: it's starting to get harder writing chapters (especially for my other, "Naruto" fics). Hopefully I'll manage to get through it, coz regardless to everything, from all my fics, this one is the least I'd like to drop. Having the whole story planned out, I'd get pretty annoyed if all of a sudden I'd get an author's block on it, that I wouldn't managed to get through.

_**SECOND CHARACTER POPULARITY CONTEST:**_ I just wanted to remind everyone, who didn't voted yet, that they still have a chance to do so! The rules of the voting are written down in the previous chapter! Remember: every vote counts XD

Naturally I wanna thank everyone who reviewed the previous chapter and especially those that took part in the contest. It means a lot. Right now I have hopes for an ever bigger frequency then last time (though, I must admit I was hoping for a bigger variation of choices, coz as of now three characters get most of the votes).

And with all that said, I believe the only thing left for me to do is to invite you to read this newest chapter of "Naruto: Next Generation"! May the secret behind Honemaru be revealed:

**Chapter #94: Sound of the Desert**

_**Title Page:**_ Tsume is playing 'fetch' with Uramaru

Tsume took a single step back as a sharp bone came out of Honemaru's palm with its tip pointed at the kunoichi. Seeing this Lee narrowed his eyes as a memory from years ago struck his mind: "_This guy…_" he thought, looking at the sand-nin. "_He's just like the one I fought with Gaara…but wasn't he supposed to be the last of his clan?_" and with that his eyes narrowed even more while the white-haired boy suddenly charged forward with his bone in his hand.

In a flash the dog gennin jumped back, barely avoiding her chest getting cut by her opponent's attack. Instantly she made the right set of hand seals and crawled down, resembling a predator, ready to attack its prey.

"Jujin Bushin!" Tsume cried out before lunging forward in the attempt to ram Honemaru, yet the sand-nin easily avoided that assault by gracefully strafing left. Immediately the dog kunoichi placed her hands on the floor and came to a stop, aiming a kick back into the boy, however also this time the white-haired gennin managed to dodge the attack by jumping up and placing his free hand on the girl's extended leg.

Honemaru then spun on his hand, aiming a kick into his opponent, making sharp bones grew out of his foot in the process. Before the assault reached its target however, Uramaru appeared, biting the sand-nin's leg in a place bones didn't stick out. Boy's eyes narrowed slightly as he stopped his kick and tried to shake the dog off, succeeding after a short while and making Tsume's partner hit the wall hard, making the girl call out the dog's name as she tossed her opponent away.

Honemaru simply somersaulted and landed safely on his feet, before turning to the kunoichi: "This is a real battle" he stated matter-of-factly with no trace of emotion on his face. "If you'll allow that pup to fight, it might get hurt. It's best to leave it out of this…"

"How the hell is that possible?" demanded Naruto, turning to Temari and Kankuro, using a short break in the match. "The last member of the Kaguya clan died long ago! You'd know, since Gaara was the one to kill him! So how come there's a guy standing right there, using Kaguya's bloodline limit?" he asked, pointing Honemaru.

"Back then, when Gaara fought that Kimimaro guy, he gave the report to the elders" Temari began with a little sadness in her voice. "Apparently one of elders figured that using bones as weapons is a great advantage and decided he'll give Suna a warrior like that. We do not know exactly how that was done, but most likely some of that sound-nin's DNA stuck on Gaara's sand after the fight and a special group of scientists manage to separate if from his sand. That DNA was used for a genetic experiment…"

"Wait, are you saying that white-haired guy… is a clone?" asked Kai, seriously disturbed.

"Not exactly" Kankuro replied with a serious face. "As there wasn't much DNA left on the sand, special measures had to be taken. The among of gathered genetic information was enough to create three warriors, yet each had to be… 'born' as a baby. That's why all the test subjects grew naturally. Honemaru's thirteen right now and preciously thirteen years ago the experiment was shut down. When Gaara found out about it, he and an ANBU squad, including us, put a stop to the tests. Sadly we were a little too late as three babies were already created…"

"And this Honemaru guy is one of them…" concluded Takaru as he narrowed his eyes, while settling them on the white-haired boy. To his surprise however, Temari went on: "Actually, all three are here today…" and as everyone drew their attention to her, she continued: "The experiment gave birth to three people, yet not all of theme were said to be successful. While Honemaru proven to be a perfect recreation of the Kaguya bloodline, the other two babies somehow… mutated. Their abilities remained connected to bones, but didn't turn quite as the scientists would want them to…"

"So… what exactly happened?" asked Ibuki hesitantly.

"Gaara decided that it'll be best to place all three in the same team" Kankuro responded with a sad tone. "That is why Honemaru was teamed up with Takai and Tarakudo…"

"So that's how it is!" announced Kumiko upon realization. "Back then, when that bandaged guy fought that swordsman, he could move anyway he desired, without breaking his bones! He must've possessed the ability to pull his bones from their joints! My father told me that something like that is possible!"

"You're pretty smart, missy" stated Temari, managing a smile. "But yes, that is Tarakudo's ability" she added calmly, however Kusari didn't allow the conversation to end there: "But then… what is that Takai guy's ability?" he as hesitantly, glancing over at the scythe user.

"It wouldn't be wise of us to give you away our teammate's abilities when his fight is still ahead, now would it?" Aoru responded with a question, drawing the chain master's attention. As the Leaf gennin glanced at her, she added: "Lets just say that when it comes to Takai… there's certainly no, other shinobi like him…"

"Well, regardless to this whole Takai guy…" Kokoro cut in, also narrowing his eyes. "That Honemaru fellow can form any part of his body into a weapon. Close-range combat goes for his advantage… which makes him an even harder opponent for Tsume, who's specialty is taijutsu…"

A sad expression crossed Hinata's face as she observed her subordinate kneeling near Uramaru, who was slowly struggling back to his feet, surprisingly enough with Honemaru allowing him to do so calmly. "_Tsume…_" the head of the Hyuuga whispered in her mind as a memory flashed before her eyes:

---One year ago---

"My name is Hyuuga Hinata and I was assigned to be your jounin instructor" the white-eyed woman announced as she stood before the five, rookie gennin. "Were forming team number four and will be spending a lot of time together, so I figure first order of business would be to know each other. I want you to tell me about your likes, dislikes, plans for the future… to share your dream with your comrades makes it easier for them to help you achieve it…"

"Ummm…" began the first girl shyly as she gazed at her feet and played with her fingers a bit. "My name is Igaku Mikka and I… well, I like… ummm… well, my dream is to become a skilled medic-nin, so that I'll be able to aid my friends in battle…"

Hinata smiled as an image of herself from years back flashed in her mind. Nodding to the girl, she announced out loud: "That's a respectful goal. Let us move forward then. Looks like you're next…" she stated, gazing at the masked boy, who sat next to the future medic.

"The name's Hatake Senkou" replied the boy simply with a little arrogance in his voice. "There's tons of things I don't like, but I do love this village and I'm ready to put all my strength in protecting it! That is why my dream is to claim the Hokage title after my father!"

"_This one's interesting_" the jounin smiled even wider as she turned to the next boy, this time the one with green hair. Upon catching the woman's glance, the boy spoke up with his hands before his mouth: "I'm Kobushi Galu… however I do not feel like talking about myself as I believe actions say more then words…"

"Fair enough" Hinata nodded to him as her eyes traveled to the last boy in the group. "It'd appear it's your turn…" and at that the blonde she spoke to stoo up, resembling a soldier giving his report to the superior: "Name: Benda Kokoro! I like people who can look outside the lines. As for things I hate it'd have to be lies and deception, although I do realize these come natural in a shinobi world. However I do believe that staying true to the people you care about is important. As for my dream, I think it is something one should achieve with his own strength and thus, although I appreciate the offer Hinata-sensei, I prefer to keep it to myself."

"_Shino-kun, this boy reminds me of you so much_" the head of the Hyuuga smiled again as she finally turned to the last member of her cell, a girl with a dog: "Looks like you're the last…" but before she could finish, the young kunoichi announced enthusiastically: "Inuzuka Tsume and this is my dog, Uramaru! I like parties, meat and animals! As for things I dislike, the top of my list will always belong to discipline and know-alls. And mu dream… is to save crimson wolves from extinction! To do that I'm ready to go through anything!" and with that statement her teammates stared at her shocked, while Hinata widen her smile: "_Kiba-kun, this girl… who would've thought?_"

---Flashback end---

"We're not fighting just for ourselves" announced Tsume as her eyes drilled through Honemaru, who stood before her without a change of his expression. In a flash the kunoichi gave her dog a soldier pill, making its fur bristle. "Lets go Uramaru!" she yelled, performing a quick set of hand seals. Instantly another leaf-nin replaced the pup, now making two Tsumes crawl before the white-haired boy, charging forward at the sand-nin at an incredible speed.

"Well, ain't that a twist" stated Tarakudo with a playful voice. "It'll be interesting to see how Honemaru's gonna resolve this, eh Takai?" he asked, turning to the scythe user, yet the other boy only glanced back at him for a split second, before returning to observing the fight.

As the two kunoichi came closer to the white-haired boy, the first began spinning widely, coming at the sand-nin as a small tornado. Instinctually Honemaru jumped to his right, avoiding the assault, yet this was exactly what the other Tsume waited for. Mimicking the first Leaf gennin, she began spinning and as she came at her opponent, who was still in mid-air, she called out from the bottom of her lungs: "Tsuuga!"

Honemaru's eyes widen slightly in surprise, yet besides that his face remained emotionless. In a flash another, sharp bone grew from his right palm and as it struck the floor, it broke the white-haired boy's flight. Upon coming to a stop, the sand-nin used his bone to flip, placing his body parallel to the ground, making the small tornado fly merely inches above him.

The first Tsume however took action immediately and coming to a sliding stop, she flew at the sand-nin again, once more spinning widely. Seeing this Honemaru separated his palm from the bone that was still stuck in the ground and rested his foot on its end, using it to jump over the incoming attack, somersaulting in the process.

As the tornado flew bellow him, Honemaru flipped again, landing safely on the ground, yet he didn't had the time to counterattack as he found himself strafing left again, making the kunai that the other Tsume tried to use to pierce through him miss be inches. In a fraction of a second, the white-haired boy brought his right hand and torso closer, trapping the kunoichi's hand that held the kunai in between.

Surprisingly enough, Tsume merely smirked and letting go of her kunai, she twisted her hand, grabbing her opponent by the shirt. As he threw her a little confused glance, she announced with a smirk: "Dodge this!" and instantly Honemaru's eyes traveled to the other dog gennin, who just came to a sliding stop and flew at him again, spinning even faster then before.

The white-haired boy made an attempt to move out of the way, yet Tsume's grip was firm and thus he found himself unable to move aside. His eyes widen, be it from shock or fear, and as the cutting hurricane came close enough, the dog kunoichi jumped away, yet Honemaru wasn't fast enough.

The small tornado rammed right into his chest, the impact throwing the sand-nin back and making him crush hard against the wall. Tsume smirked under her nose and as she gazed at her now motionless opponent, she announced: "I win…"

_**---direct hit!---**_

As so this chapter ends. Hope you enjoyed. Please leave a review once you're done, and those who didn't took part in the popularity contest yet, I'd like to encourage you to do so! This time around all the techniques are from the manga, so I'll just give you a translations:

_Jujin Bushin _(Man-Beast Clone)

_Tsuuga_ (Piercing Fang)

**Konoha #7:** Murasakki Kumiko, Tanken Ibuki, Gekido Takaru, Hagane Kusari, Haisha Kai

**Konoha #3:** _Konpaku Rei_, Amagasa Toku, Debano Kitsune, _Gusoku Hanamaru_

**Konoha #4:** Inuzuka Tsume (in progress), Benda Kokoro, Kobushi Galu

**Konoha:**Hamano Taki, Hyuuga Hitomi, Manako Akira, Tanken Funbo, Horohoro

**Suna #1:** Aoru, Torune, Honemaru (in progress), Tarakudo, Takai

**Suna #2:** Sabaku no Sabure, Hari, Dekai, Horamaru, Karame

**Kusa:**Hokku Tobane, Kanraku Nezumi, _Kuchibashi Taka_, Kyohaku Tokame, Wanabi Hizoku

**Ame:** Furikuzu Tsuino, Hebereke Nazaa

**Bakufu:**Abura Tetsu

**Tsuki:**Junsei Teela, Tenka

**Hane:**Ono Reiji

**Kumori**: Kyuu

And this is really a conclusion of this chapter. I'll try my best to update the next one in a week time, so please be patient. Until next time, hopefully!


	95. Bone Crushers

Well, I somehow managed to write this in time for an update. It's kinda surprising as this chapter almost entirely got written down this morning. Just yesterday I really didn't think I'll be updating today.

However there is one thing that's need to be said, before I go any further: just recently it turned out that my father's condition isn't bad… it's worse and due to recent events, I can't really promise whether I'll manage to update at usual, one-week paste. So in the nearest future, you guys should be prepared that the updates may take me longer then the usually do. Sorry, but there's nothing I can do about that.

_**SECOND CHARACTER POPULARITY CONTEST:**_ I just wanted to remind everyone, who didn't voted yet, that they still have a chance to do so! The rules of the voting are written down in the previous chapter! Remember: every vote counts XD

Naturally I wanna thank everyone who did review the previous chapter. It really means a lot. Thanks a bunch and I do hope you'll review this one as well. Of course new reviewers are welcomed as well. It appears nobody believes Honemaru is out already… well, you'll see in a moment. And with so many of you talking about Takai's variation of Kimimaro's bloodline limit (meaning Shikotsumyaku if I recall correctly and as Morlin wrote), I grew slightly worried. Sure hope that it'll manage to live up to your expectations.

With that said, lets just get on with it:

**Chapter #95: Bone Crushers**

_**Title Page:**_ Tsume is laying on top of a doghouse in which Uramaru is sleeping, while Kai is also asleep, propping his back against the wall of the doghouse

"Hey, dad, where are you?" a seven-year-old girl looked around, sniffing the area. As her nose caught nothing but the aroma of forest flowers and trees, her annoyance rose. With her eye twitching slightly, she walked into the bushes: "No fair! How am I supposed to practice my sense of smell if you hide your scent?" she yelled and was about to scream again, yet then her mouth got suddenly covered. As she gazed confused over her shoulder, she saw Kiba kneeling behind her, with his eyes settled in the distance.

"Don't make too much noise, Tsume" he asked his daughter as he freed her mouth and pointed with his head out front, making the girl follow his sight and noticed a small group of wolves. To her surprise however, there was something unusual about them. Upon narrowing her eyes, she realized that their fur wasn't brown nor silver. It was red. Bloody red.

"Dad, what…?" she began curious, but Kiba instantly replied, without waiting for her to finish: "They're called Shinkou Urufu, crimson wolves. These animals can be considered guardians of Konoha" and as he said so, the girl asked the obvious question 'why', yet didn't took her eyes of the wolves, somewhat stunned by them. The jounin smiled weakly, however a sad expression crossed his face as he continued: "As you should know, Inuzuka was one of the founding clans of the Leaf. Our ancestors fought along side with the Shodai Hokage when Konoha was merely starting to emerge from chaos. Back in those days our clansmen teamed up with those wolves before going to battle. Legends say that their fur was normal back then and turned crimson because of the number of enemies those creatures defeated in order for the Leaf to be born…"

"That's awesome!" Tsume yelled, completely forgetting about her father's request. Instantly she covered her own mouth and gazed at the wolves, sighing with relief as she realized she didn't scared them off. Kiba smiled again as he too looked in that direction, before continuing, while regret filled his voice: "Those were hard times, Tsume. Many of those creatures sacrificed their lives for the founding of Konoha. So many, that they landed on the brink of extension. Knowing this, the Shodai Hokage asked for Inuzuka to cease using them to fight. That is when we teamed up with those wolves close relatives, dogs. Sadly that didn't help and crimson wolves number is still decreasing… if nothing will be done, all of them will die…"

"They'll all… die?" Tsume repeated with her mouth opened and her widen eyes staring at her father, who only nodded with a sad expression on his face. The girl then turned towards the wolves again and seeing them running free, she tightened her fists as determination replaced regret: "_I won't allow this!_"

---Flashback end---

The small tornado rammed straight into Honemaru's chest, tossing him at the wall and making his crush hard against it. Upon seeing the sight, Tsume managed a smirk: "I win" she stated and gazed at Lee, awaiting for him to announce the result, but the Leaf's Green Beast only glanced at the fallen sand-nin, making the kunoichi follow. Takai merely narrowed his eyes at the turn of events.

Tsume's eyes widen as she saw the white-haired boy slowly getting up, breathing heavily, which his chest being cut in several places with blood falling down his body and onto the floor. "_He met Piercing Fang heads-on!_" Naruto realized, also slightly surprised. "_How the hell is he capable to stand up after something like that?_"

"That's impossible!" yelled Galu, leaning over the rail a bit. "Tsuuga has so much power, that if one receives a hit like that, his internal organs should even get damaged! He should at least lose consciousness!" but Hinata merely narrowed her eyes as veins were visible around it: "His ribs… by using that bone bloodline he hardened them in order to lower the damage…"

"Meaning he formed some sort of an armor at the moment of impact?" Kumiko asked shocked, turning towards the female jounin. Kitsune's right hand instantly traveled to his chin as he analyzed the situation: "That'd make some sense. The ribs are under the skin, so it's natural his chest got cut, but by hardening his chest bones, he stopped the assault right there, saving himself from internal damages. Ribs surround the organs in the chest…"

"I do not know what that Kimimaro guy was capable off…" Torune cut in with a smirk on her face, thus gathering the attention of all the Leaf gennin. "However there's nothing Honemaru can't do with his bones. I must say that I feel kinda sorry for your friend, coz against him… there's no way she cane win…" and with that her eyes narrowed: "_But then, whoever gets picked as Takai's opponent will end up even worse…_"

"Damn, this guy is really creepy" stated Nezumi, slightly disgust, as her body shivered. "He's a real monster" she said out loud, making something snap in Tarakudo upon hearing that. Aoru noticed her teammate lowering his head a little, more in anger then sadness, yet let out a sigh of relief seeing he regained his usual posture a moment later.

Takai once more narrowed his eyes as they traveled towards the rat kunoichi, and had them met with Hizoku's. The redhead had a short staring contest with the scythe user, yet the sand-nin soon looked away and returned to observing the match: "_This guy…_" the Grass gennin thought to himself as he began sweating uncontrollably. "_Such heavy aura. With just looking at him I was close to panic… who the hell is he?_"

"_This won't do…_" Honemaru thought to himself as the cuts on his chest suddenly began healing, making sweat appear on Tsume's face. "_Even when I hardened them with chakra, my ribs just barely held. Another hit from that tornado thing and they'll certainly break. I need to finish this quickly_" he stated to himself with his face still as emotionless as it ever was. Seeing this Takaru narrowed his eyes as they settled on the sand-nin: "_That's right, he uses bones that he rips from his body. Upon getting them out, the wounds began healing, otherwise his bloodline limit would be lethal for him. It's obvious his body gotta have better regeneration then a normal person, however at this point, it'd seem that unless one brings him down in one blow, there's no way to knock him out…_"

"Come on, Honemaru" Tarakudo yelled from the platform with his arms crossed. "This is getting boring! Rip that girl to pieces already!" and at this point the white-haired boy's eyes narrowed slightly as his head lowered. In a flash he charged forward, making two, long bones shoot from his hands, acting as swords.

Both Tsumes instantly found themselves pushed back, just barely dodging the sand-nin's attacks, which seemed to be coming from every direction. The kunoichi managed to duck under another swing and tried ramming her opponent from bellow, however as soon as she came close, bones shoot from Honemaru's stomach as well, aiming to pierce her head. Instinctually the girl jumped back, and as the white-haired boy swung his other hand, small bones out of it, hitting the Leaf gennin hard, while Uramaru countered.

The dog aimed a kick straight into the sand-nin's face, yet Honemaru managed to avoid the assault by tilting his head to the left and as the attack came right above his right shoulder, a bone shoot up from it, piercing Uramaru's leg, making a painful howl escape his mouth.

"_Bones are located everywhere inside a person's body_" Ibuki noted to herself, narrowing her eyes. "_By taking full control over them, including turning them sharp and hardening them, it means this Honemaru guy is capable of making any part of his body more resistant to damage, along with allowing himself to counterattack from any, possible situation. Plus this regeneration thing… how can you beat a guy like that?_"

"So you're the mutt" concluded Honemaru calmly, his face still emotionless, as he raised his hand that still held his bone sword, aiming to cut the dog's chest. However as his bone came down, it got stopped halfway by a kunai, which surprised the sand-nin to a point he was incapable of dodging a knee that rammed his face, forcing him to take few steps back just to keep his balance.

"Lets finish this, Uramaru!" the real Tsume yelled and in a flash both kunoichi charged at the white-haired boy: "_Tornadoes again?_" he thought, yet his eyes widen slightly as the original leaf-nin jumped her dog and at the moment she flew above it, their hands collide, pushing both into a spinning move: "Gatsuuga!"

Tsume got shoot up, however Uramaru flew down and bouncing off the ground, came straight at Honemaru's face from bellow. Too surprised, the sand-nin allowed his natural reflex to work and immediately his body bended back, making the assault go right before his face. Seeing an opening, the white-haired boy cut the spinning tornado with his sword bones, making the dog's blood spray him a little. It was only then that he saw another tornado coming right at him from above.

"Eat this!" yelled Tsume as she came at her opponent, whose upper body was now almost parallel to the ground. Realizing that in this position he couldn't dodge in time, for the first time in his life, he lose his calm as his eyes widen. The cutting hurricane hit, spreading the sound of cracking bones all over the room.

"Direct hit!" Kusari cheered, throwing his fist to the sky, yet Rei merely silenced him: "You should celebrate just yet" she said and after the chain master threw her a confused glance, he settled his eyes on the two fighters. Surprisingly enough, Honemaru was still standing the same way like before the hit. He didn't fall down.

It was only then that Kusari noticed Honemaru's two sword bones crossed before his chest, creating a barrier that blocked the incoming tornado. "_Again with his bones…_" Lee thought to himself as his eyes narrowed. "_Piercing Fang shouldn't have a problem breaking them, even if they're filled with chakra. Them remaining solid even after blocking Tsuuga can mean only one thing… that Sand boy…reached Kimimaro's level in controlling his ability!_"

Honemaru used all his strength to throw Tsume up by swinging his swords on which she stood. The instantly the leaf-nin flew up, burning pain shoot through his hands, making him slow down: "_My hands!_" he yelled in his mind, completely surprised. "_I stopped that tornado and still bones in my hands crumbled just from the impact? And when I hardened them with chakra? Dammit, this can't be! If I make an attempt to continue this fight… my skeleton can go to pieces!_" and with that he gazed up, where the kunoichi already reached the ceiling and using it to bounce off, she came at him again, spinning wildly.

"_My legs!_" the white-haired boy realized, as pain shoot through his body again. "_I can't make them to move!_" and once more turning his sight to the sky, he decided for a desperate move. In a flash sharp bones grew from all over his body, while he rested on one foot and began spinning. Trying his best to ignore the feeling of his leg getting burnt, he keep on spinning, also forming a small cyclone.

"He copied Tsume's technique!" Kai yelled shocked, seeing the sudden turn of events. Temari merely narrowed her eyes as a worried expression crossed her face.

In the next instant the two tornadoes clashed with a ramming sound. A second later the dog kunoichi got thrown back and landed hard to the ground few meters away from Honemaru, who just stopped spinning. With taking few, deep breaths, the sand-nin gazed at his opponent and then collapsed to the floor as well.

Silence filled the room as everyone was too shocked to say anything. Finally the one to break it was Kokoro, who leaned over the rail, with his face turning pale: "Tsume!"

_**---the most terrifying outcome---**_

And so this chapter ends. Sorry, but I'm really not in the mood to write much, so I'll just give you the list of gennin, as usual. Take care and until next time:

**Konoha #7:** Murasakki Kumiko, Tanken Ibuki, Gekido Takaru, Hagane Kusari, Haisha Kai

**Konoha #3:** _Konpaku Rei_, Amagasa Toku, Debano Kitsune, _Gusoku Hanamaru_

**Konoha #4:** Inuzuka Tsume (in progress), Benda Kokoro, Kobushi Galu

**Konoha:** Hamano Taki, Hyuuga Hitomi, Manako Akira, Tanken Funbo, Horohoro

**Suna #1:** Aoru, Torune, Honemaru (in progress), Tarakudo, Takai

**Suna #2:** Sabaku no Sabure, Hari, Dekai, Horamaru, Karame

**Kusa:** Hokku Tobane, Kanraku Nezumi, _Kuchibashi Taka_, Kyohaku Tokame, Wanabi Hizoku

**Ame:** Furikuzu Tsuino, Hebereke Nazaa

**Bakufu:** Abura Tetsu

**Tsuki:** Junsei Teela, Tenka

**Hane:** Ono Reiji

**Kumori**: Kyuu


	96. Here Comes the Rain Again

Opposed to the usual blabbing I do at this point (about how I didn't think I'll manage to write this on time or bragging that I did) I wanna start this intro differently the usual. The reason for that you can read about at the end of the chapter (for those who actually feel like reading about my personal thoughts that I wanted to share and are not afraid to go deep into my twisted mind XD). Anyways, what I wanted to say is:

_THANK YOU ALL FOR STICKING WITH THIS STORY FOR SO LONG! I KNOW I SAID SOMETHING LIKE THAT MANY TIMES ALREADY, BUT WORDS REALLY CAN'T EXPRESS MY GRATITUDE TO ALL OF YOU WHO KEEP ON READING AND REVIEWING THIS STORY. IT'S YOU GUYS THAT MADE IT POSSIBLE FOR THIS FIC TO RUN THIS LONG AND IF YOU'LL FEEL LIKE IT, IT'LL BE YOU GUYS WHO'LL HELP IT RUN EVEN LONGER!_

Although the statement above is directed towards everyone who reviewed the story overall, I'll also treat it as 'thanks' to those you reviewed the previous chapter specifically as well. I really can't find the words to thank you enough, and so I'll just leave you knowing that I'm really grateful for your support.

_**SECOND CHARACTER POPULARITY CONTEST:**_ I just wanted to remind everyone, who didn't voted yet, that they still have a chance to do so! The rules of the voting are written down in chapter 93! Remember: every vote counts XD

And now, without any more blabbering (there's plenty of that at the end of this chapter XD), here's the newest chapter of "Naruto: Next Generation":

**Chapter #96: Here Comes the Rain Again**

_**Title Page:**_ Kai is fishing and just when he caught something, he shoots it out of the water, right into a sea-gull's break

Tasuki swung a wooden sword around, making a cutting sound fill the air around him. The wide, hospital park had just enough free space for him to train a bit. Although his ribs hurt from time to time as he swung the practice katana, he just clenched his teeth and kept going, ignoring it completely: "_To get defeated by a brat… never again will I allow such a disgrace!_" he claimed, piercing the air before him. It was then that his right eyebrow raised, while his sight traveled to his right, where two, familiar twins stood: "What is it?" he asked in an annoyed tone, looking at the pair.

"Well, it's not like Nobu is completely healed an all…" Kumo began, pointing at his brother who still had several bandages on his body, that covered his burns. "But apparently neither of our injuries were that serious, so the head nurse had use released. She said she needed to attend to some girl or something… don't know what that was all about…"

"Will you get to the point?" Tasuki interrupted, narrowing his eyes as his annoyance grew.

"The point is we're free to wonder around the village" Nobu replied, slowly picking his words. "Eliminations ain't over yet, but I'm guessing they will soon. Since both Teela and Tenka already fought, there's no point in entering, but we were thinking to wait outside the dome and go celebrate their advancing to the final exam once the matches are over. The three of us didn't succeed, but that doesn't mean we can't cheer for them…"

Tasuki's eyes were settled on the two. His gazed indicated that he was both annoyed, with a doze of anger. Teela's words flashed through the swordsman's head and narrowing his eyes, he replied, surprising both twins: "As long as I'm not paying…" and with that he gave them a smirk, making the Chishio siblings exchange shocked glances.

---Back to eliminations---

"Tsume!" Kokoro yelled from the platform, ready to jump down to help his teammate, yet a sudden hand appeared in his way. As the telepath gaze to his left, he saw Hinata blocking his way with her face expression both worry, but also determination: "Stay here, Kokoro… this match still hasn't been decided…"

"_Shit, what the hell am I supposed to do now?_" Lee asked himself as his gaze shifted from one gennin to another. "_Announce a draw?_" he raised his huge eyebrow at the thought and after a short hesitation began raising his hand, only to see another hand raising as well. The hand that belonged to Honemaru.

The white-haired boy lifted up his hand and aiming his palm at the ground, he made a bone shoot out of it, making one end prop itself on the floor, while the other held the hand up. The sand-nin used that very bone to help himself up. Although his entire body burned from inside and pain shoot from every bone as he moves, breathing heavily, he managed to get back up, only to prop himself on his right knee and the bone as his eyes settled on his opponent.

With the turn of events, Lee gazed at Tsume, but seeing no reaction from her, he decided the match was over: "Winner: Ho…" but at this point the kunoichi's body shook as she struggled to get back up. "_Couldn't you do that faster, so that I wouldn't make an idiot out of myself?_" the Leaf's Green Beast thought as his eye twitched.

"I'm… not… done yet…" the dog gennin managed to speak up: "I… have… a…" but this was all she said, before her knees broke beneath her and she collapsed to the floor none the less. A second later Lee announced Honemaru's victory, making Tsume's teammate jump down to their companion immediately.

"Looks like I lost…" she said weakly, seeing her friends gather around. Somehow she found it easier to speak now, though she couldn't really figure out why. "It'd appear that after everything, I'm still too weak…"

"What are you talking about?" asked Galu surprised. "You gave that bone guy a whole load of trouble. Hinata-sensei said his bones aren't in good shape. Just a bit more and you would have won for sure. You have nothing to be ashamed of. Next time you'll surely advance…"

"But this time I did" the kunoichi replied with disappointment in her voice. "How's Uramaru?" she quickly asked, receiving an answer that he'll be fine from Kokoro. Finally both the young Inuzuka and the pup were taken away, while the rest of Hinata's cell made its way back to the platform. The medics came towards Honemaru as well, surprisingly however the white-haired boy refused to go for treatment and got back to his teammates as well.

"I'm not an expert, but I do believe your skeleton isn't in its best shape" stated Tarakudo with an emotionless voice. "I can imagine it hurts and quite much at that. Why didn't you go with the medics?" he asked not even turning to his teammate. Honemaru simply gazed at him for a split second, and then replied, with the voice just as emotionless as the bandaged boy's: "The eliminations are almost over. I can endure as much, so no point in leaving, since one of my teammates still has his fight ahead…" and with that his sight traveled to Takai.

The scythe user noted his gaze, but seemed to ignore it completely as he still stood with his arms crossed, watching the screen. Seeing this, Aoru gave her crush a worried look, but didn't say a word. Temari however managed a smile at her subordinate's statement: "_Perhaps there's still hope for these three?_"

"Using your own bones as weapons" Kai shivered at the thought as he embraced himself. "I saw it, but it's still hard for me to believe…" he announced, making Kankuro gaze at him for a moment and then, returning to observing the screen, the puppeteer responded: "That is partly the reason they were created… to strike fear in enemy's hearts. But even putting their abilities aside, they're still creepy. I'll never understand why Gaara allowed them to live, let alone become Suna shinobi…"

"And I know exactly why he did that" replied Naruto with a smile. "Whether you classify them as humans or not, they were created on human basis. They feel… learn… dream. They're living and Gaara… he learned to respect life. Any life. That's why he forbid to kill those three. He let them become sand-nins, because he acknowledge their existence…" at this point Kankuro merely glanced at the whisker-marks and after staring at him for a while, his mouth also broke into a smile as his eyes returned to the screen, where two, new names were already picked: **HEBEREKE NAZAA versus FURIKUZU TSUINO**.

"Well, what do you know?" began the red-haired rain-nin as he gazed at his teammate with a smirk. The scar-faced boy replied with a smile as well as they both jumped down, awaiting the starting signal. Seeing this however, Kusari got completely confused: "Wait a minute, those two are from the same team!" he noticed, pointing at the Ame gennin. "How the hell were they picked to fight each other?"

"Don't you remember what Lee-san said at the beginning?" Kumiko responded, slightly annoyed by her teammate's lack of intelligence. "The fights are individual, meaning the teams stopped existing for the time being. Right now they're not teammates, but just two gennin, trying to get the right to participate in the final exam! They're rivals, just like you, me, Takaru, Ibuki or Kai…"

"Wow, Kumiko-chan is so smart" the chain master replied with his eyes turning into hearts. "You deserve a kiss" and with that he buckled up his lips, only to receive a kick right into them, while a vein pulsed on the young genius head. Ibuki merely sweat dropped at the whole situation: "_You're really pushing your luck, Kusari… and risk your life at that…_"

"Thirty match: Hebereke Nazaa against Furikuzu Tsuino!" Lee announced loudly as the two, rain-nin stood before each other. "Ready and… BEGIN!" and in a flash he moved out of the way, while the red-haired Ame gennin charged at his teammate, readying his fists. As his opponent came within his range, he jumped forward, flipping and dropped his right fist at the scar-faced boy's head.

Immediately Tsuino leaned to his right and spun on his foot, aiming a kick into the back of Nazaa's head, yet before the attack connected, the redhead deflected it by hitting his teammate's leg with an opened palm, throwing it off course and just barely landing safely on his feet, he spun himself, freely swinging his left hand at the opponent, who quickly ducked under the assault and launched both his fists at Nazaa's stomach.

The redhead simply bended his torso and with his head and legs out front, he tried to head bomb Tsuino, but the scar-faced boy manage to act in time and bending back, he flipped backwards, throwing his legs at Nazaa's incoming head. Surprisingly for everyone though, the other boy leaned back in time, making the kicks fly just before his face, causing no damage.

As his head shoot back, it seemed like Nazaa will fall back, yet he managed to keep his balance by taking a single step in each direction and then charged at Tsuino again but not in a straight line. He zigzagged! Once he beat the distance between the two, the redhead began throwing punches and kicks completely randomly, forcing his teammate back, barely dodging or blocking all of them.

"_That redhead!_" Lee just realized, widening his eyes. "_He's using the drunken fist!_" Meanwhile, on the platform, Taki raised her eyebrow: "What is it with that guy? Is he drunk or something?" she asked, looking around confused. The one to answer her, was Takaru: "That's the general idea… he's using Suiken, a very specific martial art. Its biggest strength lies within the fact that the attack pattern is basically unpredictable…"

"_Unpredictable, huh?_" Horohoro snorted, glancing back at Tsuino. "_And yet this guy managed to read that redhead's movement perfectly. Out of the two… who is more dangerous then?_" and at this point Nazaa threw another punch forward, making his entire body lean to the front. The scar-faced boy managed to jump back and as it seemed that the redhead is going to fall down, he suddenly jumped forward, aiming to smack his teammate's stomach with his own head.

Acting on instinct, Tsuino jumped over the incoming, spinning redhead and upon landing, he spun around, seeing that his opponent already came to a sliding stop and charged at him again, still giving the impression he'll fall down at any time. Just inches before his teammate's scared face he jumped up, aiming a kick into it, but also this time the other rain-nin ducked under the assault.

As his feet touched the floor, Nazaa aimed a knee into Tsuino's face that was now near the ground, but also this time the scar-faced boy managed to dodge the attack by standing back up instantly. It was then that the redhead threw an opened palm attack with his right hand, making his opponent lean right, only to see a punch coming at him from the same direction, from below.

Instinctually, Tsuino bended back, making the attack go right before his face. That single swing made Nazaa lose his balance again and spin on his feet. Surprisingly however , as he was halfway through, he placed his hands on the floor and using them to prop himself, he threw a kick at defenseless scar-faced boy, delivering a powerful blow into his teammate's stomach.

"He got him!" yelled Hanamaru shocked as Tsuino took few steps back, holding his stomach. He gazed at his teammate with a tiny smirk appearing on his face and simply reached or his dagger swords: "Well, that was fun. What do you say we end our warm-up here and get serious, old friend?"

"Works _hik _for me" replied Nazaa, also crooking a smile.

_**---this battle starts now!---**_

_Coming up: _the eliminations are at an end and the final exam is drawing closer. Plots, dreams, ambitions! All will come crushing against each other soon! But with the little still to come in the eliminations, what awaits Ibuki, who was yet to fight? Next: Ibuki's match begins!

Well, this concludes this chapter. Hope you enjoyed it. As usual, I'm placing the list of the gennin 'still in the game' below and after that my personal thoughts. Whether you wish to read them or not, I'll leave it up to you. It's just something I really wanted to get off my chest.

**Konoha #7:** Murasakki Kumiko, Tanken Ibuki, Gekido Takaru, Hagane Kusari, Haisha Kai

**Konoha #3:** _Konpaku Rei_, Amagasa Toku, Debano Kitsune, _Gusoku Hanamaru_

**Konoha #4:** Benda Kokoro, Kobushi Galu

**Konoha:**Hamano Taki, Hyuuga Hitomi, Manako Akira, Tanken Funbo, Horohoro

**Suna #1:** Aoru, Torune, Honemaru, Tarakudo, Takai

**Suna #2:** Sabaku no Sabure, Hari, Dekai, Horamaru, Karame

**Kusa:**Hokku Tobane, Kanraku Nezumi, _Kuchibashi Taka_, Kyohaku Tokame, Wanabi Hizoku

**Ame:** Furikuzu Tsuino (in progress), Hebereke Nazaa (in progress)

**Bakufu:**Abura Tetsu

**Tsuki:**Junsei Teela, Tenka

**Hane:**Ono Reiji

**Kumori**: Kyuu

_**Shang's Personal Thoughts that no-one cares about:**_ recently, in my free time, which serves me to get away from all the problems that began growing all around me, I found myself escaping to "One Piece" world, re-reading the entire story (over 450 chapters… believe it). As I recalled all the events that occurred throughout the entire story, I realized something that I haven't given much attention when the note about it appeared in one of the recent chapters: it's been 10 years since the first chapter of "One Piece" appeared. 10 years!

_**More Shang's blabbering:**_ my first thought was 'damn, 10 years? It took the guy 10 years to get to the point the story is at right now'. I made a quick search and noticed that Oda-sama ("One Piece" creator) is now 32. Basically my favorite manga (sorry, but "Naruto" comes second) began when the author was 22, meaning as old as I am now. Just that, single fact made me wonder 'what ever happened to your dream, dumbass?' XD

_**Shang's Blabbering Still:**_ you see, ever since I was little, I always enjoyed writing stories and hoped that someday I'll actually manage to become a writer. During my 'early years' I wrote quite a bunch of stupid stories, in many cases feeling ashamed that some of the ideas I used in them I once thought were actually good _sweat drops_. And here I am, 22 already, and the one story I wrote, that could actually be published, has barely two pages done _sweat drops even more_. Oda-sama made his debut at that age and I already fell behind.

_**Shang Just keeps going and going:**_ all of that actually made me look back and think 'what have I been doing all those years'. I wrote just fun stories, in most cases not sharing them with a wider audience. And as I kept on skidding down my works, I finally reached this story/fic of mine. For some reason, a smile appeared on my face as I recalled how it all began: a friend of mine told me about a "Naruto" fanfic she was writing (at the time the idea of writing fanfic seemed pointless to me… believe it or not) and asked me to read it (saying that she'd like to hear my opinion on it… apparently she was impressed by one of my original stories and thought of me as a good writer). That is how I came across this site.

_**Would you believe that it's still Shang's blabbering:**_ her fanfic was really good and as I read it, a certain thought bloomed in my head: 'what do I have to lose'… and basically that is how N:NG was made. The whole gennin exam (meaning the first, 8 chapters) were done instantly, one-two days was all it took me to write them down. I've send them to the very same friend to ask her opinion and she liked it. Kinda on a whim I opened an account and three days later I uploaded the first chappie here. Then second… third… before I knew it I began writing chapters that went beyond gennin exam.

_**Fear not, Shang's almost done:**_ that was nearly two and a quarter year ago. Now that I think about it, life played a pretty twisted joke on me: what began as something to just pass the time, ended as one of the longest stories I've ever written and probably ever will write. Without me even noticing I grew anxious about writing what happens next to the characters and couldn't wait to finish the next chapter. Oda-sama already sacrificed 10 years for his work, while I so far spend 2 on this project. Not much by comparison, but even so it helped me realized something: whether I like it or not, this story became an important part of my life. I don't know if I'll manage to write it to the very end that I've planned (since it'd require much more time then I've already used for it). I don't know if my dream of becoming a writer will come true. Heck, I don't even know what I'll be doing this weekend XD. However there's one thing I am certain of: someday, probably years from now, I'll look back at all the stories I wrote once more, stop at this particular fic, and manage a smile. Story began on a whim. Story that means to me as much as "One Piece" means for Oda-sama.

_**Last paragraph, seriously:**_ and so I came to a question: what in the world made me sacrifice so much time for this? A story that I never really planned (or even suspected) to go this long? Was it really my liking of the characters? Was it the 'thrill to write' alone? Perhaps both. I don't suppose I'll ever figure out the answer to that one, however I do know one thing: this story certainly wouldn't have reached this far if it wasn't for you, dear reviewers, who kept on encouraging me, pushing me to keep going. And so I wanna thank you all for support! I don't know if you'll decide to stick around to see how all this mess will end, but at the very least I hope this story won't bore you too soon.

And this is really it for this chapter. Hope you found it enjoyable and that it helped you escape from the reality, if only for a little while. Thanks again for tuning in and hope to see you next time!


	97. Final Match Up

Well, this chapter took longer then I hoped it would, but that couldn't be helped really. Sadly, I'm afraid there's high chance next week chapter will be delayed as well. On a more positive note though (especially for those who read my original works on FictionPress) I am also updating both "Dragon Blood" and "Forgotten Sands". Plus I'm submitting two, completely new stories of mine.

As always I wanna thank everyone who did review the previous chapter. It truly means a lot. I won't be going too deep into that this time around, but it's mostly because I'm in kinda hurry (basically I'm submitting this chapter right before leaving for the weekend, so…)

_**SECOND CHARACTER POPULARITY CONTEST:**_ I just wanted to remind everyone, who didn't voted yet, that they still have a chance to do so! The rules of the voting are written down in chapter 93! Remember: every vote counts XD

And now, lets get on with it:

**Chapter #97: Final Match up**

_**Title Page:**_ Kai dressed in a suit with sunglasses on and a suitcase with 'top secret' labeled on it is entering a gondola, 'driven' by a fat, Chinese guy with long, thin mustache

"I think that's enough warm-up" stated Tsuino as he picked out his dagger swords and a smile appeared on his face. "What say we get serious, old friend?" he asked Nazaa, who responded with a smirk as well: "Works _hik_ for me!" and in a flash he charged at the scar-faced boy, still giving out the impression he was about to trip.

Just before reaching his opponent, he did trip and falling face-first, he propped himself with his hands, throwing kicks at Tsuino, how managed to dodge the assault in the last moment by bending back and then, spinning on his foot, he leaned forward, ducking under the rest of the kicks, aiming to swipe Nazaa off his feet.

Letting his natural reflex work, the redhead simply bounced up and placing his body parallel to the floor, he went at his teammate with a head-bomb. With no time to move out of the way, the scar-faced boy quickly split his legs, moving them out of the drunk taijutsu user's way, yet that was a mistake as Nazaa broke the fall with one hand and spinning on it, he delivered a powerful kick into Tsuino's face, who was defenseless at the time.

As he was send flying back, the 'dagger' user flipped and came to a sliding stop. In a flash the redhead catherine-wheeled to his adversary, aiming a drop kick on his head again. This time however Tsuino was well prepared and propping his left hand on the ground, he blocked the assault with his right leg, immediately delivering his left on into Nazaa's stomach, this time sending his teammate flying.

"Did you already forgot that I can be unpredictable too, Nazaa?" asked the scar-faced boy with a smirk, while a bored expression crossed Kai's face: "Okay, I've been watching this for a while and to be honest I don't see what's so great about this Saiken thing. That Scar guy still can lend a blow and he avoided most of the attacks himself…"

"Do you really need to have everything told to you straight?" asked Galu, sighing, yet replied none the less: "This whole Tsuino fellow is just well train, his reaction time is very small, which allows him to counter quickly. Very few gennin are capable of doing what the scar-face's doing. Probably even many jounin would have problems fighting the Drunken Fist as effectively as that rain-nin right now…"

"It's main strength is its unpredictability, as you were already told" Kokoro cut in calmly, as his eyes narrowed. "It's hard to say from where the attack will come, because even the user himself doesn't know that. Both punches and kicks are thrown at random, having the body act on its own. In this case even my mind reading wouldn't do any good…"

"But there's more" Kitsune continued, making Kai's head now turn towards him. "Whoever uses the Saiken also gives his or hers body be effected by natural reflex. It means the body doesn't waste time to think about blocking, it just avoids getting hit. This also makes any strategy useless, coz you never know how your opponent is gonna react to your assault."

"And aside from all that" this time it was Hitomi who joined it the conversation. "It is also a simple fact that when drunk, ones physical strength is greater the usual. Of course endurance also increases. To put it as simple as I can: whoever uses Drunken Fist, is capable of surpassing his own limits in taijutsu. There are disadvantages, like the fact that such person would find it hard to form a strategy of his own or even perform a more complex attack, however if it's just a physical battle involving taijutsu and weapons, Saiken allows a shinobi to overpower his opponent with body's instinct alone, with the only side-effect being a hangover…"

"Oh" replied Kai with his face slightly amazed, making Rei sweat drop: "I don't suppose he understood either way" she stated and then turned her sleepy gaze down to the Arena again, where the two rain-nin were charging at each other once more.

As the two engaged each other, Nazaa threw a fist at his teammate, yet Tsuino quickly dodged by spinning on his foot and once his back was facing the redhead, he grabbed his arm, aiming an elbow at the drunken gennin's stomach, only to have this assault get stopped by the other rain-nin's knee. In a flash the scar-faced boy threw a kick back, hoping for an opening, however also this time the attack didn't reach it's target as it was stopped by Nazaa'a free hand.

Acting immediately Tsuino made a move like he was trying to toss the redhead over his shoulder, yet as soon as the other rain-nin's body got pulled forward, he twisted the hand he tried to elbow his teammate with and stopped the blade of his dagger sword not more then an inch before Nazaa's throat: "Sorry, but it seems to me this is the end of it…"

"Yeah, _hik _looks like that" admitted the redhead. "I lost again" and with that he turned towards Lee with an absent-minded expression on his face: "Sorry, Eyebrow guy, but this match… seems that I wanna give up" and without wasting another second, the Leaf's Green Beast, slightly pissed by the 'eyebrow' remark, instantly announced Tsuino's victory.

"_Being able to read the movements of a Saiken user…_" Teela thought to herself without even the slightest change in her expression. "_That boy with scars certainly won't be easy to deal with…_"

"_When those other, two rain-nin fought Tobane and Tokame I knew that team wasn't ordinary_" Hizoku noted in his mind as he observed both Ame gennin walking back to the platform. "_The final exam should be fun. But right now, there are only two matches left and still one of Kai-san' teammates haven't got a chance to fight_" and with that his eyes settled on Ibuki.

"Lets move on to the next, elimination fight!" Lee announced, making most of the people's attention focus on the screen once again. Takaru merely looked around and with a raised eyebrow, he stated with a little teasing voice: "You know, Ibuki, I hate to be the barer of bad news, but the way I see it, the only people left, are those that won't allow anyone to spit in their bowl…"

"Thanks for cheering me up" the young assassin shoot back, sweat dropping. Kyuu simply gazed at her and then at the scar-faced gennin. He then narrowed his eyes, yet kept his posture as if he didn't care. The one who really didn't care, was Takai as he was still observing the screen with his arms crossed.

At that very moment the choice was made and without a word spoken, Sabure made a single hand seal, making herself get surrounded with sand and in a flash a mirror image of the sand whirlpool appeared in the middle of the arena, which made Lee narrowed his eyes at the sight: "_This girl…_" was his only thought before his eyes traveled to the screen to see who the redhead kunoichi was going to fight: **TANKEN IBUKI versus SABAKU NO SABURE**!

"Waiting so long and not even fighting last" began Kai with a slightly bored tone. "How uncool" and with that Ibuki gazed at him with her eye twitching: "Can't you guys throw at least one, encouraging word?" she yelled annoyed as a vein began pulsing on her forehead.

"Don't get yourself killed" responded Kumiko matter-of-factly, making something break in the young assassin. The weapon mistress just turn around and began getting over the rail: "Best just get going before I start killing people" she announced pissed, but before she managed to jump down, Naruto's hand landed on her shoulder and as she gazed at her teacher, the whisker-marks jounin stated: "Ibuki, that opponent of yours… if I'm not mistaken, she's the worst type of opponent someone of your skills could've get. Don't push yourself with this…"

The young assassin merely gave a nod before jumping down and walking to the center of the arena, where Sabure already awaited her. It was at this time that Toku turned to the rest of Naruto's subordinates with a single drop of sweat falling down his face: "You're not very good teammates…"

"Sorry, Toku, but you don't know Ibuki as well as we do" Kusari replied with a tiny smirk. "She fights best when she has a good reason to do so. And considering that we know nothing of that sand-nin, we gave her the best motivation we could… she's gonna do her best, just to shut our mouths" he announced as his eyes settled on the weapon mistress.

"_So they made fun of her, to push her to going all out_" concluded Akira, also managing a smile. "_An interesting idea… but with that weird chakra that's coming from that other girl's gourd… I have a bad feeling about this…_"

"_Well Ibuki, what are you gonna show us?_" Funbo asked himself with a playful smile as his eyes settled on his younger sister. Takai merely narrowed his as they stopped at Sabure, who also gazed at the scythe user for a split second, before she returned to observing her opponent.

"Thirty first match: Tanken Ibuki against Sabaku no Sabure!" Lee called out loudly, rising the tension in the room. "Ready and… BEGIN!" and instantly the young assassin reached for her weapon porches, unleashing shuriken at the redhead. Surprisingly for her though, sand suddenly shoot from the masked girl's gourd and blocked shinobi stars' way, stopping them before they managed to reach their target.

"_With sand?_" Ibuki's eyes widen in shock as the sand shoot at her, forcing her to jump back as she picked out few more shuriken to toss them at Sabure as well, but also these got blocked by a new wall of sand that rose from the Suna gennin's gourd.

Ibuki landed safely on her feet, not taking her eyes off Sabure. The sand was now all around her feet and swirling around its master, who stood in the exact, same spot as when the match began with her arms crossed. Above the masked girl's head, the sand took shape of a dragon's head as a disturbing sound filled the room while it cut through the air.

As calm as ever, Sabure simply reached for her mask and slowly took it off, revealing a pair of jade eyes, which stared at the weapon mistress. Just one gaze into them send shivers down the young assassin's spine. But what scared her wasn't the urge to kill or some deep anger. What was most frightening in those eyes, was a complete lack of emotions. There was absolutely nothing in them. Besides jade pupils, the sand-nin's eyes were empty.

"You're not the one I wanted to fight" the redhead stated simply, her voice as emotionless as her eyes. "However, since you're in the way, I can't just move forward freely. I do not care for your reasons to fight nor do I care who you are. If you won't give up now… I will kill you…"

_**---Ibuki's weapons against Sabure's sand!---**_

And that's that. Hope you enjoyed it and that you'll leave me a review once you're done. Now, quickly, the updated list of gennin:

**Konoha #7:** Murasakki Kumiko, Tanken Ibuki (in progress), Gekido Takaru, Hagane Kusari, Haisha Kai

**Konoha #3:** _Konpaku Rei_, Amagasa Toku, Debano Kitsune, _Gusoku Hanamaru_

**Konoha #4:** Benda Kokoro, Kobushi Galu

**Konoha:** Hamano Taki, Hyuuga Hitomi, Manako Akira, Tanken Funbo, Horohoro

**Suna #1:** Aoru, Torune, Honemaru, Tarakudo, Takai

**Suna #2:** Sabaku no Sabure (in progress), Hari, Dekai, Horamaru, Karame

**Kusa:** Hokku Tobane, Kanraku Nezumi, _Kuchibashi Taka_, Kyohaku Tokame, Wanabi Hizoku

**Ame:** Furikuzu Tsuino, _Hebereke Nazaa_

**Bakufu:** Abura Tetsu

**Tsuki:** Junsei Teela, Tenka

**Hane:** Ono Reiji

**Kumori**: Kyuu

And so this concludes this chapter. I truly hope you found it enjoyable. Take care and until next time, hopefully!


	98. The Legacy

Oh, the humanity! There was no chapter last week! XD Sorry bout that, but thing with my father came up and I didn't have the time (nor strength) to write even a single line, much less the whole chapter (I'll try to make it up to you guys with some multiply update once the eliminations will come to an end, but I'm not promising anything). Basically I'm busy all week long since Monday as well, but once I returned from work today, I sat down to it and kinda miraclessly managed to actually finish this.

I seriously had doubts if I'll be able to, coz the instant I sat down to it, I found lack of inspiration. For some reason I couldn't get through writing the parts when Sabure used her abilities. That kinda annoyed me, as I wrote Gaara's fights in the past and as it's not hard to figure out, Sabure uses similar style. But in the end I managed to combine Ibuki's fighting style with how Sabure fights and I'm actually pretty happy with the final result of it all. Though, as I did wrote it down, I came to realize that this match may take longer then I first intended it to… and since Takai vs. Kyuu is still ahead… damn.

Upon reading your reviews, I came to realize very few of you actually give Ibuki any chances at winning (though most would prefer she'd advance). Do you really believe I have nothing in stored for this match? I'll stop right there, coz as you all probably figured out by now, I hate spoiling things, but I do assure you both Ibuki and Sabure has tricks up their sleeves you, hopefully, don't see coming. And, since I'm at reviews, as always I wanna thank everyone who did took their time to leave a comment. Arigatou!

_**At this point I also wanted to remind everyone, who didn't voted yet, that they still have a chance to do so! The rules of the voting are written down in chapter 93! Remember: every vote counts and the contest is coming to an end pretty soon!**_

Now, before I'll invite you to read the newest chapter of N:NG, one, last warning: as I already stated, I had little time this week and thus I'm saying it straight: I finished this chapter around 5 minutes ago and I didn't had the time nor strength to proof-read, so I wanna apologize in advance for probably higher then usual number of grammar mistakes. I just figured that if I won't submit this one, you might had to wait another week for the update and came to the conclusion that since with me there are always grammar mistakes, you hopefully won't mind this once. But still, sorry for the inconvenience.

And with that, I believe I can start the freshest chapter of N:NG! Hope you'll find it worth waiting for:

**Chapter #98: The Legacy**

_**Title Page:**_ Sabure is standing with a raccoon laying on top of her head

"If you won't give up now… I will kill you" Sabure said with an emotionless voice. Hearing this, Funbo merely smirked: "I think I'm gonna like her" he stated, making Horohoro throw him a look, yet the blue-haired boy said nothing.

"Those eyes and techniques" began Naruto, narrowing his eyes as he gazed at Kankuro. "They just confirm what was basically obvious anyway; she is Gaara's daughter. However that fact brings a certain question to mind… although it's been a long while since I last talked to Gaara, I recall him have two children… twins… a boy and a girl. That means both are the same age and should the boy enter the exams it's doubtful he wouldn't reach this far. So, where's this girl's brother and why didn't he enter the exams? Was someone of Gaara's strength not ready to do so?"

The puppeteer merely shoot him a quick look, before turning back to the arena, as he replied: "Not quite… Touba's absence during these exams is of a different nature. For him it'd be problematic to attend it… since he's already dead…" and at those words Naruto's eyes shoot opened as he gave the sand-nin a confused glance: "What the hell are you talking about? How can Gaara's kid get killed? In the past there were countless assaults on Gaara's life even when before he graduated from the Academy and yet, regardless to how skill the assassin was, Gaara preserved! And his son possessed the same abilities as him! I know, because I saw it when the kid was only five! How is it possible that with those skills he was killed, especially since he was the Kazekage's child?"

"Well, it may be hard to accept for you, but these are the facts, I'm afraid" Temari cut in, lowering her sight. "Touba was killed before he could even graduate from the Academy. And the one to kill him… was Takai" and instantly, at hearing those words, Kai jumped away from the scythe user, clinging onto Kumiko, who just dropped him onto the floor annoyed.

"_But this boy seems to be around that gourd girl's age_" Hinata noted in her mind as she examined Takai with her eyes. "_That'd mean he was less then twelve!_" but at this point Kai exploded as he pointed an accusing finger at the black-haired sand-nin: "What the hell is your problem? Do you really mean to say you killed a member of your own village? Whatever reason could one have to do that?"

"There's more to it then you think" Tarakudo cut in, chuckling behind his bandages. "Wanna hear the fun part? The truth is Touba was Takai's best friend" and at that statement the loud mouth's jaw dropped: "You can't be serious! Why the hell did he killed him then? What sort of friend would do such a thing?" the boy demanded, not even realizing that Naruto's eyes narrowed at those words: "_Those reasons always turn out to be meaningless in the end… isn't that right, Sasuke? You should know… since you did kill me…_"

However a sudden noise made everyone turn their attention back to the fight bellow. Sabure's sand once again shoot at Ibuki, this time in the form of long, thick whips, each ended with a spike. As the young assassin ran to her left in order to avoid the raining spikes, she reached for her porch again and jumping forward to dodge the sand whip that struck from above, she rested her free hand on the ground, while she unleashed the shuriken from the other. Yet also this time the shinobi stars got stopped by a wall of sand that arose from the gourd.

In a flash the wall began swirling and forming itself into a dragon, it came right at Ibuki, whose feet just touched the ground. As the sand beast came, sliding on the floor, the young assassin acted on instinct and jumping up, she somersaulted, making the 'monster' go below her. However while she tried to land safely on the dragon's back, another head shoot out of it, this time hitting the leaf-nin heads-on and sending her flying back, cutting her skin in several places.

While Ibuki was still in mid-air, the sand suddenly switched directions, thus tossing her straight at the ground and making her crash hard against it with her back, as she cough out blood. The instant the dragon retreated, the young assassin rolled away, getting back to her feet a second later. She was already panting, while pain shoot through her left shoulder, yet she merely clenched her teeth and narrowed her left eye to stop anything from showing an obvious injury.

"This is ridiculous" stated Hari with a little bored tone. "Even now you can tell that girl has no chance against Sabure. Why even bother continuing?" she asked, turning towards her father, yet Kankuro didn't reply. Meanwhile Ibuki reached for her hostel again, picking out more, throwing weapons.

"Again?" the redhead girl asked with an emotionless voice. "Do you not see this won't work? My sand will stop this assault regardless. Just give up, before I really do kill you. It doesn't take much to realize you're nearing the edge with every second…"

"Blah, blah, blah…" the young assassin shoot back with a smirk appearing on her face. Instantly she unleashed the weapons, making them head towards the Suna gennin. As the knives and shinobi stars came closer, a familiar wall of sand rose yet again, blocking their way. Surprisingly however, Ibuki's smirk only widen as she quickly maneuvered her hands, throwing the incoming blades of course and making them flank the sandy barrier.

"_She attached strings to them!_" Horamaru realized instantly as the weapons came at Sabure from every direction. The redhead eye's widen slightly at the turn of events, yet immediately more sand shoot from her gourd, forming an umbrella above her head with a sole purpose to stop the incoming blades. As the first shinobi stars collided with the barrier, the sand began pouring down from the edges, also blocking the weapons that came nearer the floor.

"_Even with that, she still managed to block_" Ibuki cursed in her mind as she jumped back, letting go of the strings upon realizing Sabure's sand went for her using them. "_That freaking sand of hers must work regardless to her will. This makes it more troublesome then I have anticipated…_"

"Ibuki-chan, watch out!" Kusari's voice suddenly rang in her ears and upon looking down, she realized her opponent's sand laid right beneath her feet. She was only quick enough to widen her eyes as the sand instantly shoot up, wrapping around her, while forming into a hand, crushing some of her ribs in the process. This time however, the young assassin was incapable of holding back the yell of pain.

"Sabaku Kyuu" Sabure announced, still as emotionless as before, while she held up her right hand, controlling the sand the engulfed the young assassin. "With this technique I can crush your entire body in less then a split second. I will repeat myself: you're not the one I wish to kill, thus I give you this one, last chance to surrender. Fail to do so and your blood will paint crimson this room…"

"_Dammit, she has total control of that stupid sand_" Kumiko analyzed quickly. "_And this is in an isolated room! Who terrifying she can be when the sand covers the ground as well?_" and at that she shivered, also realizing the situation her teammate was in.

"Just as I thought" Funbo said to himself with a bored tone.

"Damn…" Ibuki cursed under her nose. "And I thought I could finish this in better shape too" she announced and it was only then that a frizzling sound reached Sabure's ears. Her eyes widen as explosions covered her completely, lifting up tons of smoke.

"She got her!" yelled Hanamaru surprised as he leaned over the rail. Takaru merely narrowed his eyes as a tiny smirk crossed his face: "_So you didn't just tie strings to those weapons, but also attached explosive tags to them? Nice, Ibuki…_" and with that thought he settled his gaze at the smoke, that slowly began clearing.

As their view became clearer, most people's eyes widen in surprise as in the place Sabure was now stood a dome of sand. Ibuki merely gazed with disappointment at the sandy barrier as the sand began dropping, freeing the redhead girl from the darkness within, revealing the Suna kunoichi standing just like she was before the explosion.

"I take it you're not surrendering" concluded Sabure in her usual, emotionless voice and with a quick motion, she tightened her fist, making the hand of sand squeeze, in a flash popping, spraying everyone gathered in the room with warm substance. Taki shivered in horror as she did not bare to watch. It took her a moment to realize that what fallen upon her, was not liquid.

The boomerang user gazed at her hand confused, seeing the last, tiny granules falling off it to the floor. "_Sand?_" she noticed, even more surprised, looking around. Karame already felt a single drop of sweat running down his face beneath the bandages: "_That Konoha brat… she broke through Sabure's sand!_"

"_Could it be…?_" Dekai wondered, narrowing his eyes, yet remained silent.

Sabure followed his example, narrowing her eyes, as they rested on Ibuki, who was standing few meters away from her, breathing quickly, however a wide smile could easily be spotted upon her face: "This is not good" she stated with a sorrowful voice. "It seems physical attacks won't get through that stupid sand of yours, which makes my weapon throwing skills completely useless against you. Naruto-sensei was right: you are the worst, possible opponent for me… however I cannot allow myself to lose here. How would it look to be the only one of my team to fail? I'm really out of options here" and with that she managed a weak and short laugh.

"She just realized she can't win and she's laughing?" concluded Aoru, totally confused. "Is she insane?" and with that question she turned towards Torune, yet her teammate didn't reply. The blonde's eyes were settled on the weapon mistress, drilling through the young assassin.

"This was supposed to be my thumb card for the finals" Ibuki went on, still smiling. "A key to defeating my brother. Sadly there will be no finals without it. I guess you might call it an irony" and with that she laughed again, yet Sabure still didn't react.

Once the Leaf kunoichi calmed down, he eyes settled on the redhead as well, while she went into her fighting style: "Watch closely, my friend, coz I'm about to show you something few outside the Tanken clan are aware of… I'll show you Tanken's ninjutsu!"

_**---releasing destructive power… next issue: Tanken's Ninjutsu!---**_

And that's it for now. Hope some of the 'sensations' from this chappie did surprise you, but more importantly I do hope you enjoyed the chapter itself. The only techniques used this time around are those of Sabure's, that are basically originally Gaara's tricks, but at the very least I can give you a translation to the name of the jutsu mentioned:

_Sabaku Kyuu _(Desert Coffin… like you wouldn't know XD)

**Konoha #7:** Murasakki Kumiko, Tanken Ibuki (in progress), Gekido Takaru, Hagane Kusari, Haisha Kai

**Konoha #3:** _Konpaku Rei_, Amagasa Toku, Debano Kitsune, _Gusoku Hanamaru_

**Konoha #4:** Benda Kokoro, Kobushi Galu

**Konoha:** Hamano Taki, Hyuuga Hitomi, Manako Akira, Tanken Funbo, Horohoro

**Suna #1:** Aoru, Torune, Honemaru, Tarakudo, Takai

**Suna #2:** Sabaku no Sabure (in progress), Hari, Dekai, Horamaru, Karame

**Kusa:** Hokku Tobane, Kanraku Nezumi, _Kuchibashi Taka_, Kyohaku Tokame, Wanabi Hizoku

**Ame:** Furikuzu Tsuino, _Hebereke Nazaa_

**Bakufu:** Abura Tetsu

**Tsuki:** Junsei Teela, Tenka

**Hane:** Ono Reiji

**Kumori**: Kyuu

And this truly concludes this chapter. Hope you enjoyed it. Take care and may the Kage Bushin be with you! Until next time!


	99. Tanken's Ninjutsu

Hey, it's been a while since I updated, hasn't it? (well, not as much as my updates on my other fics… the biggest author blocks I ever had invaded my mind in those cases). Well, the last two weeks were totally crazy and my time limited, so… basically I was wishing I had a split personality, so that it could do all the work for me, while I could write or just relax. And in hope I'll manage to form one, this is how my different personalities would answer why it took me so long to update:

_Humble Shang:_ I'm terribly sorry I didn't manage to write this sooner! I really did my best, but everything was against me and I just didn't manage. I'm most terribly sorry! I feel like I failed you and to prove how sorry I am, I'll commit hara-kiri!... _dies_

_Egocentric Shang:_ yeah, yeah, yeah, so I didn't update for long. So what? I'm updating now, so be grateful! It's not like you have anything better to do then read this anyway, so just shut up, read and give me well-deserved reviews…

_Laid Back Shang:_ …… whatever….

_Asshole Shang:_ okay, so I didn't update. Live with it! It's not like I care about you guys or anything. You _(conserved)_ are just here to _(conserved)_ read and review, so keep your pie-holes shut and read this _(conserved)_ story, otherwise I'll find out and _(conserved)_ your _(conserved)_!

_Pessimistic Shang:_ I know I haven't updated in a long while and I'm sorry about that, but everything was against me: I had a lot of work, author's blocks, my father gotten worse, my aunt came by, my PC broke etc… Besides, does updating has any meaning? It's not like any of you even like this story… I guess I should just drop it…

Seriously though, the pessimistic "me" wasn't that way off: everything was going wrong for the past two weeks and I just didn't had enough time to write. What pains me even more is the fact that starting Monday (well, Tuesday actually) collage returns, so even more troubles for me. Which brings me to a conclusion that you might wanna prepare yourselves for me returning to "one update per two weeks" paste… sorry, but those last, few weeks shown that updating every week is extremely difficult in the current situation. Naturally, if I'll finish the chapter sooner, I'll post it, but just in case lets say new chapter will come up every two weeks for the time being.

Just like before I wanna thank everyone who reviewed the previous chapter. It really means a lot to find out you still wanna read more. If it wasn't for you, dear reviewers, I'd probably put this on hold due to the situation. So my deepest thanks. Even moreso, since the barrier of 2000 reviews got broken! It really made my day!

Also, I wanna remind everyone who haven't voted yet and wishes to do so that **THIS IS YOUR LAST CHANCE TO VOTE IN THE POPULARITY CONTEST!** I do not know how long it'll take me to update, but with the upload of chapter 100, the voting will be closed and results given. So if you wanna vote, do it now. Every vote counts.

And with that there's nothing left for me to do then let you read the newest chapter of N:NG. Once more without proof-read I'm afraid, so again there'll be more mistakes then usual (most likely). Sorry in advance:

**Chapter #99: Tanken's Ninjutsu**

_**Title Page:**_ Ibuki is standing on the edge of the road, trying to catch a ride, with a sign 'wherever' around her neck and glancing down, where a tiny raccoon is mimicking her

Sakura exited the room and quietly shut the door behind her, allowing her new patient to rest. The instant she turned around, her gaze stopped at Shikamaru, who seemed to await something. The pink-haired kunoichi managed a smile, making the lazy jounin feel at least slight relief, before she announced: "It'd appear the antidote did its job. The strain that was placed upon her organism was enormous and it'll certainly take her a while to return to perfect shape, however with a lot of rest she should be fine. At the moment that is all I'm capable of doing…"

"Thanks" the man spoke up, yet still worry didn't disappear from his face. "I already informed Kenji-san about the situation. Hopefully he'll arrive soon to give you more details about the mixtures effects, should I forgot anything…" at this the young medic merely nodded. Instantly her friend's gaze dropped to the floor, making the kunoichi let out a sigh as a tiny smile appeared on her face again: "You really care about this girl, don't ya?"

"Well, she's my subordinate, thus it's part of my duties…"

"Don't play dumb with me. I knew you too long to get fooled by that. During the past year I saw you changing. You barely act like you don't care anymore" and with that she placed her hand on his shoulder: "I must say I like the new Shikamaru better" and with that she widen her smile, sending it towards the lazy chuunin.

"Troublesome things happened" was the man's reply, yet a smirk crossed his face as well. "But whenever I'm around those brats, it kinda feels like old days, when things were… well, simple. Guess life gets complicated when one grows. I have a feeling that very soon shadows from the past will come and I'll have to face them… and quite frankly, for the first time ever, I'm scared. This is one thing that planning won't do me any good…" and with that his eyes traveled to the door leading to the room with Sakura exited a moment ago: "This girl… she does remind me of a certain, chubby boy I knew back in the day…"

---Back to the eliminations---

"I'll show you Tanken's Ninjutsu!" announced Ibuki, going into her fighting stance. Taki only raised a surprised eyebrow up, as she gazed at Funbo, slightly confused: "Ninjutsu? I didn't even know your clan did ninjutsu!" she stated, but immediately quiet down, seeing that her teammate's grip on the rail tightened, while his eyes narrowed: "_She couldn't have!_" was his only thought as his eyes stopped at his younger sister.

Sabure merely narrowed her jade eyes, yet said nothing and in a flash sand shoot out from beneath her feet, coming at the young assassin, swirling like an avalanche through a narrow gorge. Instinctually Ibuki jumped up, performing a quick set of hand seals in the process. As the tidal wave came below her, a hand of sand shoot out from it, aiming to grab the weapon mistress again, only to have her suddenly somersault, flying higher and higher.

"_She increased the height of her flight when she was already in mid-air?_" Toku's eyes widen slightly with surprise, while Ibuki kept spinning unnaturally high for a single jump. "_That's physically impossible!_" Akira on the other hand seemed to realize what happened instantly: "_That noise just now… and the gust… could it be that…?_"

As she came above Sabure, Ibuki reached to her hostels and once more unleashed the rain of weapons at the redhead, yet also this time the sand rose from behind her back, shielding the Suna gennin like an umbrella. Upon landing, the young assassin spun on her foot and threw the final kunai at her opponent, but it still was in vial as the sand created a wall again. Or so everyone thought.

In a flash Ibuki performed a quick hand seals and to everyone's surprise, the knife switched its course, flying next to the sand barrier and heading right at Sabure. In the last moment sand swirled around its master again, stopping the attack less then inches before the redhead kunoichi.

"_No string!_" Sabure realized as the sand wall began falling, making the kunai drop to the floor with a loud 'clank'. "_How did she made the knife switch its route after throwing without any strings attached to it? Plus, those seals she was forming just now… it can't be!_"

"It's hard to tell through that emotionless face of yours, but I think I know what you're thinking" announced Ibuki with a smirk on her face. "I assure you that it is how you picture it" and with that she performed another set of hand seals, swinging her hand quickly afterwards. An instant later the wall of sand arose again before Sabure in order to block some invisible attack, yet it didn't seem to do any good as in the next moment the redhead bended forward slightly, while being blasted back.

In a flash her sand took action and wrapped around Sabure's back before it hit the wall, amortizing the fall. Seeing this, Hari was totally shocked: "What the hell just happened?" she demanded, looking at her teammates. "Didn't Sabure's Sand Shield Reacted in time?"

"It did" Dekai assured her calmly with an emotionless face before continuing: "However in this situation I'm afraid Sand Shield won't give her much, since that Leaf girl uses this type of ninjutsu" and with that he quiet down, forcing Aoru to ask what he meant. The swordsman just gazed at her as he went on: "It's wind…"

"Wind?" Horamaru repeated, rising his eyebrow slightly, while realization hit Torune: "Of course! With air-based attacks, sand barricade doesn't make any difference!" and at this point Kai turned his attention to the Suna gennin: "What are you guys talking about?"

"It's a simple order to things in this world" surprisingly it was Honemaru who answered his question with his face once more not showing any trace of emotion. "Typical, physical attacks won't get through Sabure's sand barrier, because it's hardened with her chakra. However things with chakra can be broken by putting more chakra within them. Regardless to how it may seem from here, Sabure's Sand Shield is just a mix of tiny grains with extremely narrow spaces between them. Those spaces are too small for anything physical to got between them and water gets drained by earth. However wind doesn't have a physical form, it's just air…"

"Oh… now you totally lost me…"

"You can't really stop wind" Kitsune cut in, patiently explaining. "Whenever it comes across an obstacle, it just flanks it. Like when a tree appears in the winds way, it splits in the moment of impact, the currents circle the tree from both sides and join together again on the other side. This is how Ibuki's attack connected, even though this Sand Shield thing acted in time…"

"You mean this Sabure girl formed a tree?" Kai asked, completely clueless.

"Don't you have anything between your ears?" Kumiko shouted irritated. "Ibuki's attack used the microscopic spaces between those sand grains to get to the other side of the Sand Shield and hit that redhead! Because that wind was also strengthened with chakra, the chakra floating within the sand didn't stop it!"

"Ah… now I don't get it…"

"You don't have to" Takaru let out a sign while his eyes narrowed. "All that you need to know is that this Sand Shield thing won't stop Ibuki's attacks" and with that Karame quickly analyzed the situation: "_That'd also explain how this Leaf girl managed to rip Sabure's sand hand into pieces: she just filled the spaces between the grains with wind and then increased the pressure to blast the sand away… against this kind of opponent… what can you do, Sabure?_"

"Wind, huh?" Hitomi asked, turning towards Funbo: "I must say that it's slightly surprising that you clan even bothered with learning something like that" but to this the older Tanken merely replied emotionlessly, not even looking at the white-eyed girl: "When throwing a weapon, the user must take wind currents into consideration for the attack to be effective. By mastering wind technique, we have better control over our weapons. Isn't this ninjutsu style perfect for people with weapon throwing skills?" To that the young Hyuuga didn't respond.

Sabure slowly struggled back to her feet, thus revealing parts of her torso falling to the floor as she did so, making Ibuki shiver at the sight. "Her skin's cracking?" yelled Kusari both confused and scared, while Naruto merely narrowed his eyes: "_So she covered her body with sand like Gaara…_"

"_It's sand as well_" Ibuki realized after taking another look. "_She entire body is wrapped with it! Dammit, it forms a perfect shell. Even my wind probably won't be able to find a crack in it. My attacks can avoid being stopped by that damn sand, but still won't do much damage. I have to get close and land a powerful blow in close combat… but that Sand Shield of hers is faster then me… I guess that leaves me with just one option_" and with that thought she went through another set of hand seals.

In a flash she charged forward, appearing behind Sabure in an instant, too fast for the redhead's eyes to follow. "_She made the wind blow at her back to increase her running speed!_" Galu only managed to realize with his eyes widen while Ibuki's leg was already coming at the sand-nin's face. It never reached its target however as suddenly bullets shoot from the sand shell that was covering the redhead.

Acting on instinct, Ibuki jumped back, maneuvering in the air to avoid as many sand senbon as she could, still plenty struck her hard, making her fall to the floor with a loud 'thud', while Sabure calmly looked over her shoulder to gaze at her opponent: "Just now… you did good increasing the speed of your movement, however the way you did it, it only works on your body as a whole not each part of it separately. When the attack comes at, say your left hand, you still can count on your natural reflex only… and the closer you are to the attack source, the less time to react your body has…"

"So you actually predicted what I was about to do and let me get this close?" asked Ibuki with a smirk as she began pulling the sand senbon out of her body. The redhead's face was indifferent as she turned to face the weapon mistress again: "Pretty much… between you and me, there's a difference that still puts you on a disadvantage: you still need hand seals to initiate any attack, while I have limited control over my sand, allowing me to act without those… like the Sand Shield or Suna Senbon you just experienced…"

"Well, fighting you really is a pain" admitted the leaf-nin, yet she kept on smiling. "Still, that doesn't matter… if your Sand Armor is this much of a problem… I'll just rip that stupid shell off you!" and with that she unleashed several shuriken as she ran to her left, performing a new set of hand seals.

The shinobi stars were easily stopped by a wall of sand that quickly rose before them, yet as the sand shoot up, Sabure settled her eyes on the weapon mistress, who just finished forming hand seals: "Fuuton: Teikiatsu Arashi!" and with that cry, wind began circling around her, just to shot her spinning at the redhead an instant later.

"Fool, with this speed, what can you do?" Sabure asked calmly while she threw her hand to the right, immediately making a wall of sand rose before the spinning Ibuki. The leaf-nin however merely smirked as she flipped in mid-air and the second her feet touched the sandy barrier, she bounced of it, while the tornado surrounding her kept flying forward.

"Who said I was going for you?" the weapon mistress asked with a smirk as the powerful current swiped the redhead off her feet and then went to the sky, taking the kunoichi along for the ride. As Gaara's daughter hung above, Ibuki performed a quick set of hand seals once more and upon completing it, she reminded: "I told you… I'll rip that shell off you!" and instantly she threw her hands to the sides.

A fraction of a second later Sabure let out a cry of pain as both her legs and hands suddenly got pulled to the sides by an invisible force, while her Sand Armor began cracking and carried away in every direction.

"_This girl… managed to hurt Sabure!_" Kankuro thought in shock, while Tarakudo's eyes widen: "What the hell did she just did? Since when Sabure's armor falls off this easily?" and with that he gazed at his sensei, who simply replied with a slight note of amazement in her voice: "Do you know what happens to an object carried by a single wind current, when suddenly that current splits into many directions? Each works as a sort of vacuum that tries to take that object with it. Basically, once Sabure hung in the air, this Ibuki girl made the current split, thus making Sabure's body be pulled into many directions. With such pressure surrounding her, there's no way her Sand Armor can hold, even though it's attached to her body with chakra… it's like with climbing: chakra allows shinobi to walk on walls, but if the wall is wet and slippery, it's harder to impossible to do. On a similar basis, Sabure can be rid off her armor if pulled hard enough…"

Takai merely narrowed his eyes at this as the wind calmed down and Sabure began falling to the floor. Yet Ibuki still wasn't finished and using her wind to blast herself to the sky faster, she managed to beat the redhead's Sand Shield, landing on her opponent's torso with two kunai, one in each hand.

In a flash she pulled the knives down, piercing her shoulders. In an instant blood sprayed out of them and only then did Sabure's jade eyes caught a glimpse of explosive tags wrapped around the weapons. Ibuki's face was still as a rock, while she spoke up: "Boom…"

And then the tags went off...

_**---unexpected turn of events… is this the end of Ibuki or Sabure?---**_

And so this chapter ends. Hope you liked it and that you'll leave me a review once you're done reading it. It'd really mean a lot. Up next is the end of Ibuki vs. Sabure fight! Eliminations are coming to their end! What is Takai power? How strong Kyuu is? The answers are about to be told!

_Fuuton: Teikiatsu Arashi _(Wind Element: Cyclone Storm)

**Konoha #7:** Murasakki Kumiko, Tanken Ibuki (in progress), Gekido Takaru, Hagane Kusari, Haisha Kai

**Konoha #3:** _Konpaku Rei_, Amagasa Toku, Debano Kitsune, _Gusoku Hanamaru_

**Konoha #4:** Benda Kokoro, Kobushi Galu

**Konoha:**Hamano Taki, Hyuuga Hitomi, Manako Akira, Tanken Funbo, Horohoro

**Suna #1:** Aoru, Torune, Honemaru, Tarakudo, Takai

**Suna #2:** Sabaku no Sabure (in progress), Hari, Dekai, Horamaru, Karame

**Kusa:**Hokku Tobane, Kanraku Nezumi, _Kuchibashi Taka_, Kyohaku Tokame, Wanabi Hizoku

**Ame:**Furikuzu Tsuino, _Hebereke Nazaa_

**Bakufu:**Abura Tetsu

**Tsuki:**Junsei Teela, Tenka

**Hane:**Ono Reiji

**Kumori**: Kyuu

And this really concludes this chapter. Hope you found it worth waiting for. Best wishes and until next time, hopefully!


	100. Sandstorm

At this point, I suppose I really should say something like "wow, I actually made it". Only this time it wouldn't be about the fact that I've managed to upload. No, this time it's more then that. I gotta admit that it's slightly hard for me to believe that those two-digit numbers actually turned into three-digit ones. This story really broke the barrier of one hundred chapters XD Throughout the entire writing of this fic, this will probably one of the moments I'll remember best.

Naturally, at times like this, the author feels obligated to thank his (or hers) readers for sticking so long with the story (one hundred chapters can be considered epic, even though their length may be shorter then what you usually read). And so I wanna thank you guys again for enduring this for so long. There ain't gonna be four-digit, that much I'm certain off, coz although there's still much to come, I'd really have to stretch things (or add extra stuff) to be able to reach 1000 chapters. But, at the very least, I can assure you that this is still far from over (whether it's good news or bad, I'll let you decide).

100 chapter calls for some sort of celebration, I suppose, but with my limited free time, nothing comes to my mind really. Though I will try to make a double update next time. Will I manage is a totally different story ' For the time being, I just hope that the result of the Second Character Popularity Contest will be enough for you guys. Also Hikari Midori-chan is planning to make a poster with PC results. We'll see how that goes. Good luck, Hikari!

Meanwhile the results are given at the end of this chapter. Sorry for all those who hoped to vote and didn't manage to. Although Ibiki wouldn't approve what I'm about to write, but "there's always next time" XD

One, last thing before I start the chapter: I'm not sure if the idea blows or not, but a little while back I formed a forum here on FF concerning this fic. My aim was that, if you'd like, you could share your thoughts about this story with other N:NG fans (not just me), a place where you can place your theories (for example who's Takaru's father) etc. The link should be on my profile page, so if you want, you're welcome to drop by. Naturally, I'll be grateful for reviews either way.

And so, without further to do, here's the newest, 100 chapter of N:NG:

**Chapter #100: Sandstorm**

_**Title Page:**_ Kai with his tongue stuck on is riding on a camel through the desert, while Ibuki is walking before him, pulling the camel's reins and drinking from bottle-gourd

As the tags went off, a powerful explosion engulfed both kunoichi. An instant later Ibuki jumped out from the thick, dust cloud that covered the arena, barely landing on her feet as blood run down the left side of her face, while she held her left should, trying to keep the crimson liquid from escaping her body at least there. Her outfit was ripped in several places and blood now almost wrapped around her. Her breath have become as heavy as they get.

"Did she got her?" asked Hanamaru, egger to know the answer, however no-one replied. The view finally cleared, thus revealing a thin, sandy, ellipsoid cocoon laying few meters before the young assassin. The sand finally retreated, forming itself into a gourd on Sabure's back, who was trapped inside it with Ibuki's kunai still struck in her shoulders. "_So, her gourd was made of sand as well_" concluded Naruto, narrowing his eyes.

"How the hell did she survived?" demanded Kai, pointing at the redhead kunoichi. "Those tags were attached to the kunai that sunk into her shoulders! How could she wrap herself in sand, blocking an explosion from such a short distance completely?"

"The knives didn't went in deep enough" Kumiko replied, while her face became slightly pale. "Most likely that Sabure girl just made her sand form the barrier right under the place the tags were wrapped around. The explosion blasted itself off that wall and hit Ibuki in stead. Basically, Ibuki took all the damage…"

"_And still she's standing_" added Horohoro in his mind, smiling slightly. "_I gotta admit that Funbo's sister is pretty impressive_" and as he thought that, Kokoro smiled under his nose as well, yet didn't say a word. In the meantime Sabure pulled out the two kunai in her shoulders, making the sand from her gourd wrap around her, thus covering her in Sand Armor once more.

"I do not recall anyone wounding me before" she announced calmly, still not showing any emotions. "And besides Takai, my brother also never got hit. It's admirable… you fight well, but the outcome is obvious none the less. Is it really necessary to drag this any longer? You can barely stand. Even if you continue, I doubt you'll endure the speed you used before and without it, you won't even break through my Sand Shield, left alone Armor…"

"Yeah, well, since I can't break through it" began Ibuki, managing a weak smirk. "I can always smash it from inside!" and with that she performed a quick hand seal. In a flash something exploded on Sabure's back, thus pushing her forward, while her Sand Armor shattered again, leaving her back, now with its skin ripped badly, open.

"_An explosion broke Sabure's Sand Armor?_" Karame thought to himself surprised, only to realize what happened a moment later: "_No, that explosion just now… it was triggered from the inside. The tag that got detonated was beneath Suna Yoroi!_" and as he stared in shock at his teammate, who now helped herself with her hands to not fall flat to the floor, Hizoku gave Ibuki an approving smile: "_So those tags on kunai were a diversion. Once they went off, that Sand girl's view was block and she didn't even realize Ibuki placed another tag on her back. Since at the time that Sand Armor wasn't covering her, the tag stuck to her back. When that sand wrapped around her once more, it covered the tag as well. Apparently that armor isn't as strong on the inside as it is on the outside. Still, willing to take the explosion heads on, just to create an opening is a suicidal maneuver… why is Ibuki trying so hard?_"

The young assassin didn't waste a second and as Sabure landed on her knees and hands, she jumped up, picking out a scroll in the process. In an instant she unwrapped it and shaking her hand she sprayed blood on it, then forming it into a summoning symbol the next moment. As commended a katana suddenly appeared in her hand as she began falling down, straight at the redhead's uncovered back.

As the tip of the blade came closer, Sabure's sand reacted, forming a wing over her back, thus making the sword sunk into it. Immediately Ibuki found herself incapable of pulling her weapon out as he feet landed upon the sandy barrier. Her eyes widen as a sudden rumble shook the surface beneath her feet, pushing up sand spikes up, which pierced right through her hands and legs. A loud cry of pain escaped her mouth as she collapsed to the floor, unable to move at all.

In a flash Naruto appeared next to his student, while Sabure turned to face the two, however her facial expression was different then a moment before. It shown worry: "Sorry… I did not want to go that far, but it didn't seem like she was going to give up, so I had to force her. I didn't hit any vital points, so as long as she'll get medical attention, she should be fine… if there's anything I can do to help her, do let me know…"

"With those wounds it's impossible for her to move anyway" admitted the blonde jounin, calling the medics, while Lee announced the result of the match: "Winner: Sabaku no Sabure!" and as the redhead disappeared in the whirlpool of sand, Hari narrowed her eyes, quickly analyzing the situation: "_Just now that Leaf girl got extremely lucky. If Touba wasn't the dominating personality, those sand spikes would surely pierced right through her chest and she'd be instantly dead…_"

"Don't take so long next time, dammit" whined Horamaru as Sabure appeared next to him. "I almost got bored to death. It's best to get those eliminations done with, so I can have some fun in the next phase" and with that he gave a wicked smile, earning a disapproving glance from Dekai, who stood right behind him.

"_That look and tone_" Naruto narrowed his eyes as they settled on Sabure, who was now back on the platform. "_It's not the same person as the one who took of the mask a while back. Could it be that this girl… is schizophrenic?_" he then gazed at Ibuki, who was now placed on stretcher and taken away by the medics. A worried expression crossed his face as well before he sensed another presence and turn around to see his other students standing right behind him.

"Will Ibuki be okay?" Takaru asked with concern in his voice, making the whisker-marks get back to reality. He forced a smile onto his face, while he responded with the calmest voice he could in this situation: "She is badly injured, but I don't think her life is in danger… though it will take her awhile to recover, that much is certain" and as he said so, Kusari stepped forward, still worried: "Maybe we should…"

"That would be pointless" Naruto interrupted him, perfectly sensing what the chain master wanted to say: "She already lost consciousness so it wouldn't matter. The medics must first take care of her. And furthermore, the eliminations have not ended yet. Since you guys passed, it's best that you stay until the end. It will be helpful to you in the final exam" and with that said, he added mentally: "_Plus, there's still one, last thing that needs to be done before the eliminations can be considered as closed…_"

"Ummm, Naruto" Lee walked over to his friend with a guilty expression on his eyebrow face, gaining his attention. "I know that you have more important things on your head right now, but as you noticed yourself, there's still one fight in the eliminations and with you down here, I cannot announce its beginning" and at this point the blonde merely nodded, taking his students back to the platform.

"Tuff luck" concluded Funbo with a joyful voice and an evil smirk appearing on his face as the weapon mistress was taken out of the room. Hearing this Akira's face twitched slightly, though when he spoke, his voice was as calm as usual: "I know you're not a compassionate type. I never approved that, but I at least grew to tolerate that. However, that girl is your sister. You're blood-related. Is it really okay to make nothing out of the situation?"

"I do not interfere with you, Akira…" the young Tanken replied a little cold, sending him a glare that could send shivers down his teammate's spine, if he wasn't blind. "So the least you can do is follow my example towards me…" and with that the genjutsu expert said no more.

"May the last, two participants please get down?" Lee asked loudly, reminding everyone that the eliminations were still going. Kyuu merely narrowed his eyes as he took a quick glance at Takai: "_That guy… I can sense he's not an average gennin. That weird feeling I get from him… best just end the match quickly_" and so he jumped down, awaiting the start of his fight.

"Good luck, Takai-kun" Aoru encouraged her teammate, yet the scythe user just gazed at her without saying a word, before he headed towards the stairs to walk down to the arena. Hitomi's eyes narrowed as they followed the sand-nin, while the girl kept her arms crossed: "_It's that guy…_"

"Final elimination fight! Kyuu against Takai!" and with that Lee threw quick glances at both fighters, before yelling out loud again, immediately moving out of the way: "BEGIN!" In a flash the shadow-nin went through a set of hand seals and with the last symbol gathered air in his lungs, only to let it out in the next moment with a furious, ear-breaking scream: "Takachoushi no Jutsu!"

The powerful sound wave went straight at Takai and blasted him against the wall, making it crack. Kyuu was yet undone however and quickly performed another chain of seals, throwing his hands to the sides once he was done. In a fraction of a second a swarm of bats flew from under his cloak, each going for the crimson-eyed boy. Upon rising his sight, the scythe user saw each of the flying mammals shaping itself into a kunai, striking him hard. Before he even managed to move his entire body got struck with throwing knives, the last one sinking into his forehead.

"By collecting chakra in my vocal cords I can increase the strength of my voice to the extreme that it can produce a powerful sound wave" Kyuu announced simply with no expression showing on his face, as Takai's body felt motionlessly to the floor face first. "If a sound is powerful enough, it can break glass and even stone. Not that I need to say any of this really, since my kunai just struck all your vital points. By the time the last of the knives hit, you were already dead. I may have overdid it a little, but that weird aura of yours actually gave me a slight fright and I figured it's not worth risk losing. Rest in peace…" and with that he turned around and began walking away, while Lee made a quick check up on the sand-nin.

"_There's even no point in making sure_" he thought to himself as he didn't felt any pulse on Takai's neck. "_There's no way anyone could survive an attack like that. That shadow-nin truly is a monster_" and with that thought he rose to his feet, pointing his hand at Kyuu: "Winner: K…" a sudden sensation made his voice freeze as his eyes widen however.

Sweat began covering his body as he saw Takai slowly rising back to his feet with all the kunai still stuck in his body. With no trace of pain or emotion, the scythe user began pulling the knives out, every time spraying the floor with crimson liquid that escaped his body. Kyuu instantly froze as his body began shaking from fright: "_I hit all his vital points! Heart, lungs, brain, kidneys… it's physically impossible for anyone to even live after that, much less stand up! What the hell is going on?_"

"I hope you weren't thinking of leaving just yet" announced Takai with an evil smirk as all his wounds healed instantly, leaving no trace that he was hit just a moment ago. "Especially since I only began enjoying this. I like your ability… I've decided… I want you in my collection!"

_**---walking dead… what is Takai?---**_

And this concludes this chappie. Hope you found it enjoyable and that you'll leave a review once you're done reading. It'd mean a lot. Bellow you'll find translation of the technique Kyuu used and the update list of gennin, but before that I feel I should make a special note (two, actually) that might save me from being crucified:

**About Ibuki losing:** sorry to all Ibuki fans (who, apparently, exceed the number of Sabure fans), but Ibuki was supposed to lose this match from the very beginning. Such outcome is important for her (and not just her) development a bit later on and furthermore it rids me of the feeling that I made the "main team" overly powerful (it'd seem wrong for all of them to pass, as some of you stated yourselves). I assure you that Ibuki will have her time yet.

**About Takai's abilities:** not sure if any of you will believe me, but Takai (along with his skills) really was invented way before Hidan was properly introduced. Right now there isn't really any way to prove it, but Takai's first appearance took place before Hidan and Kakuzu went after Yugito in the manga and already I knew how his abilities should look like. True he seems immortal (but I assure you: there IS a way to kill him… not sure if Hidan could be killed) and true that he uses scythe as well, but this is were similarities end. As you'll see (hopefully), Takai's abilities differ from Hidan's and quite much so.

With that said, I believe I can get to jutsu translation and gennin list:

_Takachoushi no Jutsu (High-pitch Skill_)

**Konoha #7:** Murasakki Kumiko, Gekido Takaru, Hagane Kusari, Haisha Kai

**Konoha #3:** _Konpaku Rei_, Amagasa Toku, Debano Kitsune, _Gusoku Hanamaru_

**Konoha #4:** Benda Kokoro, Kobushi Galu

**Konoha:**Hamano Taki, Hyuuga Hitomi, Manako Akira, Tanken Funbo, Horohoro

**Suna #1:** Aoru, Torune, Honemaru, Tarakudo, Takai (in progress)

**Suna #2:** Sabaku no Sabure, Hari, Dekai, Horamaru, Karame

**Kusa:**Hokku Tobane, Kanraku Nezumi, _Kuchibashi Taka_, Kyohaku Tokame, Wanabi Hizoku

**Ame:**Furikuzu Tsuino, _Hebereke Nazaa_

**Bakufu:**Abura Tetsu

**Tsuki:**Junsei Teela, Tenka

**Hane:**Ono Reiji

**Kumori**: Kyuu (in progress)

And now, the moment some of you may have been waiting for: the results of the Second Character Popularity Contest! I gotta admit that some of the results did surprise me. For example I'd never though Rei would become this popular. What's more there were characters that did poorly previously, now scoring pretty nicely (like Galu and Karame, to name just those from the top of my head). I also find it slightly disturbing that some of the team 7 members lost fans so quickly (I never expected Kumiko to be extremely popular, but I did believe she'll manage to remain in top 10 for one contest more). On a more positive note I'm very glad that most of the OCs that will play a more important part in the story did receive at least one vote (with few exceptions). But what can I tell you, I suppose most of you just skipped this and went to the result already, so without further to do, here are the results of the Second N:NG Character Popularity Contest (first the number of votes is given, after that, in brackets, is the among of voting points and lastly the place the character took in the previous contest, so Kai, who scored highest 50 chapters ago, has number one):

**1.** Kusari Hagane – 10 votes (33 vp / 2)

**2.** Kai Haisha – 8 votes (31 vp / 1)

**3.** Akira Manako – 8 votes (27 vp / 5)

**4.** Ibuki Tanken – 7 votes (28 vp / 3)

**5.** Rei Konpaku – 7 votes (23 vp / 15)

**6.** Horohoro – 7 votes (20 vp / 17)

**7.** Mikka Igaku – 6 votes (21 vp / 8)

Senkou Hatake – 6 votes (21 vp / 6)

**9. **Takaru Gekido – 5 votes (15 vp / 4)

**10. **Karame – 4 votes (13 vp / 35)

**11. **Kumiko Murasakki – 4 votes (10 vp / 7)

**12. **Hizoku Wanabi – 3 votes (12 vp / 10)

**13. **Takai – 3 votes (11 vp / 24)

Kokoro Benda – 3 votes (11 vp / 11)

**15. **Tsume Inuzuka – 3 votes (10 vp / 27)

**16. **Teela Junsei – 3 votes (9 vp / 23)

**17. **Hitomi Hyuuga – 3 votes (8 vp / 21)

**18. **Galu Kobushi – 3 votes (7 vp / 35)

Toku Amagasa – 3 votes (7 vp / 14)

**20. **Kogane Rikoteki – 2 votes (7 vp / 22)

**21. **Honemaru – 2 votes (5 vp / - )

Kitsune Debano – 2 votes (5 vp / 18)

Aoru – 2 votes (5 vp / 27)

**24.** Funbo Tanken – 2 votes (4 vp / 9)

**25.** Taki Hamano – 2 votes (2 vp / 35)

**26.** Dekai – 1 vote (5 vp / -)

**27.** Tokame Kyohaku – 1 vote (4 vp / -)

Tarakudo – 1 vote (4 vp / 27)

**29.** Sabaku no Sabure – 1 vote (3 vp / 25)

Reiji Ono – 1 vote (3 vp / 18)

**31.** Torune – 1 vote (2 vp / 25)

Hanamaru Gusoku – 1 vote (2 vp / 11)

**33.** Saiken Tenma – 1 vote (1 vp / 31)

Hari – 1 vote (1 vp / 35)

Naruto Uzumaki – 1 vote (1 vp / 13)

Shikamaru Nara – 1 vote (1 vp / 35)

Hinata Hyuuga – 1 vote (1 vp / 15)

Taka Kuchibashi – 1 vote (1 vp / 27)

Tasuki Kihako – 1 vote (1 vp / -)

Yamazaru – 1 vote (1 vp / -)

And that really closes this chapter. Hope you enjoyed it and that you'll leave me a review once you're done. Take care and until next time, hopefully.


	101. Heart of Darkness

Hey! I gotta admit that this took me longer to upload then I hoped it will, but I had a busier week then I expected. Anyway, I finally manage to finish this and as said before, this time around I'm giving you guys a DOUBLE UPDATE! The eliminations end and the match-up for the final exam is revealed.

To be honest I'm not all happy with how these chapters turned out as the first one proven to be quite informative (Takai's ability took more space then I've expected), so I re-wrote it a bit, leaving things that seemed obvious (or ones you can figure out on your own) out. If, because of that, you'll find some things about Takai skills confusing, do ask and I'll answer your questions.

As always I wish to thank everyone who took their time to review the previous chapter. I hope you'll do the same with these two. Also, due to Littlej45's request , I've placed a list of all the elimination fights at the end of the chapter, putting the chapter numbers in which the match occurred so that you could find the fight you want.

With all that said, I believe there's nothing left for me to do then invite you to read (and review) the newest chapters of "Naruto: Next Generation"! Hope you're going to enjoy them:

**Chapter #101: Heart of Darkness**

_**Title Page:**_ Takai is sitting on a throne made of skulls

"I want you in my collection" Takai announced with an evil smirk as all the wounds inflicted upon him just moment ago vanished. Kyuu got paralyzed with fear as the sand-nin slowly reached for his scythe, taking it off his back. His opponent's body shook uncontrollably as the crimson-eyed boy marched forward, taking his time.

"_Dammit, I can't move!_" Kyuu cursed in his mind as his eyes settled on Takai. "_What the hell is that guy? How can he stand after my attack? The sound wave alone should be enough to keep him down!_" and with that thought the scythe user was now just few meters away, jumping into the air in order to bring his weapon down on the shadow-nin: "_Move, dammit! Move!_" he commended his body, but still it wouldn't listen.

Finally his panic was taken over by fear, which immediately made his body jump back, thus avoiding certain death, yet still his chest got slashed by the huge blade, making his blood spray the floor. Instinctually Kyuu tried to cover his wound with his hands, yet the slash went down his torso, stopping only where the legs meet with it. He gazed at Takai terrified, even more after doing so as he saw the scythe user licking the blood off his blade with a wicked expression of satisfaction on his face.

"Your blood tastes nicely" he announced, sending shivers down Kyuu's spine. "You'll certainly be a great add-on to my collection" and with that he reached for his pack back with his free hand. The shadow-nin once more found himself incapable of moving an inch, while his body shook again.

"This is not possible!" Kai finally yelled with his skin slightly paler then it usually was. "How in the world did that scythe guy survived the previous attack? Any, other human would've died immediately!" and as he turned towards the sand-nins, Kankuro replied, not taking his eyes of the fight: "This is one of the scariest things about Takai: no-one knows any way to kill him. Any wound you inflict upon him, heals almost instantly, regardless to where and how you hit, he won't stay down. He's a perfect weapon that cannot be destroyed… but that's just half of the horror behind him…"

"Just half?" repeated Shino in a questioning tone, but this time it was Temari, who answered: "Takai is unique and it's not just about his healing abilities. Even above the fact that he, most likely, cannot be killed, there's something much more scarier in him. It's the ability he gained through that genetic experiment we've mentioned…"

"So… what is it?" began Taki with a little shaking voice. It was only for a brief second, but Horohoro noticed she shivered at the thought. Now Honemaru joined the conversation: "Just like me, he has total control over his bones, however his case is a bit different then mine. When he was… created, the experiment effected his body. Mixing genetic information made his bones crumble… basically, his skeleton became dust when the experiment was initiated."

"Wait, that's not possible!" Kumiko interrupted, completely confused. "Even if he somehow survived losing his skeleton, with no bones he shouldn't be able to move! This doesn't make any sense!" but at this Tarakudo merely laughed: "And who said Takai has no skeleton?"

"You guys did" noticed Kusari, slightly unsure. "Just a moment ago…"

"No" Aoru corrected with a sad expression showing on her face. "We only said Takai's natural skeleton went into pieces. However, he managed to… substitute it. The mutation rid him of every bone he had in his body, besides one: his skull. But while his bones crumbled, his organism was still working and naturally tried to save itself. It's like in some cases certain people can form antivirus when they get infected, while most people can't. In Takai's case, the organism used that Kaguya guy's cells to alter the bloodline limit Takai was supposed to receive with them…"

"Alter into what?" Takaru asked calmly, though his eyes were wide as plates. At this point Torune spoke up, gaining everyone's attention: "With no bones, the body cannot survive. However Kaguya kekkai genkai gives the user the ability to control bones to a certain extend and defining the number of bones in the body was one of the abilities Shikotsumyaku users gained. You might say Takai took it a step forward: he learn to create bones by using his chakra alone. Basically, the whole skeleton inside his body, is made out of chakra!"

"Is that some sort of weird, chakra materialization skill?" Rei asked, ALMOST acting like she was interested. Kankuro merely shook his head in negation however, replying calmly: "We do not know exactly what that is, but the fact is that Takai can recreate any skeleton… every part of it, except for the skull. But that's not all there is to it: since the bones are made of chakra, once they connect with the skull, a weird process takes place…"

"Weird process?" this time it was Kitsune who repeated his words and then shivered at realizing where this was going: "Wait, so you mean this collection that scythe guy keeps talking about…?"

"Yes" Temari nodded with a serious face. "By using his chakra to form a skeleton, he can drain any sort of information about the being the skull belonged to. We're not sure how that is done, but most likely some of the person's chakra remains in the skull and by connection the chakra Takai used to form a skeleton with it, he's capable of recreating the person entirely: not just skeleton, but any techniques the person knew at the time of death! The collection he keeps referring to, is a gallery of skulls he carries in his back pack…"

"Wait, are you actually telling me that if I died and this Takai guy would take my skull, he'd be able to revive me?" Funbo yelled, for the first time ever losing his calm, as he pointed at the scythe user. Aoru only shook her head at this: "No, but by using your skull, he could form a skeleton body that would fight for him, using any skills you know…"

"_This is why he could still use chakra, even though I closed his tanketsu points!_" Hitomi realized, widening her white eyes. "_Using Gentle Fist I can close and disturb the flow of chakra in ones body, but those attacks are aimed at natural routes! When I blocked them, he used the chakra his skeleton was made of!_" (_A/N: not sure if this is clear, but, in a way, it's similar to how Naruto was able to use chakra when he fought Neji… at least that's how I saw that_)

"Truly he's a very troublesome foe" came a sudden voice and as everyone turned in the direction it came from, they saw Shikamaru standing right next to them. Hanamaru was first to get out of the shock and ask: "Shikamaru-sensei, how's Kogane-chan?"

"Currently she's resting" replied the lazy jounin, turning towards his student. "Her body suffered some damage, but with Kenji-dono's help we've managed to stabilize her condition. As long as she'll take her time recovering, she should be fine" and with that said, he made a mental note, which caused his face to turn grim: "_But the strain on her body did it's part…_"

Meanwhile, down at the arena, Takai finally found what he was looking for and held his left hand forward, which carried a strange skull. In a flash white chakra began escaping the scythe user's body, gathering bellow the skull and forming itself into something. A moment later, chakra turned into a skeleton of something that could be considered a wolf, but was much bigger and, judging from the skull, once it lived, it had three eyes.

"He's all yours" announced Takai emotionless as he gazed at the beast. "You may devour him, but leave the skull unharmed" and with that command, the skeleton jumped forward, aiming its claws at Kyuu. Once more in the last moment the shadow-nin managed to break through his paralyze and move out of the three-eyed wolf's way, picking out kunai in the process.

"Okay, so you're a freak" stated Kyuu, managing to regain his calm. "So what? I'm still gonna bring you down! Nobody's undefeated!" and with that he threw the knives at his adversary, while he picked out a scroll and unwrapping it, he bite his thumb, making it bleed slightly. In an instant he wrote a symbol on it, making a katana with a sliver blade appear in his hand.

By now Takai deflected all the kunai flying towards him and went into his fighting stance as Kyuu charged at him. Before the shadow-nin managed to reach his opponent however, the wolf skeleton appeared again, jumping the swordsman with his claws extended. Acting on instinct, Kyuu blocked the assault by placing his weapon in the claws' way, coming to a stop. That was enough for the Suna shinobi, who charged forward, ramming his scythe through his chest, making Kumori gennin cough out blood.

However it was at that moment that Kyuu's sword began vibrating wildly and in a flash a high-pitched sound hit Takai's ears, initiating a powerful headache. Before Kai knew it, the wolf skeleton went into pieces, while the scythe user was brought to his knees. The shadow-nin merely smirked at this, ignoring the pain that shoot from the wounds on his chest: "Unpleasant, isn't it? This sword works on a similar basis as tuning-fork, though is much more deadly. Upon hitting something, it starts vibrating, emitting high-pitched sound that injures the ears of any being nearby. Well, any besides me that, since I specialize in controlling sound with my chakra. It's not that difficult for me to neutralize a sound wave near my ear area. You, on the other hand… well, guess you've figured out on your own by now. So you survived my piercing your heart, lungs, brain, kidneys… wonder if when I chop your head off, you'll still be able to get up" and with that he raised his katana, ready to swing it at his opponent's head.

But it was then that a skeleton of some small, flying creature flew out of Takai's backpack, smashing against Kyuu's face, thus making the Kumori gennin take several steps back. The monster scratched the boy's face with its claws, making the shadow-nin yell in agony as he tried to toss the beast away. Finally he managed to grab the skeleton and throw it at the floor, thus breaking the creature into pieces, but as he gazed at his adversary with scratches all over his face, he saw a huge rhino-like skeleton standing right next to the scythe user, aiming its three, huge horns at him.

"Kill" was all Takai said before the new monster charged forward at the paralyzed Kyuu. Sweat mixed with his blood as the shadow-nin realized he cannot avoid this assault. Completely taken over by panic, he called out, making his voice echo through the room: "I give up!" but the beast didn't stop.

With the horns less then inches away, a sudden gust of wind befall on the rhino, breaking it to pieces, just like the previous beasts did. Terrified, Kyuu only saw Temari standing before him with her fan opened: "Takai, that's enough. He gave up, thus this fight is over. You won. Return to the platform."

"I'm sorry, Temari-sensei, but I cannot do that" replied the scythe user emotionlessly as his free hand again traveled towards his backpack. "I want that shadow-nin in my collection" but right before his palm vanished inside the pack, his wrist got grabbed by someone. As he gazed over his shoulder, he saw Kakashi standing there with electricity surrounding the hand he used to grab him.

"Cool down, please" the Rokudaime said calmly, but there was a note of order in his voice. "This fight has been decided and furthermore one should listen to his teacher. Or… do you want to have me to deal with?" at those words Takai's eyes narrowed. He froze for a moment, be it from fear, anger or excitement, and then retreated his hand before slowly heading towards the stairs leading back to the platform.

"_What a scary kid_" the Hokage thought to himself as he observed the boy. "_When he reached for his backpack the first time, he took his time in order to make that bird-thing. The creature was suppose to stay hidden in case the situation would get worse, however it all seemed like he just had trouble finding the skull he wanted. His skills are both amazing and terrifying. And just now, if he did decide to fight against me… would I really be able to defeat him?_"

Silence filled the room as Kyuu was taken away by medics. Takai reached his team, to which Temari also returned. Everyone gathered settled their eyes on the scythe user, who didn't seem to care at all. He just stood there with his arms crossed, gazing into the distance. Kakashi merely nodded towards Lee before getting back to his seat, making the Leaf's Green Beast cough slightly in order to gather everyone's attention: "And with that I'd like to announced that the eliminations… have ended!"

_**---the end has finally come… and now the main events begins!---**_

And this concludes this chapter. Before I invite you to read the next one (which should be up in a moment), this one, last time I'm gonna give you the list of gennin and after that the list of elimination fights. Also I'd like to ask you to review. It'd mean a lot.

**Konoha #7:** Murasakki Kumiko, Gekido Takaru, Hagane Kusari, Haisha Kai

**Konoha #3:** _Konpaku Rei_, Amagasa Toku, Debano Kitsune, _Gusoku Hanamaru_

**Konoha #4:** Benda Kokoro, Kobushi Galu

**Konoha:** Hamano Taki, Hyuuga Hitomi, Manako Akira, Tanken Funbo, Horohoro

**Suna #1:** Aoru, Torune, Honemaru, Tarakudo, Takai

**Suna #2:** Sabaku no Sabure, Hari, Dekai, Horamaru, Karame

**Kusa:** Hokku Tobane, Kanraku Nezumi, _Kuchibashi Taka_, Kyohaku Tokame, Wanabi Hizoku

**Ame:** Furikuzu Tsuino, _Hebereke Nazaa_

**Bakufu:** Abura Tetsu

**Tsuki:** Junsei Teela, Tenka

**Hane:** Ono Reiji

Takaru Gekido vs. Fuma (49-51)

Galu Kobushi vs. Kumo Chishio (52)

Hogosha vs. Horohoro (52-54)

Hari vs. Kasui Rein (54-55)

Raina vs. Tenka (55)

Futatsu vs. Tarakudo (56)

Bakara vs. Akira Manako (56-57)

Kumiko Murasakki vs. Kuri Subaru (57-59)

Rei Konpaku vs. Teela Junsei (60-62)

Naginata vs. Torune (62)

Hizoku Wanabi vs. Yamazaru (62-65)

Karei Nokogiri vs. Tobane Hokku (65)

Hanamaru Gusoku vs. Reiji Ono (65-67)

Miaka Tora vs. Nezumi Kanraku (68)

Kokoro Benda vs. Kato Urufu (68-69)

Kusari Hagane vs. Taka Kuchibashi (69-72)

Nobu Chishio vs. Toku Amagasa (72-73)

Yari Sarumaru vs. Tetsu Abura (73)

Hitomi Hyuuga vs. Aisu Nadare (73-75)

Dekai vs. Youji Kasano (75-76)

Ryo Eshaku vs. Tokame Kyohaku (76-78)

Kitsune Debano vs. Tasuki Kihako (78-80)

Sentou vs. Horamaru (80)

Senkou Hatake vs. Kai Haisha (80-85)

Taki Hamano vs. Kawa Azarashi (85)

Mikka Igaku vs. Aoru (85-88)

Kogane Rikoteki vs. Karame (88-92)

Funbo Tanken vs. Shita Makko (92-93)

Tsume Inuzuka vs. Honemaru (93-96)

Nazaa Hebereke vs. Tsuino Furikuzu (96-97)

Ibuki Tanken vs. Sabaku no Sabure (97-100)

Kyuu vs. Takai (100-101)

And this is it for this chapter, but don't go nowhere, coz the next one is already on its way!


	102. Main Event

Hey, just as promised, here's the second chapter of N:NG DOUBLE UPDATE! Hope You enjoyed the previous and that you'll like this one as well! Do review once you're done!

**Chapter #102: Main Event**

_**Title Page:**_ a totem: on the top there's Kai with his hands extended to the sides, then Kumiko winking, Kusari smiling, Ibuki surrounded with kunai on a wire and at the bottom Takaru with a pissed-off face, while Rei stands beside the totem, proud of herself

As all the gennin, who made it through the eliminations stood in the middle of the devastated arena, Kakashi smiled behind his mask as he glanced at the young shinobi faces. With a quick inhale, he spoke up, gaining everyone's attention: "For starters I'd like to say that all of you did a great job winning your elimination fight and advancing to the final! I wish you luck during it, which I'm sure you'll need…"

"_Quite a few people…_" noticed Shikamaru with a slightly sleepy face. "_Thirteen from the Leaf, ten from Suna… four from Kusa, two from Tsuki and one from Ame, Kane and Bakufu… thirty two overall… up till now this many hasn't even made it out of the Forest of Death, let alone enter the final exam…_"

"Please calm your youthful spirits down as I'll explain the rules of the final exam to you!" yelled Lee, thus making all the gennin gathered in the room to look at him. "As you were told before, the last exam will take place before an audience consisting of possible customers and other villages leaders. You'll be representing your village's strength, so I advice not to hold back during your matches! We want you to show everything you got during your fights, which is why the fourth exam will take place… a month from today!"

"Huh?" Galu's eyebrow went up at hearing that. "Meaning not right now?"

'The break will be used for preparations…" explained the Green Beast calmly. "During this time we'll inform all the various country lords and the shinobi village leaders. It's the time required to arrange the gathering for the event… but that is also the time you, blooming youngsters, can use!"

"_That eyebrow face can't say anything normally…_" Tarakudo sighed internally, yet managed to restrain himself as he spoke up: "What do you mean by 'time we can use'?"

"To put it as simple as I can…" replied Lee with a wide smile. "It is the time which you can use to know your enemy and yourself! You may use that time to analyze data you've gathered during the eliminations that just took place… up till now, the battles were realistic ones, when you had very little or maybe even none information about your opponents…"

"_There is something to it…_" Kitsune thought to himself as he glanced at some of the participants. "_Sand users, mind readers, blind guys, bone throwers, puppeteers… and most of all – immortals…_" and at this point his eyes stopped at Takai.

"Since you all saw the other participants fights, the final test will be different…" Lee continued calmly. "Some of you uncovered all your cards before your potential adversaries… and some got badly injured due to fighting a strong opponent… to make it fair we're giving you this month to recover, improve yourselves or plan your strategy. Naturally, you can also just rest… it's your call… however before you're all dismiss, there's one, last thing that's need to be done…"

"Then move it, old fart, I have stuff to do…" Reiji shoot at the jounin annoyed.

"Calm your spirit of youth down, this'll only take a moment…" announced the Green Beast as suddenly Tenten appeared back in the room with a small box in her hands. "Inside the box Tenten-san is carrying there are small sheets of paper! I'd like to ask you all to take one from it…" and as the weapon mistress came towards the gennin, she added with an evil smile 'just one'.

As everyone got their sheet, Kiba also appeared out of nowhere with a small notebook in his hand. Lee nodded towards him and then turned to the young shinobi: "As you probably noticed, on each sheet there was a number. I'd like to ask you to give your numbers to Kiba-san. Lets start from the left…" and as everyone did as they were told, the Green Beast smiled before continuing: "And with that, we can tell you who you'll fight in the final exam!"

Everyone (_A/N: well, most of them anyway_) didn't hid their shock at the last announcement, yet Kiba seemed to be unmoved by that and just turn the notebook he had in his hand over, showing them a table with the names of all the final exam contestants:

**Fight 1:** Haisha Kai (1) vs. Takai (2)

**Fight 2:** Ono Reiji (3) vs. Wanabi Hizoku (4)

**Fight 3:** Abura Tetsu (5) vs. Tanken Funbo (6)

**Fight 4:** Honemaru (7) vs. Gekido Takaru (8)

**Fight 5:** Benda Kokoro (9)vs. Horamaru (10)

**Fight 6:** Furikuzu Tsuino (11) vs. Tarakudo (12)

**Fight 7:** Manako Akira (13) vs. Dekai (14)

**Fight 8:** Hyuuga Hitomi (15) vs. Tenka (16)

**Fight 9:** Hokku Tobane (17) vs. Sabaku no Sabure (18)

**Fight 10:** Murasakki Kumiko (19) vs. Debano Kitsune (20)

**Fight 11:** Junsei Teela (21) vs. Kanraku Nezumi (22)

**Fight 12:** Horohoro (23) vs. Hagane Kusari (24)

**Fight 13:** Aoru (25) vs. Hamano Taki (26)

**Fight 14:** Torune (27) vs. Hari (28)

**Fight 15:** Amagasa Toku (29) vs. Kyohaku Tokame (30)

**Fight 16:** Kobushi Galu (31) vs. Karame (32)

As the final match-up was revealed, Toku merely glanced at the paper and realizing that he'll fight as one of the last, he only narrowed his eyes without saying a thing. Honemaru on the other hand set his eyes on his opponent and narrowed them as well: "_Gekido… Takaru…_" Karame had other thoughts going through in his head however: "_I'm going last…_" he thought, slightly depressed.

"_I'm fighting a girl…_" Kitsune let out a sigh as he realized who he opponent was. Kumiko however wasn't delighted with the choice either: "_Geez, that guy won't be easy to beat…_" but as she trailed off, Kusari, who stood beside her, noticed her troubled face, and got her out of her thoughts: "Lets do our best, Kumiko-chan!" he yelled, smiling widely and wrapping his arms around her. That, naturally, ended up in him getting a powerful smack on his head from the kunoichi, but for some reason, the young genius did felt more relieved after that.

Horohoro merely glanced at the chain master calmly: "_So this is my opponent?_" the blue-haired boy concluded in his mind with a raised eye-brow. Then Akira placed his hand on his shoulder and as he looked at his blind teammate, he only announced: "You're going against that huge sword guy from the Sand…" and with that the genjutsu expert nodded as a 'thank you'.

Horamaru smirked evilly and licked his lips: "_I have that mind-reading guy, eh? This should be fun…_" meanwhile his teammate, Hari, glanced at her opponent. Torune returned the glance and the two had a staring contest for a short while, broken by them both. Kankuro only looked at his sister with a worried expression on his face, yet the blonde jounin seemed to not noticed that. She just set her eyes on her wind-using subordinate.

"_At least I'm not in the same block as Takai…_" Aoru thought relieved before glancing at Taki. The boomerang user glanced back at her and after a short analyze, she returned to observing the jounin before her: "_This won't be easy…_" she thought to herself, yet shook excited.

"_So, this whole Final Exam is just a stupid tournament_" concluded Galu, narrowing his eyes. Meanwhile Tetsu was delighted: "_So I got that bastard who fought Shita? Good, I'll make good work out of him_" and with that he gazed at Funbo, who noticed his stare, though acted like he didn't. This annoyed the chubby gennin even more, but he decided to ignore that… for now. "_Act cool all you want, but I'm gonna smash every, single bone in your body into pieces!"_

Teela and Tenka, who stood beside each other, exchanged glances, but said nothing. In the meantime, Hitomi gazed at her adversary as her peril-white eyes narrowed: "_I got that thunder girl_" she concluded, while Sabure let out a frown. Dekai, who stood next to her, threw her a quick look as worry appeared behind his mask: "_Again she's not gonna fight Takai unless they both reach the final… if this keeps up, her mental state may worsen even further…_"

But as Dekai was worried about Sabure, Tobane was more worried about the fact that she was going to fight the redhead girl. Uncertainty was showing all over her face. Seeing this, Hizoku placed his hand on her shoulder, thus making the kunoichi gaze at him. He took off his mask and gave her a warm smile, which managed to calm the girl a bit as she smiled back.

"Do not worry" the redhead grass-nin whispered to her without dropping his smile. "You do not need to fight her for me. With Taka in the stands and me participating in the Final, everything is ready to commence with the plan. If you'll choose to fight her, do so for your own gain" and at this point Tobane nodded, once more settling her eyes on the table Kiba held in his hand.

Meanwhile Hizoku gazed at his other teammates. Tokame seemed to be unmoved by the news who his opponent will be, but Nezumi on the other hand didn't looked to pleased with the fact she'll go against Teela in the first round. But not only Hizoku observed the grass-nins, for Reiji also had his eyes settled on them: "_Well, this should be fun_" he thought with a smirk as his eyes stopped on the redhead.

Tarakudo also was delighted with the choice that was made: "_That scar-faced guy who defeated the drunk…interesting… very interesting indeed_" and without any control from his side, a smirk appeared behind his bandages as well, while Tsuino didn't seem to pay any attention to the sand-nin who he was supposed to fight in one month.

Kokoro stared in the distance, carefully listening to everyone's thoughts, trying to know his opponents better. His mind set upon a certain boy with a scar running down his face and a Leaf hitae-ate on his forehead. Takaru had his eyes on Kai with a little worry drawing on his face: "_So you got that scythe freak… dammit, how can one beat a guy like that? And I was hoping we'll finally get to face each other…_"

"_Perfect_" Takai thought to himself with a wicked smile as his eyes traveled towards Kai (_A/N: in case you've forgotten, he mentioned he wanted Kai in his collection_). The blonde shivered as he caught a glimpse of him, but a second later his eyes narrowed, while he tightened his fists: "_What the hell am I doing? That guy may be strong, but there's gotta be a way to defeat him! I don't care how strong he is! I won't run away!_"

"_Both Kokoro and Galu got sand-nins_" Hinata analyzed as she scanned her two subordinates. "_They're not easy opponents. During that one month, I'll need to make them stronger!_" and as determination shined from her face, Shino managed a smile as he gazed at his former teammate.

"Alright brats, listen up!" Ino, who seemed to return to the room at the same time the other examiners did, raised her voice, gathering everyone's attention: "If you have any questions, best answer them now, otherwise you'll have to find out on your own. If you don't have any, then get the hell out, coz we have more important stuff to do!"

"I have a question" announced Kumiko, raising her hand. "Since the whole exam has the tournament system, it means only one can win. Thus that mean only one of us will be promoted to a chuunin?"

"That's not it" Kakashi began explaining calmly. "As said, the matches will be observed by the country lords and the leaders of shinobi villages, including me and the Kazekage. We will be your judges, who'll grade you for your performance. Various things will be grades and thus anyone who'll prove worthy becoming chuunin, will certainly get promoted, even if he or she would lose his fight. However winning and reaching the final round will give you a chance to promote your village as well as promote yourself a while longer and thus heighten the possibility to get promoted…"

"So there's a chance all of us will become chuunin?" asked Taki with hope in her voice. The Rokudaime merely nodded, however his voice did not change as he spoke again: "Yes, but this also works the other way around: it's possible that none of you will get promoted…" and as his words sink in, silence befall the room. After several moments, Kakashi continued, this time with a little bit more cheerful voice: "Since there aren't any more questions, I suppose the only thing left for me to do is to wish you luck! See all of you in a month at the Konoha Stadium!"

---A while later at the Konoha Hospital---

"Hey, Sakura-chan!" Naruto greeted his old friend as he led his gennin into the huge, Medical Center. The pink-haired kunoichi smiled at the waving blonde, placing a soft kiss on his whisker-marked cheek, making a tiny blush appear on his face. Seeing this Kumiko merely rolled her eyes, while Kusari seemed stunned and extending his cheek forward. Takaru only sweat dropped at the sight, perfectly predicting what was about to occur and that was Kumiko beating the shit out of the chain master.

"Hey, Naruto. How you've been?" asked the woman with a warm smile. "Finally decided to visit, eh? It's been almost two months already" but the Kyuubi vessel only scratched the back of his head, feeling a little uncomfortable, as he replied: "Actually, just awhile ago a student of mine was taken here and we came to visit her…"

"Right, you never stop by to see just me" Sakura frowned, acting like she was angry, but instantly returned to her cheerful self as she spoke up: "But you're a bit late, she already left the hospital…"

"Wait, this cannot be!" Naruto responded, shock appearing on his face. "She was incapable of moving, much less leaving on her own!" but the pink-haired kunoichi shook her head at this, calmly explaining: "You misunderstand. She didn't walk out of here on her own. Her clansmen took her under the guidance of Tanken Satsu himself. I told them she should not be moved yet, but they didn't seem to care. You know the rules the Shodai Hokage made with their clan, it was not my place to stop them."

"Yes, I know" the Kyuubi vessel nodded, narrowing his eyes. "But this is bad… very bad!"

"What do you mean by that, Naruto-sensei?" Kai asked, completely confused.

"I'm afraid that Ibuki's life… may be in grave danger!"

_**---unexpected turns… what will become of Ibuki?---**_

And so this chapter ends, ending the double update as well. Hope you had fun reading it and that you'll leave a review before you go. It'd really mean a lot.

Now, before I go, I want to wish all of you (at least those who celebrate that holiday) a _HAPPY HALLOWEEN!_ Good luck trick or treating and until next time, hopefully.


	103. The Tanken Clan

Finally. As I mentioned in several, review replies, I was hoping to finish this yesterday, but that didn't work out. Well, as Star Wars fans say: "Sith happens". Luckily I've managed to finish it today and so I'm uploading.

As always I wanna thank everyone who reviewed the previous chapters. I'm glad you overall enjoyed them and that at least some matches you find worth waiting for. Hopefully they'll live up to your expectations. But that's for later. Right now there's the material for one-month break that needs to be covered. I'll tell you straight that I'm not planning to show you how each of the contestant trained for the Final Exam, but I do hope what will take place during those few chapters you'll find interesting nonetheless, especially since it's aimed to be an inside on some of the characters.

**Attention:** also, before I start, I just wanna announced that Hikari Midori-chan finished the Popularity Contest pic and you can all take a pick by going to the N:NG forum (the link is on my profile page) and finding the thread she started. On my behalf I'd also like to ask those who'll choose to do so, to leave a comment while you're at it. I believe Midori would appreciate it.

And now I don't think there's anything left for me to do then to get on with it:

**Chapter #103: The Tanken Clan**

_**Title Page:**_ Kumiko is stretching herself while laying on gondola, which gondolier is Kusari, Takaru is meditating on a huge lily leaf, that swims on the lake surface, Ibuki is finishing from a rock on the shore, while Kai's head is sticking out of the water with goggles on his eyes and a breathing pipe in his mouth

"Where's Kasui?" Tetsu asked the moment he entered the hospital room where his teammates were recovering from their elimination fights. The one to answer his question was Miaka, who sat on her bed while feeding Torabasu. She didn't even bother to glance at the chubby boy as she spoke: "No idea. By the time I was taken here, he was already gone. At least that's what that pink-hair said…"

"Should we look for him, Tetsu-san?" Shita asked humbly, instantly jumping out of his bed, yet the moment his feet touched the ground, pain shoot through them, making him collapse to his knee. Seeing this the hammer user narrowed his eyes and replied with a little annoyed tune: "Don't bother. If that idiot wants to disappear, then he can drop dead for all I care. Every since we came to Konoha he caused us nothing but trouble. No point in worrying about that."

"Yeah, more importantly: how the final exam went?" now Kawa cut in, sending their leader a questioning glance. Tetsu merely made a short, eye contact with her, before gazing around them room again as he responded: "It'll take place in one month, so we'll be staying in the Leaf for a while longer. It'll also be in the form of one on one fights, only in the tournament basis. And the interesting part is that I got that stick guy who messed you up so badly, Shita" and with that he settled his eyes on the small gennin, yet his face shown no emotions.

"You got the one I fought?" the masked boy repeated, slightly nervous. He hesitated, lowering his head, and after a moment of silence, he spoke again, once more looking into Tetsu's eyes again: "Are… are you sure you're gonna be fine? That guy… is pretty strong…"

"What's that suppose to mean?" asked the chubby gennin irritated, sending an evil glare at his teammate, which made the small boy shiver. "Are you implying I can't handle someone of a level as low as his? Your loss doesn't prove anything, Shita! You're good, but saying what you just did is giving you too much credit. I assure you that after this month passes, I'm gonna take revenge for what he did to you. I'm gonna rid him from shinobi life for good!" and with that he exited the room, slamming the door on his way out.

"You shouldn't anger Tetsu" stated Miaka, still totally occupied with feeding Torabasu. "You know he has short temper. Besides, we're a team for few years now. You should know that to fight Tetsu on equal terms… there has been no gennin capable of doing that…"

"Yeah, I know" nodded the masked boy slowly with doubts still filling him mind. "But I fought the guy. I had a taste of how he's like first hand. I may not show it, but the moment I gazed in his eyes, I was actually petrified. I don't have the slightest doubt that since the very beginning he was planning to kill me without even showing any emotions. No regret, no joy, no anger. He was ready to kill me just because… well, he could. And that stupid code he mentioned. If those really are the rules each of his clansmen follow, then I feel sorry for anyone who'll get in their way…"

---That time, elsewhere---

"What did you meant by saying that Ibuki's life is in grave danger, Naruto-sensei?" Kumiko demanded as the four gennin followed their instructor out of the hospital. The jounin merely gazed at her for a moment without stopping and walked on, once more turning his attention to what was ahead. Finally, he answered while his eyes narrowed: "It's Tanken traditions. Back at the eliminations, when Ibuki's brother fought his match, do you remember what he said?"

"Yeah, we do. So what?" asked Kai, rising his eyebrow. "That's just a bunch of heartless and stupid rules. Ibuki said herself that she's not gonna follow them once…" but at this point the boy got interrupted by the Kyuubi vessel: "Whether she follows them or not is not an issue. The point is she's still a Tanken and a daughter of the clan's head at that. It's just like that Funbo kid said: to Tanken, shinobi's value is measured only by his or hers usefulness. Failure of any sort means that usefulness of a person has run out. And for Tanken, keeping useless people among their ranks… is unacceptable…"

"Wait, are you saying what I think you are?" began Kusari as a sudden shiver shook his body at the very thought. "Are you implying that her own clansmen… are going to kill Ibuki?" and as that question echoed sinisterly through the street, Naruto merely nodded slightly, still with no change in his expression: "That's the basic concept…"

"But that's insane!" Kai exploded, tightening his fist. "They're family for crying out loud! Why in the world the Hokage even allows this?" but a quick gaze from the whisker-marks made him calm down instantly, allowing the jounin to speak up again: "Tanken are one of the founding clans of Konoha, thus they have certain freedom in choosing their own rules and traditions, which the Shodai Hokage promised to respect. It's pretty much the same as letting the Hyuuga be separated into main and branch families. Hokage may not like it, but unless the clan itself decides to change that, there's nothing the Fire Shadow can do…"

"And for a stupid reason like that the Hokage allows Tanken to kill people?" Kai still couldn't bare the fact, but Naruto only send him a sad glance before continuing: "The first Tanken made those rules for a reason. I do not know what those reasons were nor were they good ones, but that's how their clan works. If I were to go in there to free Ibuki, I'd be labeled as a traitor. As sad as it may be, there's nothing we can do for Ibuki…" and with that he left, leaving the four gennin standing in the middle of the street shocked.

"_Sorry about all this, but that needed to be said_" Naruto thought to himself as he walked through a dark alley in an unknown direction. "_That is what you needed to hear… if things goes well, then who's to know, perhaps you'll all gain a valuable lesson… don't disappoint me, brats_" and with that he managed a smirk, before disappearing behind the corner.

---A little later, Tanken dungeon---

Ibuki hung motionlessly on two, steel chains that bind her hands, with her head lowered. Her outfit was ripped into pieces, leaving just a small cover to hide her female features. Due to the exposure, anyone could see her body was filled with cuts of various sizes, from which blood was escaping, coloring her figure in crimson. In several places her skin became black from hot metal that embraced those parts.

Crimson liquid ran down her face, creating a small waterfall just before her right eye, which started blankly at the dark and dirty floor, which her feet could not reach. Suddenly a cold, metal pipe softly touched her chin, forcing her to look up at the man that was her father, Tanken Satsu, head of the clan.

"You disappointed me, Ibuki" he announced in an emotionless voice as he gazed into his daughter's eyes. "You disappointed me greatly. To get eliminated even before the Final Exam is a disgrace, not just for yourself and me, but Tanken as a whole" he went on, still with no trace of anger nor sorrow sounding in his words. "Even more so, considering your opponent was from outside Konoha…"

"I guess I'm just unworthy of our clan's name, Satsu-sama" the young assassin replied, doing her best to keep her emotions in check as well. At seeing this, Funbo who stood in the corner with his arms crossed, smirked slightly as he observed his sister.

"Do not mock me, girl" the head Tanken warned, keeping his emotionless voice, which made his treat all the more scary. Ibuki however didn't broke her eye-contact with the man, still looking deep into his eyes. The two remained motionless for a moment and then, in less then an instant, Satsu swung his hand, making the steel pipe hit his daughter right in the face again.

"You know what your greatest fault is, Ibuki?" he asked as he turned his back at her and walked over to a stand that held several, metal sticks, each blazing red from a bath in flames they all just had. "You just can't learn your place…"

"On the contrary…" the kunoichi replied weakly as her jaw hurt from the hit she just received. "During the past year I learned all about it and now I can tell that my place is not with you nor YOUR clan!" she basically yelled out the last, two words, ignoring the pain in her mouth. At hearing this Funbo's eyes widen in surprise, making him lose his posture, his father however still didn't seem to make anything of her words.

"Is that so?" the head of the Tanken asked simply, drawing out one of the sticks and turning back to his daughter. Once more Ibuki dared to look at him, almost drilling the man with her gaze, as she responded: "I cannot nor do I wish to be a part of a family for which every member is just a figure, a tool used to get greater glory. Throughout the last year, I felt connected with my teammates more then I every felt connected with you!"

"Well, even if that is the case, you still carry the name Tanken and like it or not, you are my daughter. You failed and in OUR clan there's only one punishment for that…" and with those words he lifted the stick, aiming to pierce her side with it, but never got to complete that action.

A sudden rumble made all, three Tanken gathered in the dungeon to look at the door, which shoot open a moment later as one of the guards entered the room, breathing heavily from the sprint: "Satsu-sama, someone invaded the estate!"

"Who are they and how many has come?" the head of the Tanken asked calmly, without letting his emotions run wild. However the guard's next statement made it impossible for Ibuki and Funbo to do the same: "We do not know who they are, but as for the number, there's four of them… and all seem to be rookie gennin!" and at this point kunoichi's eyes widen in both shock and worry, while her brother's smirk widen even more.

"Stealth and caution!" yelled Kumiko, hitting Kai, who stood beside her, in the back of his head as they stood at the entrance to the Tanken estate, which steel gate's wings were now blasted to the sides, leaving the household's garden in front of the mansion wide open. "Didn't you learn a thing in the Academy, dammit? The plan was to sneak in and locate where they're holding Ibuki before doing anything else and here you are, blasting the main gate! What sort of ninja are you suppose to be, dumbass?"

"Leave it, Kumiko" advised Takaru with a calm voice as he settled his eyes out front, where the two, young men guarding the gate were slowly getting back to their feet. "That's just how he acts. What's done is done and there's no point in whining about it. Might I suggest that in stead of wasting your energy on beating the shit out of him, you direct your attention to the battle ahead?"

"Yeah, besides this is the Tanken clan after all" added Kusari also without looking at the kunoichi. "They're assassins, who specialize in silent killing. I doubt that we would be able to sneak in without them spotting us anyway…"

"Well, sorry to spoil your fun, but unlike you, idiots, I'm not a suicidal type!"

"Damn brats" cursed one of the guards, a man around his early twenties with long, brown hair, clipped in a ponytail. His crimson red eyes settled on the four gennin as he pointed the tip of his spear at the intruders. "You'll pay for blasting the gate!"

"Seems that we need to teach you guys a lesson" added the second guard with a slight anger showing on his face, a man that looked identically to the first if it wasn't for the fact that his hair was medium-length and gelled-up. "A long and painful lesson…"

"Caution my butt" Kai shoot back as a smirk appeared on his face while he cracked his knuckles. "Lets wreck this place!"

_**---breaking and entering… new battle begins!---**_

And with that this chapter ends. Hope you had fun reading it and that you'll leave me a review once you're done reading. It'd mean a lot. There's no jutsu this time and eliminations are over, so for the time being I suppose I can skip the gennin list (besides, by this time you probably remembered most of the important characters… at least I hope you did).

Take care and until next time (hopefully).


	104. Assault on the Tanken Estate

Yeah, I know I'm behind my deadline, but they say it's better late then never. My free time got drastically cut lately and although most of the chapter was done like a week ago, I couldn't dig out enough time to finish it until today. Possibly the next chapter will also come late, but I do hope I'll manage to update at least once before Christmas, so… we'll see.

Here's the usual 'thank you for reviewing the previous chapter' paragraph, which basically states the same things I write in review replies and I do believe most of you skip it anyway, but still I wanna thank you all, especially those who did not receive my review reply (coz they didn't log in or for any, other reason). It means a lot.

Now, before going further, I just wanna announce that I'm planning a surprise next chapter (due to Christmas coming and all), though not sure if I'll manage. It's probably nothing special, but perhaps some of you will find it interesting. However what it is, I'm keeping a secret… for now XD

And now, all that's left to do, is to invite you to read the newest chapter of N:NG!

**Chapter #104: Assault on the Tanken Estate**

_**Title Page:**_ Kai is standing in a lake with an elephant that's giving him a shower

"Lets wreck this place!" yelled Kai, cracking his knuckles, carefully watching the two guards before them. The one with the gelled-up hair narrowed his eyes at this and tightening his grip on the spear, he charged forward, ready to attack. In a flash threw his weapon forward, aiming to pierce the blonde, but the young gennin managed to strife left in the last moment.

Seeing an opening, Takaru decided to take action and somersaulting forward, he placed his left hand on the stretched spear, using it to balance. In a blink of an eye he began spinning in the attempt to kick the Tanken guard in the face, yet the man managed to duck under the assault, leaving a clear way for his partner.

Immediately the other guard pushed his spear forward, aiming to pierce the son of Tsunade. Takaru however managed to get out of harm's way by bending his elbow and thus twisting his body to the left. Instantly Kusari took action and picking out several kunai, tossed them at the Tanken guard, yet all were either deflected by the spear or struck its handle as the wielder spun it before himself.

At this time the first guard swung his spear, thus throwing Takaru off it, and spinning on his feet, he aimed to chop Kai's head off, only making the blonde duck under the assault. As the weapon went over his head, the gennin acted immediately, grabbing the stick and tossing it over his shoulder, taking the Tanken member, whose grip on it was still firm, along for the ride.

While in mid-air the guard flipped, still not letting his weapon go, and landed on his feet with his back almost parallel to the ground. His eyes narrowed as they stopped on the blonde. In a fraction of a second the Tanken member let go of his spear and came at Kai with a slide. Instantly he spun on his foot, delivering a powerful punch in the boy's stomach, forcing him to bend forward, right for an opened palm of the man's other hand.

Kusari quickly came to the rescue, picking out his Fuuma Shuriken without opening it. Swinging it like a katana, he attempted to cut the Tanken in half, yet the man instantly bended back and threw his legs up, smashing them against the chain master's chin, thus sending him flying back, while he flipped several time and grabbing his spear when his hands landed in the place it laid on the ground, he came to a stop, getting back on his feet.

"Boy, without your chain you're really useless" stated Kai, sweat dropping, as he gazed at his teammate who now stood beside him. A vein began pulsing on Kusari's forehead as he only said 'shut up', while the Tanken guard charged straight at them.

As the distance between them disappeared, the man swung his spear parallel to the ground, forcing the two gennin to take evading actions. Immediately Kusari ducked under the assault, while Kai jumped over it, both spinning in the process. Acting on instinct, the chain master threw a kick in the man's chest, but the Tanken managed to block the attack by quickly retreating his spear and placing its handle in the boy leg's way.

The guard's eyes widen however as he noticed Kai initiating a kick of his own. Incapable of dodging in time, the man received a powerful blow in the face which tilted his head and made him loose balance.

His partner immediately took action and charged forward, aiming to pierce right through the blonde gennin, who was still in mid-air. The blade was pushed towards Kai, who only managed to widen his eyes in shock, but surprisingly it was the Tanken's eyes that widen a moment later as he realized he pierced merely air.

"_What the…?_" he wondered, turning his head a little to his right, where he saw Kumiko with her hands shaped in a hand seal. "_Genjutsu!_" he realized instantly and turned forward, noticing Takaru also forming a chain of hand seals, while his hands got engulfed in fire.

In a flash the son of Tsunade threw his hands forward, calling out "Insei Tooriame!", making tens of small fireballs shoot out from the tips of his fingers and come right at the Tanken. As the blazing bullets neared, the guard jumped back, avoiding certain death, coming to a sliding stop few meters away, out of the attack's range.

---Meanwhile---

"Are you going to… greet the intruders, father?" asked Funbo with a playful smile as Satsu picked his katana and attached it to his belt. The man did not response and only gazed at Ibuki, who still hung on the chains with her head down, finally speaking up: "Watch her. I won't be long" and with that he began to walk away.

"Wait, father, don't!" the kunoichi plead, barely managing to lift her head and settle her eyes on the head of the Tanken. "Please, don't hurt them. They… they came here for me. I… I won't be able to bare if they'd die because of me. Please, let them leave. This is not their fight…"

"They invaded my household" Satsu replied simply in an emotionless voice, his back turned towards his daughter. "In the long history of our clan, those to do so that left alive… there has been none" and once more he resumed his walk, exiting the dungeon. Ibuki could only lower her head again, gazing at the floor, as a single tear escaped her eyes. As a strange pain shoot from her chest, she only let out a weak 'no', while Funbo's smirk widen as he glanced after their father.

---Back to Kai and others---

The Tanken guard with gelled-up hair threw several shuriken at the intruders, forcing them to jump back in order to avoid the assault. That is all except Kai, who just charged in blindly, completely ignoring the shinobi stars that cut his skin and in some cases even sunk into his body. As he got out of the blade rain, he jumped into the air spinning, once again aiming a spin kick into the face of the man with a ponytail.

The guard managed to duck under the attack however and quickly threw his spear up, making his blade go right into the blonde's chest, only to have the boy's body turn into a wooden pale a moment later. "_Kawarimi?_" the man's eyes widen as a sizzling sound reached his ears. A moment later he saw an explosive tag attached to the wood and acting on instinct he shook the pale off, jumping back and yelling to his partner: "Yaiba, get back!"

In a flash the gelled-up haired man complied, avoiding the explosion that ripped the wooden pale into bits, but as the guards' feet touched the ground, they both noticed a large fireball now soaring right above them, like the second sun.

"Gougi Insei Tooriame!" Takaru called out, performing a single hand seal, thus making the fireball explode into tens of smaller ones, all coming down upon the two, Tanken guards. The two men barely managed to avoid the flaming bullets as they jumped around between them, but as the meteor shower ended, they saw Kumiko and Kusari coming right at them with their fists ready, while they both were still in mid-air.

Incapable of dodging, the two received a powerful blow in the face which send them flying back and skid on the ground for a few meters until coming to a stop. The duo of gennin smirked, while the men slowly got back to their feet, their faces twisted in an angry expression as their grip on the spears tightened. They never got to charge at their opponents however as a sudden interruption occurred.

"Enough!" Satsu yelled calmly, making everyone turn their gaze at him. the head of the Tanken walked slowly out of the estate with his clansmen following him close behind, each armed in a weapon of their choice. The cold blades deflected sunrays as they all pointed at the four gennin and the two guards. Suddenly they all stopped, allowing the clan's leader to march ahead alone.

He narrowed his eyes as they scanned the battlefield. A cold stare made both Tanken guards shiver for a moment, before they bowed deeply towards their leader, who now gazed at the four, rookie shinobi: "So you're the ones causing such a ruckus?" he more stated then asked, his voice still as calm and emotionless like before. "How disappointing of Surudoi and Yaiba, to not be able to bring down four children, having so much time to do so…"

"Forgive us, Satsu-sama" asked the one with the ponytail, still not rising his head. "We will be finished in a moment. There was no need for you, to…" but he was cut off by the clan's head raised hand. He kept on starring at the intruders, his face still made of stone: "If my guess is correct, you came here in hope to get my daughter, is that right?"

"You bet!" Kai shoot back, pointing his finger at him. "And we ain't leaving until you give her back to us!" but Satsu merely smiled at that, placing his hand on the handle of his katana: "Well, you are right about one thing… you ain't leaving…" and with that he charged forward, releasing his sword.

In a flash he appeared behind Kusari, while blood sprayed from the chain master's back. The boy let out a yell of pain as he collapse to the ground with his face first, giving Satsu enough time to freeze before Kai, whose shoulder instantly got pierced by the man's swords. The blonde only managed to open his mouth from shock, incapable of screaming for some reason.

Seeing this sweat began running down Takaru's body, while he reached for his kunai hostels, yet never managed to complete that action as Satsu slide behind him, leaving a huge slash across his chest and an expression of both shock and fear on Tsunade's son's face. Kumiko could only take a step back at the sight, terrified: "_I can't even follow him with my eyes! In a moment he brought down all three of them with no trouble at all! They couldn't even react! This guy… is a monster! I… I can't beat him! None of us can!_"

"Looks like you're the last one" stated Satsu calmly as his eyes settled on her. Silence felt between them for a moment, broken by the Tanken head as he gazed at the fallen gennin for a split second: "Fear not, they are alive… for now. Invading my household is a crime that I will not allow to go unpunished. They'll suffer for this insolence, but first I'll take care of you. Being the only girl, I'll be generous and spare you… quick and painless death. I'll chop your head off with one, smooth motion. I promise you will not feel a thing…"

"Screw you, asshole!" Kumiko yelled, gathering all the courage she had in herself. "You think I'm just gonna stand there, looking while you try to kill me and my friends? We came here to get Ibuki! If we're suppose to go down, then we'll go down together!" and with that she picked out her kunai, aiming its tip at the man: "Come at me, coz I ain't running away!"

"I respect that" was the Tanken's head only reply as he charged forward. The kunoichi only managed to shut her eyes as she couldn't follow anyway, awaiting for the hit, but instead she only heard a loud 'clank'. Slowly she opened her eyes, seeing a familiar, orange outfit standing before her.

"And you are?" asked Satsu calmly as he gazed into the new arrival's blue eyes, pushing his katana against the man's kunai that blocked his way towards Kumiko's neck. The blonde replied just as calm, standing his ground: "Uzumaki Naruto. I came to even the chances a bit…"

_**---the arrival of the Kyuubi… expect the unexpected!---**_

And this concludes this chapter. Hope you had fun reading it and that you'll leave me a review before finishing. I gotta confess that my first idea was to make this split into two chapters (with the first being the fight with the guards and the second sacrificed to show Kai and corps trying to beat Satsu). Main reason for that was showing the four's determination during the battle with Satsu, but I figured Kumiko's words in this one spoke clear enough, so in the end I just shortened the fight and squeeze it at the end of this chappie. That way I don't feel that I stretched it unnecessary and it also gives Satsu much more justice as he is the head of one of the strongest, Konoha clans and supposedly one of the strongest shinobi in the Leaf (in the longer version neither of the gennin managed to land a blow on him anyway). And finally, I do believe that most of you are more interested in the Final Exam then the one-month break, so this maneuver just moved the beginning of it a chapter closer XD

No, new techniques this time around either, but rest assure that when the Final Exam comes, there will be some (after all, the participants are preparing for the final round), so the jutsu encyclopedia will be coming back soon.

And now I believe there's nothing left for me to do then thank you for tuning in and I do hope to see you with the next update. Take care and until then!


	105. First Blade

Well, I gotta admit I've managed to finish this chappie way sooner then I've expected. That's probably mostly because most of it was done much earlier, right after I uploaded the previous and all that was required for this were just a few paragraphs at the end.

As always I wanna thank everyone who reviewed the previous chapter and hope this chapter won't disappoint you either. Naturally I wanna encourage everyone to review (say in the spirit of upcoming Christmas XD). Reviews are always welcomed.

With that said, I suppose all that's left to do is simply invite you to read the newest chapter of N:NG!

**Chapter #105: First Blade**

_**Title Page:**_ Ibuki is sitting on a pier, gazing into the distance, while in the background Funbo is observing her

"_Uzumaki Naruto_" Satsu repeated in his mind, narrowing his eyes as he settled them on the new arrival. "_The age seems about right… and I'd never forget those whisker-marks. Never have I anticipated that he'll actually show up here… again_" but his trail of thoughts got interrupted by a sudden yell of one of the Tanken: "Who the hell do you think you are, breaking in here like that? We're going to…"

"Stay where you are!" Satsu ordered, for the first time rising his voice a little. "Don't you understand anything? Doesn't his name ring any bells for you? This is the Leaf's Golden Fox!" and at that statement several of the gathered Tanken widen their eyes in shock, one even let his weapon go, making it fall to the ground. Some of the shinobi seemed to pale a bit, although they did their best to hide it. The head of the clan still kept his eyes on the blonde, as he spoke again: "There's no point in attacking him, coz even if you'd all do so, you'd most likely still lose. I'll handle him myself…"

"Leaf's Golden Fox?" Kai repeated weakly, trying to get back to his feet, only to discover he was unable to. "What's that all about?" but at this point the chatted of Tanken clansmen reached his ears. Among tens of statements, he managed to catch few of them: "But I thought Leaf Golden Fox was older" said one.

"And an ANBU" added another, turning towards the one to spoke first. Then the third spoke: "He doesn't look all that tuff. There's no way someone like that can be the Crusher of the Akatsuki and the man who led the assault on the Hidden Sound! And I'm sure as hell that this weakling couldn't have defeated Kantetsu-sama!"

"I feel slightly offended" announced Naruto with his eye twitching a bit. "In shinobi world reputation is not exactly what one would want, but if he already has any, it's better when it's at least useful. Don't I look like I could be Golden Fox, dammit?" he snapped, yelling at the gathered, Tanken clansmen, boiling inside. He calmed down instantly however, and once more turned towards the head of the assassin clan: "Anyway, Satsu-dono, I came here to take my students. Ibuki included. Let us leave here peacefully and no more blood will have to be spilled on this ground."

"And if I refuse?" came a cold comeback, while the other still had his eyes set on the blonde jounin. Naruto merely let out a sigh before continuing: "That is why I was so against the idea of you running the Tanken; you can't seem to realize that there are other ways to do things then how it was written by your ancestors. Even with your clan's specialty, it's not said you can't have emotions. Kantetsu understood that. So does Ibuki and I'm not gonna allow myself to make the same mistake I once did. I will take my students, whether you like it or not. Stand in my way and I'm gonna have the blood of another Tanken on my hands!"

"If you're so concerned about your students, why didn't you came here with them right away?" asked Satsu with a playful smirk, making Kumiko, who was helping Kusari get up, realize the same thing: "Yeah, Naruto-sensei. You said you do not want to get involved. Why show up now?"

"All this time, I thought you were the smart one, Kumiko" the whisker-marks threw back at her without taking his eyes off his opponent. "But if you can't figure it out, then I suppose the lesson I hoped you'll get went to waste" and as he said so, the kunoichi's eyes widen upon understanding: "Wait, so you let us go alone, because…" but without letting her finish, the blonde nodded with a wide smile appearing under his nose.

"Well, I still have no idea what reason could you have for doing so" announced the head of the Tanken calmly with a stoned face. The Kyuubi vessel's face quickly turned serious again, as he responded: "I didn't expect someone like you to understand anyway. Now, will you let us leave or will we have to fight?"

"Well, I suppose that will be the latter" replied Satsu right before charging at Naruto.

---That time, Tanken dungeon---

Ibuki used all her strength to pull the chain, but alas they did not broke. Again she lowered her head helplessly as water began gathering in her eyes. Funbo stood there, propped against the cold wall, smirking slightly: "Why bother? Even if you would manage to escape, do you really believe it'd do you any good? There's no way you could defeat our father. You're… friend or whatever you call them will die and you'll soon follow. Best just accept it."

"No!" was the kunoichi's reply as she gazed at him with determination showing in her eyes. "You can do to me whatever you like, but my friends have nothing to do with it! They're not the part of Tanken! I could not bare the fact they'll die because of me! If any of your friends would be in danger, would you really just sit there without even trying to help them?"

"This is why the code was formed" stated Funbo simply without any emotions. "If this was a mission, you wouldn't be able to concentrate on it, because you'd be too afraid for your… 'friends' lives. That is why you'll always be a failure…"

"We have very different points of view" admitted the girl weakling, still looking into her brother's eyes. "Your last statement only proves as much. But regardless to that, we are still siblings. Is… is it really possible for you to hate me so much, to let me endure this?" she asked, lowering her head, incapable of holding her tears back anymore. Hearing this, the boy widen his eyes, but said nothing.

---Back to Naruto---

"What's going on?" asked Takaru, slowly regaining his consciousness as he awoke to the sound of loud, metal clashing. Kumiko was the one to answer his question, without looking away from whatever caught her attention to his left: "Naruto-sensei is fighting that Satsu guy" she said simply, making the son of Tsunade follow her gaze, only to spot the two blurs, jumping around the estate, engaged in battle.

Naruto jumped back from the swing of Satsu's sword, grabbing the tree branch behind him with his free hand while he was still in mid-air, and quickly pulled himself up, to avoid another cut of the katana. As his feet landed of dry wood, he picked out several shuriken and threw them bellow, straight at the head of the Tanken.

Satsu instantly swung his sword, deflecting several of the shinobi stars, sending few of them back at the blonde, while avoiding the rest by flipping back. In the meantime, Naruto jumped back and spinning parallel to the tree branch, he dodged the shuriken, losing his place to land. His opponent didn't care about that however as he appeared on the branch, cutting from above. Acting on instinct, the whisker-marks hit the flat side of the katana with the tip of his kunai knife, thus throwing it off course and using that moment, he quickly placed his foot on the same side of the sword which his knife hit an instant earlier.

Using that moment, he bounced off the katana and still somersaulting a few times, landed safely on a nearby roof, only to jump back once more as Satsu followed, cutting from above again. But as the blonde jumped back, the head of the Tanken stopped his attack halfway and pushed the tip of his blade forward, aiming to pierce through his adversary while he was still in mid-air.

Incapable of dodging, Naruto pushed his kunai forward, making the tips of two weapons clash, thus stopping them both with sparkles raining onto the roof the two men now stood on. Without a second waste, the blonde threw his knife at Satsu, charging right after it while picking two more kunai in the process.

The assassin simply bended to the left, dodging the first assault, blocking the kunai in Naruto's left hand with his katana, while grabbing the wrist of the hand that held the other with his own, free arm. Instantly he spun on his foot, aiming a kick into the whisker-mark's stomach, but the Kyuubi vessel merely jumped into the air, making the attack go beneath his feet, while he threw a double kick into his opponent's face.

Satsu immediately saw this as an opening and swung his sword, making the blade go right between Naruto's legs and straight at his body. The blonde's eyes widen in shock at this, as he quickly bended back and placed his hands on the ground. In a flash he brought his legs together, grabbing the dull sides of the blade between them and stopping the katana merely inches before his… important parts.

The whisker-marks let out a sigh of relief at his success, but Satsu was still far from over, as he let go of his sword and crawling down he picked out shuriken of his own, unleashing them at the blonde, who was less then a two meters before him. Having no time to think, Naruto acted on his instinct, gathering huge among of spinning chakra into his palms, which made the wooden roof underneath them break into bits, making him fall into the estate.

The head of the Tanken immediately jumped forward, grabbing his katana again, while his adversary jumped out of the household with another spinning orb of chakra before him in the place he stood a fraction of a second earlier, making another hole in the roof. Upon rolling on the wooden surface, Satsu came to a stop and spun on his foot, reaching for h\more shuriken.

Naruto quickly did the same while jumping back to avoid getting blasted by an explosive tag left in the place he jumped out by his opponent. As the note went off, both shinobi unleashed their shinobi stars, making them collide with each other, all falling harmlessly onto the battled, wooden cover of the household.

"Never have I seen anyone being able to hold out this long against Satsu-sama" stated Yaiba, the guard with gelled-up hair, as he watched the fight in owe. Surudoi, who stood right next to him, only nodded, incapable of saying a word. None of the Tanken paid any attention to the four gennin anymore, but also them were too stunned to move, almost completely forgetting why they have came here.

"Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu!" Naruto called out, unleashing a powerful fireball from him mouth, that came straight at Satsu, however the other man just quickly performed several hand seals single-handedly, creating strong, wind currently in every direction around him, that put out the flames before any of them could even reach the assassin.

"_Same ninjutsu as Ibuki-chan's_" noted Kusari, narrowing his eyes slightly. Meanwhile the two men seemed to slow down a bit, neither leaving their guard down however. None broke a sweat, though their breaths quickened slightly as they stood before each other, not taking their eyes off from their adversary.

"You're a troublesome opponent to deal with" stated Satsu, which could be considered a praise if his voice was not as calm and emotionless as always. "But it'd appear the two of us are equally matched… pity, I was expecting more from Leaf's Golden Fox…"

"Hey, cut me some slack, it's not like you're an everyday shinobi" Naruto defended himself, slightly offended. Suddenly the head of Tanken smirked, confusing the blonde: "You're not hoping for the Hokage to come to your rescue, are you? That old hag, Tsunade is no longer among the living after all…"

"Tsunade-sama was one of the greatest shinobi this village ever gave birth to" announced the Kyuubi vessel, surprisingly losing his temper as he pointed at Satsu. "I will not allow anyone, you especially, to disrespect her. Take back what you just said!"

"My, my, such uncontrollable emotions" replied the assassin, smirking even wider. "Anger… I suppose now you'll charge right at me, won't you?" but with that said, surprisingly the blonde seemed to calm down a bit he lowered his hand: "No, because that wouldn't give me anything. But I assure you that you're gonna pay for what you just said. And would you mind stop being such a freaking hypocrite? It drives me crazy. Rid yourself from emotions my butt. Do you take me for a moron or just someone with a memory loss? You can keep such play for your clansmen, but not me. After all, we both know that, in actuality, Funbo is…" yet he didn't managed to finish the sentence as Satsu suddenly charged at him, swinging his sword.

In a flash Naruto jumped back, coming to a sliding stop on the ground with his head lowered: "I'm getting tired of this crap" he announced calmly. "I hate myself every time I do this, but if I won't, this fight could go on forever and that's much longer then I wish it to. Best prepare yourself, Satsu, coz playtime's over" and with that he raised his head to gaze at his opponent with crimson-red eyes.

_**---unleashing the demon's power… the final clash comes!---**_

And that's it, for now. Hope you enjoyed it and that you'll leave me a review once you're done. It'd mean a lot. I myself must admit that I'm quite happy with how this chapter turned out. I was hoping that I'll manage to put in a bit more in it, but then I'd probably get crucified if I were to just skip Naruto's first chance to shine in a longer while, so… XD if all goes well, I might be able to finish Tanken Estate Assault arc this year even. There's still quite a bit to take place in it, but one or two chapters should be enough to cover it all. And hopefully I'll managed before Christmas, especially since the lack of time probably won't allow me to make the surprise I mentioned earlier. Oh well, there's always next year, if this story will last that long.

Thanks for reading. Best wishes and until next time.


	106. Her Own Ninja Way

Wow, I made it! Quite frankly with the among of work I had for collage just before Christmas, I was afraid that in the end this chapter won't be done in time, but I as usual, I rocked XD… boy, am I modest or what?

I have to admit I have mixed feelings about this chapter though. I did put everything I needed to end the Tanken Estate Assault arc in it, but once I was done, I had this weird feeling it ended up slightly rushed. Or maybe I'm just paranoid? Anyway, I did make it and overall I'm satisfied with the outcome and I can only hope you guys will be as well.

Just like every, other chapter I wanna take this time to thank everyone who reviewed the previous chappie. It means a lot and I do hope you guys will find this one worth waiting for. Also, I'd like to announce that there's hope this story will get a beta soon, so if everything works out, perhaps you won't have to suffer my bad grammar anymore. But that's to see in the future.

And now, without further to do:

**Chapter #106: Her Own Ninja Way**

_**Title Page:**_ Kai is riding and bike and races with Kusari, who drives a pumpkin carriage with Kumiko and Ibuki inside

"Playtime's over" stated Naruto, rising his crimson-red eyes at Satsu, making the head of the Tanken narrow his: "_Those pupils and that chakra… it's the nine-tails_" he figured instantly without taking his eyes off the blonde. "_This will complicate things a bit… I guess I can't afford to hold back now either…_"

"Lets go!" the blonde yelled, suddenly jumping forward as red chakra wrapped around his body, forming tails and claws. In a flash the assassin pushed his sword forward and placing its blade in the Kyuubi vessel's way, he propped its flat side with his free hand. The moment Naruto's hand hit the weapon, the air seemed to explode, pushing Satsu back and forcing him to somersault in order to land safely on his feet.

In a flash he charged forward and while he jumped over the Jinchuuriki, the blonde felt his right arm escaping back, almost falling out of joints. "_A string!_" he realized as he saw a thin line wrapped around his wrist. The whisker-marks quickly recovered however and clenching his teeth, he pulled his hand back, making the string break. Yet, as soon as this came to pass, a sudden explosion that erupted right behind him, send him flying, causing a burning pain to shoot through his back.

"_I see_" Kumiko thought to herself, still observing the fight from the distance. "_He filled the string with his chakra, making it act as some sort of a fuse. Upon breaking, the chakra is initiated and the string goes off!_" and as she analyzed the situation, Naruto safely landed back on the roof, immediately jumping forward to avoid a cut from Satsu's sword, who quickly followed the blonde.

Coming to a sliding stop, the Kyuubi vessel released more chakra, blasting away the shuriken that came flying at him. In a flash he slammed his hands to the surface, smashing the roof beneath them and forcing Satsu to jump into the air in order to avoid the blonde's chakra claws that suddenly blasted from bellow the assassin. The whisker-marks didn't waste a second however and while his opponent was still in mid-air, he reached to his hostels, unleashing tens of shuriken and kunai at the head of the Tanken.

As the weapon flew through the sky with a cutting sound, Naruto began a set of hand seals, taking a deep breath with the last symbol. Meanwhile Satsu easily deflected the blades that came at him with his sword, only to see a powerful fireball leave the blonde's mouth, heading straight at him. Incapable of dodging, he quickly formed more seals with his left hand, creating a sphere of wind current around himself, thus blasting the flames to the sides, not allowing even one to burn him.

A sizzling noise made his eyes widen however as he realize the flames he just threw to the sides initiated explosive tags that were attached to the weapons he deflected a moment ago. Instantly a powerful explosion covered him, creating a thick, black cloud in the sky. Naruto however only narrowed his eyes as he gazed over his shoulder to see Satsu charging right at him, finishing yet another set of hand seals: "Mikazuki no Mai!"

In a blink of an eye three Tanken were coming at him, but the blonde merely gathered more chakra, making spikes of it shoot from around the red sphere that surrounded hi body. Instantly one of the clones stopped in his tracks, but the other two were not as lucky and ran straight into the spikes, fading away into thin air the moment they did so. The original Satsu only narrowed his eyes at this and quickly went through another single-handed chain of seals.

Suddenly the roof broke before the assassin as a powerful wave of wind zoomed right at the Kyuubi vessel, speeding just inches above the wooden surface. Acting on instinct, Naruto jumped over the assault, only to see Satsu flying right at him with his katana ready. Before he could react, the sword's sharp blade cut his side, spray crimson liquid down to the roof. The head of the Tanken however seemed to be unmoved by that and merely reached for some shuriken as the blonde's body got replaced with a pale.

"_He certainly is quick_" Satsu concluded in his mind, scanning the surrounding area. "_Plus, he used that chakra sphere around himself to throw my attack off course to avoid a fatal wound. In this sort of situation, my physical attacks will be less effective as long as that red chakra surrounds him. It must be the power of the Kyuubi…_"

Just then Naruto jumped up from bellow the roof, breaking it into pieces in the attempt to grab his opponent from behind, yet the assassin reacted immediately and pushed his sword back, piercing the blonde's chest right in the spot his heart was. Instantly he pulled the blade out and bended his knees as four, more whisker-marked jounin jumped out around him, while the one he just hit disappeared in the cloud of white smoke.

Using the moment all clones reached the top spot of their jump, Satsu swung his katana around, which whistled loudly in the air between cutting flesh. In a fraction of a second four explosions of white smoke covered the assassin's view, while the wooden roof beneath him made a cracking sound. Instinctually the head of the Tanken jumped up, while it collapsed, freeing Naruto to come flying after him with a large, red sphere of chakra spinning wildly in his right hand.

"_This is bad!_" Satsu cursed in his mind, clenching his teeth. Without a moment waste he performed another set of hand seals, sending powerful, wind currents straight at the incoming blonde, thus pushing back to the ground. What the assassin did not saw coming, was another Kyuubi vessel emerging from beneath the wreckage bellow.

Instantly his chakra hands shoot up, grabbing the clone that got blown back towards the ground by the shoulders, and used him to bounce off, coming at Satsu with an even greater speed. Before the head of the Tanken could prepare counter measures, the blonde flew right before his nose. Again the Kyuubi vessel gathered air in his lungs, performing a well-known chain of hand seals, letting out yet another fireball, although this time much weaker then the previous.

Still it proven to be enough to push him back and as Naruto flipped in mid-air, he found himself falling right behind the assassin, grabbing him in a Nelson grip right before they landed safely on the ground bellow. The swordsman made an attempt to free himself, yet to no vial as the blonde's hold was firm.

"Why are you doing this?" he asked Satsu, whispering into his ear, while keeping him in a headlock. "Regardless to how much you try to hide it, even you cannot rid yourself from emotions. Funbo is the best proof of that" and with that statement, the head of the Tanken gazed at him (_A/N: as much as the hold allowed him to_), slightly surprised, but the blonde didn't seem fazed by that at all as he continued: "I already told you that I'm not a moron. You think I didn't know? Funbo is Kantetsu's son. Just as well as I do, you know his mother died at birth and his father soon followed during a mission. Him dying is one of the things I'll never manage to forgive myself for, but that is the fact. If you really don't have any feelings inside, why did you took him in as your own child? You even let him be a candidate to the clan's leader title… there's no way I'll believe you did that all on a whim" and with those words he let his opponent go, but surprisingly the assassin didn't attack him and in stead just looked into his eyes.

Finally Naruto broke the silence, speaking up again, loud enough only for Satsu to hear him: "You loved your brother. I know it and deep down you know that as well. That's the reason. Perhaps you even grew to love the boy. But just because you didn't had a son gives you no right to torment Ibuki. We all choose our own, ninja way. You're free to walk your own path, but you shouldn't force anyone to accompany you on it…"

At hearing those words, Satsu's eyes narrowed, while he gazed down at the ground in silence. As several moments went by, he raised his head once more, turning it towards Surudoi: "Go to the dungeon and free my daughter" he said, surprisingly without an ordering tone, which apparently shocked the Tanken guard for a second. Once he regained his posture, he bowed slightly, ready to complete the request, yet a sudden voice stopped him in his tracks: "That won't be necessary."

As everyone's eyes turned to the source of the voice, they saw Ibuki slowly walking out of the estate, barely managing to stand on her feet. With just few, more steps she lost her balance and used a pale to stay straight, but after doing so he continued forward, marching towards her teammates. Again her legs broke beneath her once she walked into the garden, but before she could collapse, Takaru and Kai appeared beside her, holding the young assassin up, and wrapping her arms around their shoulders.

"Don't worry" the blonde gennin told her gently, giving her a warm smile. "You're safe now" and upon hearing those words, she turned towards the scar-faced boy, who merely nodded at their teammate statement. The weapon mistress managed a weak smile and then gazed at the other, two young shinobi, who now rushed towards her, hoping to help as well.

As the five gennin slowly headed towards the gates, Naruto turned to Satsu, giving the assassin and approving nod, before following his students. The swordsman simply observed the group as they entered the streets of Konoha, now engulfed in the day's final sunrays. He then looked at his hand and lifting the left sleeve of his shirt, his gaze stopped at a small cut that went across the arm. His eyes narrowed again, as a recollection of a certain day began ringing in his head, but his trail of thoughts was suddenly disturbed by someone's voice:

"Satsu-sama, there is one thing I do not understand" stated Yaiba as he walked over to the clan's head. "We took away all her weapons and placed special seals on the chains… there was no way Ibuki-san could've escaped on her own, so how come she got free?" but the Tanken leader merely gazed at the estate's roof and responded with his voice as calm as always: "Yes… ain't that a wonder."

Without another word spoken, he turned around, slowly heading back into the household, making the guard look up as well. Only then did he noticed Funbo standing on top of the roof with his arms crossed, staring into the distance. A playful smirk appeared on the boy's face as he watched the five gennin exiting the Tanken ground, the two boys helping his sister walk.

"_With their level and number, there was no chance for them to succeed_" he thought to himself, confused by everything that occurred up till now. "_Only if they were complete morons could they not understand that. And yet, aware that they'll loose eventually and most likely get killed, they still came, trying to save her… so this is that whole 'companionship' thing everyone keeps talking about? What stupidity. But then, all four seem pretty interesting. Now I really can't wait for this month to be over_" and with that his eyes narrowed, while his smirk widen.

And so the sun went down on the horizon, marking the end of the day and the beginning of the countdown to the Final Exam. Thirty days for training, preparing strategy, fighting own doubts. Certainly all the participants will use that time to its full extend, hoping to get prepared for what's to come. For in only a month's time, they'll carry their dreams, ambitions and misunderstood emotions into battle, when they'll all collide. And once they do, some things may never be the same again.

_**---the heroes walk away into the setting sun… but that's just cliché XD---**_

_Coming up:_ as night falls on Konoha, dark secrets are revealed. Demon's from the past emerge as a sad tale is told. A tale of treachery, murder and monsters, but also hope and friendship. Brace yourselves, coz up next: **TAKAI'S STORY!**

Well, this concludes this chapter. I hope you enjoyed it and that you'll leave me a review once you're done (in the spirit of upcoming or past Christmas, dependable when exactly you'll read this). I probably won't be able to update this year, but I'll try (as usual I can't promise anything and I don't want you to get your hopes up, coz there's a higher chance I won't manage this time) to put up Takai's entire story in one, big, multiply update (hard to say how many chapters that'll be, but if my calculations are correct, it'll take 5 chappies at minimum to tell the tale, so…). But that's a goal that may be hard to achieve and one for 2008.

One more thing I wanna write, which is mostly a note for those of you who read my other stories, besides N:NG – I'll be (finally) updating my original works on FictionPress (I'll try before Christmas, but not sure if I'll manage to finish all the chapters until then), so you might wanna keep an eye out for updates on my FP account. Unless my internet gets screw, at least "Dragonblood" will be updated before Xmas.

And with that said I believe all that's left for me to do is to wish you all _**A MERRY CHRISTMAS**_ and _**A HAPPY NEW YEAR!**_ Hope To read you all in 2008!


	107. Broken

Well, I gotta say that with writing stories for my FictionPress account I was beginning to doubt I'll write this down this soon (especially since I got a slight author's block), but I added some, extra stuff to the chapter and I'm quite happy with how it turned out, so I won't complain… much XD

Naturally I wanna thank everyone who reviewed the previous chapter. I'm glad you enjoyed it and hope that Takai's story, which apparently you guys have high expectations off, will live up to them. Well, this chapter is more of an intro to it, but there are scenes that you might find interesting, concerning some, other characters in it.

Before going further, I just need to say that my exams are coming closer, so there's a possibility I won't be updating in two-week time. I believe it's best to warn you that there may not be an update until the end of January this time around. Nothing I can do about that.

With that said, I believe the only thing left to do, is to invite you to read the first chapter of N:NG in 2008! Hope you'll enjoy it!

**Charter #107: Broken – Takai's Story part I**

_**Title Page:**_ the crypt: Takai is sitting on a coffin with his left foot resting on it and his scythe in his right hand

Taka sat on a large stone, gazing at the full moon. He didn't turn around when a sudden sound reached his ears from behind and merely spoke up with a calm, emotionless voice: "What the hell do you want, Hizoku?"

The redhead threw his teammate a quick look as he froze for a fraction of a second, and then continued forward, sitting down next to the chain user. He too gazed at the sky and without turning his eyes towards Taka, he responded: "I appreciate what you did at the eliminations, but… all this time I had a feeling you don't care about my goal at all, so… why did you do it?"

"Don't get too friendly with me" replied the other grass-nin, pointing the tip of his chain at Hizoku's throat. "I don't like you and quite frankly I have no idea why I gave up back then. First off: I don't trust you one bit! After all the saying 'like father, like son' didn't came out of the blue" but at this point the redhead's eyes settled on him, giving the coldest stare that Taka had seen so far.

"I'd prefer you not speaking of my father, especially since you know little of what has occurred those thirteen years ago" Hizoku announced, but his teammate didn't reply. He just retreated his chain like nothing happened and again took a glance at the moon. They remained silent for a while, until the redhead finally stood up and again not looking at the chain used, he spoke up: "Well, regardless to the reason, you still have my gratitude…"

"Yeah, well…" began the other boy with a tiny smirk appearing behind his mask. "Just be sure you won't screw up" and upon hearing this, Hizoku also smiled before walking away, thus leaving Taka alone on the cliff.

---That time, Konoha Hospital---

"Senkou-kun, get down from there! You still need to rest!" Mikka cried after her teammate, who balanced on his left hand, which held the rail of the balcony tight. The boy merely gazed at her, without saying a word and thus the young medic wanted to go on, yet she was stopped by her, other teammate's voice: "Let it go, Mikka, that's just how he is" Tsume announced as she sat on her bed, giving Uramaru some meat that she gathered in her palm.

"But…" the other kunoichi wanted to oppose, but then the doors to their room opened and slowly Kokoro came in with Galu close behind. The green-haired boy simply placed a basket of fruits on one of the table, as she announced calmly: "This is a hospital… you guys shouldn't act so loud…"

"But Senkou-kun…" Mikka began, pointing at the masked boy with her finger, but at the same time the son of Hokage jumped and somersaulting in mid-air, he landed safely back on the balcony, before entering the room again: "More importantly then disturbing the peace of this place: what the hell are you two doing here? You guys advanced to the Final Exam… you got more important things to worry about then us…"

"Nothing's more important then friends" Kokoro replied simply with a smirk. "Besides…" he added, pointing at this head, making Senkou's eyes twitch as he responded: "I really hate that bloodline limit of yours." The blonde's smirk only widen at the comment, while the silver-haired boy crossed his arms.

But then his right eyebrow rose slightly as he spotted something with the corner of his eye. He gazed over his shoulder at the nearby rooftop, noticing a figure standing there with the full moon in the background. The headgear made sure Senkou did not make a mistake: "_It's that shadow-nin… Saiken or whatever his name was. But his entire team lost the eliminations and he forfeit himself. No-one from his village will take part in the Final Exam so what in the world is he still doing in Konoha?_"

The masked boy turned to his teammate's again and as his eyes met with Kokoro's, the blonde only gave him a small nod. Seeing this Senkou again looked out the window, but Saiken was no longer there. His eyes narrowed as a worried expression crossed his face. He quickly shook it off however and returned to his friends.

---Same time, elsewhere---

Torune walked into the moonlight as she entered the garden just out front of the estate. She walked forward, not even bothering to look at the flowers around her that even in this dim light resembled a rainbow. Night wind blew, shaking leaves from the trees before her, but even that didn't disturb her. At this point there was only one thing that was important to her.

She finally reached the place where her jounin instructor sat on a stomp. The older kunoichi gazed at her student, who had a suspicious look on her face. With a slight bow, the girl spoke up, breaking the night's silence: "You wanted to see me, Temari-sensei?" she asked, now worried as the expression of her teacher didn't change.

"Where are your teammates?" Temari asked calmly, completely ignoring the girl's question. Torune hesitated for a moment and then replied: "Aoru and Tarakudo are sound asleep, while Honemaru decided that he's going to meditate before going to bed…"

"And Takai?" the jounin pushed, narrowing her eyes slightly. This made the young kunoichi hesitated even more. She looked over her shoulder and settled her eyes on a roof nearby, where sat a figure with a big scythe attached to its back. Temari followed her sight and without a word, she stood up, walking over to her student.

"I don't suppose we have to worry about him" she finally spoke up, making Torune gaze at her, completely confused. Temari bended her knees slightly and once her face was on the same level as the girl's, she announced, loud enough only for the young kunoichi to hear her: "Torune, I asked you to come, because there's something you should know. It's something that I always hid from you, thinking that was the best choice, but lately I came to a conclusion that this isn't right. You should know. And thus I have to ask you to follow me…"

"Where are we going, Temari-sensei?" the girl asked, even more confused then before. The jounin only turned her back towards her and spoke up: "To learn the truth about you" she announced as she walked into the shadows of the night. Torune seemed to froze at that, but after a moment she ran after her instructor as the two walked through the empty streets of Konoha.

Meanwhile Takai, who sat on a nearby roof, observed the two calmly. As they left the garden, he narrowed his eyes slightly and then gazed at the sky. It was full moon that night. As the stars twinkle a sad expression crossed his face.

The scythe user held out his right hand and stared at it for a moment: "_Darkness… this is my only solitude. The more I think about it, the more I come to realize that this is how it was meant to be. In reality, I never really had a choice. Tarakudo, Honemaru… they did, but not me. Blood that spilled on these hands is the best example of that_" he concluded with no change in his expression before he lowered his hand again.

"_Choice is a very tricky thing_" he continued as he gazed at the full moon again. "_I recall you once saying we all have a choice, but that's just a fool's dream. After all there are so many factors we have no control over… our fate isn't in just our hands. Looking all those years back, I came to a conclusion that in actuality it couldn't end any, other way then me killing you, Touba…because I am what I am and you were who you were…_"

---Five years ago in Hidden Sand Village---

"Get away, monster!" an eight-year-old boy yelled as he threw a rock, hitting a boy his age right above his left eye. The black-haired boy shut his crimson eye as the liquid in the same color flew down from his forehead, creating a small waterfall before his eye. He wanted to cry, but for some reason he found it impossible to do. Why could he not gather any water in his eyes? Perhaps he really was a monster?

"Back off, dammit!" yelled another boy, hitting the bleeding one in the head with a long stick and thus making him fall onto his back to the sandy surface. "How dare you even show your face around here? No freaks allowed!" and with that he brought his stick down, ready to smack the other boy's head again, however this time his assault was stopped by a small cloud of sand that appeared in its way: "What the…?"

Instantly the mob of eight-year-olds turned their gazes down the street, where a lone boy was walking towards them. He was no older then any of the gathered, but for some reason he felt different. His short, spiky, red hair got moved slightly by the sudden wind, yet his jade eyes seemed to be settle upon the group with determination showing in them. Wearing a mostly yellow and orange outfit, he carried a gourd that was almost as big as himself on the back.

"I know him!" one of the kids announced, pointing her finger at the redhead. "It's Kazekage-sama's son! The one with the same abilities as Sabaku no Gaara! It's Touba!" she shrieked the last part, though it was hard to tell whether it was from excitement or fear.

Touba's face however did not show any form excitement or happiness. If anything, it was rage. His eyes dropped to the black-haired boy's body with blood dripping off it in several places, right before they went back to the mob, settling his gaze upon them, making chills run down the spines of each and everyone gathered.

"What do you think you're doing?" he asked, holding back his anger, which made everyone take a step back. "Why do you torment this kid? Did he do anything to you?" and at those words some began muttering things like 'but he's a monster' or 'he'd be better off dead', yet this only seemed to anger Touba even further: "And by treating him like that, you think you're any better then monsters?"

"You can't tell us you're actually going to defend this… this… thing!" another boy shouted in disbelief, making sand suddenly shoot out from Touba's gourd. The group instantly screamed in horror, but surprisingly for them, the sand just swirled above the redhead, without even going at them.

Touba's eyes narrowed, as he spoke up, not even bothering to hide the fact he was furious: "Get lose" and immediately the mob ran off in different directions, none of them daring to look back even once. As all of them disappeared from his view, the redhead turned around and placed a smile of his face as his eyes meet with the black-haired boy's.

The other boy seemed both terrified and confused. Seeing this the redhead extended his hand forward, stopping it right before the other boy: "I'm sorry for what just happened. It was a very inhuman thing those guys did. But you don't have to worry, they're gone now and you're safe. Come on, I'll take you to the hospital. Your wounds might require medical treat…" but before he could finish the sentence, he realized all the cuts on the other boy's body already got closed, leaving no trace that he just got beat up, if it wasn't for blood that left the wounds earlier, covering the figure.

The black-haired boy still stared blankly at the gourd carrier, unsure as to what he should do. Kazekage's child could easily tell this much and thus moved his hand even closer to him, speaking up again: "Don't worry, I won't hurt you. They call me Sabaku no Touba, but friends refer to me as Tou-kun. I promise that starting now, I won't allow those bullies to torment you anymore…"

_**---a meeting that has become a premonition of a tragedy!---**_

And so this chapter ends. I do hope you enjoyed it and that you'll be so kind as to leave me a review once you're done. Also, I wanna encourage you all to read my original stories on FictionPress as well (and give reviews if you can, coz annonymous ones are allowed there too). They're kept in manga climax and you might just like them.

And with that said, I believe the only thing left to do is to invite you to drop by when the next chapter of this fic will be done. Until then, hopefully.


	108. Fallen

Hey guys! Good news: I'm finally over most of my exams (still not all though) and with a bit of free time I received, I have managed to finish up this chappie. Sorry I made you all wait so long for it, but hopefully now I'll manage to update more frequently.

Also I need to say that this chapter turned out slightly different then I pictured it at first. This is mostly due to my own doing; you see I made another calculation and it turned out Takai's story will take much more space then I first pictured it will, so I decided to… well, altering it really isn't an option… speed things up a bit. Normally all the scenes outside the flashback were supposed to take place in a chapter or two after the flashback ends, but as I don't want to make you wait too long for the Final Exam, I'll try to squeeze them in at the beginning of the Takai story's chapters so that once the flashback is done, I could go straight to the Final Exam part.

The speed-up also resulted in this chapter: you see, at first the events taking part in it were supposed to be split into two chappie, but I've shortened them and merged all into one. Most likely, because of this the ending scene may seem a bit rushed. Sorry bout that. In its original version the flow seemed more consistent, but I believe the story itself did not lose anything from shortening it, so I hope you'll manage to forgive me that move.

As usual I want to thank everyone who reviewed the previous chapter and those who will (at least I hope there will be some) review this one, even though I made you all wait so long. Hope this chappie will prove to be worth the wait and that I'll manage to update sooner next time. Also, on a good side, this chapter was betalized by DarkHeroOrion, so most likely you won't have to suffer my bad grammar (at least not as much as usual XD).

_Hello to everyone out there. I am Shang's new beta reader, DarkHeroOrion, and it is an honor to be selected as the beta for this fic. I really don't have much else to say, since this is my first time that I have been a beta reader. Anyway, I hope that you enjoy this wonderful chapter of Naruto: Next Generation._

—_DHO_

And, without further to do, all that's left is to invite you to read the newest chapter of N:NG!

**Chapter #108: Fallen – Takai's Story part II**

_**Title Page:**_ Kai is cutting down corn with a huge scythe, while in the background stands Takai with his arms crossed, slightly pissed

A cutting sound filled the air as the blade came at its target, cutting off the top of a wooden mannequin. The figure wielding both katana spun on his feet, unleashing the storm of attacks at the targets around him, each getting sliced shortly after, while the metal-nin came to a stop, breathing slightly faster then usual.

"You seem in an awfully bad mood," stated Reiji as he walked into the clearing, which Futatsu picked as his training ground. The swordsman merely glanced at his teammate, without a word spoken. The bold genin smirked as he continued with a teasing voice: "Could it be that it's too much of you to bare getting eliminated even before the finals?" he asked, making the other boy snap inside, yet did not show it.

Instead Futatsu narrowed his eyes and spun on his foot again, this time splitting the mannequin in half. Reiji merely reached to his back and grabbed his axe, swinging it hard. A moment later the mannequin standing a few meters before him exploded into pieces, making the swordsman gaze at it for a moment. His sight then traveled to the other genin, still with a cold expression.

"You know, it's no fun when you're not even trying to issue a comeback," the axe user stated, putting his weapon away. "I believe I already told you to get over this stupid revenge of yours. That chain brat… whatever his name was… is beyond your reach, at least for the time being. So grow up and live with it!"

"You won't understand, so don't bother," Futatsu shot back, obviously annoyed. "One way or the other I'm gonna get him, even if it's the last thing I do. Even if it'd mean killing you in the process," but as he said so, Reiji burst out laughing: "And you believe you could actually defeat me? You couldn't even bring that bandaged guy down! I thought I made myself perfectly clear by now: I only came here to become chuunin. Whatever reason you have for being here I care not about, but should YOU stand in the way of my goal, it'll be you to bite the dust. Though I advice you hear my words and chill… this obsession of yours… it may be the cause of your downfall" and with that he walked away, leaving his teammate alone.

Little did they both know that their entire conversation was heard by a figure up in the near treetop. Saiken adjust his headgear and with an emotionless face he disappeared into the night just as quickly as he appeared. There was no need to stay, for he found out what he needed. And yet, another piece has fallen into its place.

---Five years ago in Hidden Sand Village---

"I… I don't think this is a good idea," stated an eight-year-old Takai, slightly scared as he and Touba stood before a door leading to the classroom. But the red-haired boy didn't seem to care much about his doubts as he just kept on pushing his friend towards the door: "Oh, just loosen up. It'll be fine," he assured, finally managing to get his companion inside.

As the doors opened, eyes of everyone gathered turned towards the new arrivals. All the chatters instantly stopped, making silence engulf the classroom. Most of the expressions had shown surprise or shock, but nonetheless Takai could still feel hateful glares hiding behind the surface, all drilling right through him in hope to pierce his heart. He tried to take a step back but that merely resulted in him bumping into Touba, who stood right behind him. Giving the black-haired a warm smile, the redhead began walking forward, forcing his friend to do the same.

After a short march they reached the spot where a few other kids sat, of whom were around the same age. The one nearest to them, a girl with long, red hair, clipped in a ponytail turned her jade eyes towards the arrivals, looking Takai up and down. She did not say a word, yet gave Touba a glance that easily could be called an accusing one. Meanwhile a different member of the group, a boy wrapped in bandages, spoke up: "Hey, Tou-san, who's your new buddy?"

"His name's Takai," the sand user replied, turning away from the redhead kunoichi and gazing over to the mummy while pointing his hand at him. "Takai, this is Karame. He may not look much, but you'll get used to that." Ignoring the annoyed 'hey' that came from the bandage-up boy, Touba went on, now pointing at the blonde girl with a purple and orange dress, whose hands were covered by metal protectors: "That's Torune, Dekai…" with that his hand went to the boy with spiky, black hair and red eyes, who wore a grey ninja outfit that covered his mouth and carried a thin katana on his back. "…Hari…" not his hand stopped at another blonde kunoichi wearing a white dress. "And the other redhead is my sister, Sabure."

"Nice to meet you all" Takai announced, bowing slightly, though he did so cautiously, almost as if he was expecting a surprise attack. Noticing that, Hari's face, until this time showing distrust, lightened up as she placed a warm smile on it, patting the boy on the back: "Don't be so formal, Tak… Ti… shoot, there's no funny short form for your name! Guess we'll have to go with Takai then," she joked, winking towards the black-haired kid, thus making his cheeks turn slightly red as a tiny smile appeared on his face as well.

The rest of the day went by peacefully and eventually Academy lessons came to an end. So the first time ever, Takai was actually slightly sad about that fact, yet still walking towards the exit in a group somehow felt better then the empty hallway he always crossed to get out of school. As the doors opened, his new friends bid him farewell, while he remained in place, be it from shock or fear he could not tell.

"May I ask what you're doing?" a voice came from behind and as he turned, he saw a boy his age, grabbed onto the lamp that hung from the ceiling, gazing at him with his single, green eye. The rest of the speaker's face was covered in bandages, as most of his body. The torso was additionally hidden behind a violet shirt with wide sleeves, while the legs were wrapped in black pants.

Takai knew this boy. He knew him well. He was Tarakudo, an outcast much like himself. Throwing the arrival a suspicious gaze, he answered, while the bandaged boy jumped down onto the floor: "I'm just talking to my friends. Certainly you shouldn't have a problem with that…"

"Friends?" Tarakudo repeated with a chuckle, not bothering to hide his amusement. "That's actually an interesting thing to say from the likes of us, wouldn't you agree? Quite frankly I always thought you knew better then to chase a dream as impossible as that. We freaks have no friends. Since day in, to day out, we'll always walk alone, living for ourselves only. I'd figure all these years of isolation taught you as much…"

"And this coming from a guy who never cared about anyone besides himself," the black-haired boy responded with a slight disgust, feeling that Tarakudo was now smiling behind his bandages: "That I did. And I came out from it rather luckily: no one messes with me and I'm left alone. They're too afraid to even approach. While you, you just let them all kick you and punch you. We were made to be perfect warriors. If you wanted, you could tear them to pieces if you'd like, but you're too afraid of that. Too afraid to accept WHAT you are!"

"I know perfectly WHO I am!"

"Then know this!" the mummy shot back in an ordering tone as his face came merely inches before Takai's: "In the end you're gonna regret not listening to me. You do not fit in and they will never truly accept you. Whether you like it or not, you only have two choices: leave now or stay and be betrayed afterwards. You'll mark my words, for when the time comes, all your… 'friends'… will turn away from you without even looking back. That is the fate of us, those who are different. Human mentality is incredibly simple to predict: all who are not like us are enemies. A simple rule that divides people into community and outcasts. You may not believe me, but in the end you'll learn that I'm right," and with that he slowly walked away, leaving the other boy staring at the floor.

_Some time later, Kazekage palace:_

Takai knocked on the door, but there was no reply. The boy waited patiently for a couple of moments and then peeked into the building slowly, looking around. Seeing no-one, he walked in, slightly nervous. Marching through the white hallways of the Kazekage's palace, his ears caught a voice that for some reason lured him towards its source. With his body acting before he thought, his legs took him near an opened door, leading to a room in which two people had a conversation, apparently not wanting to be heard by anyone.

"Even after all those years, I have many doubts about your decision, Gaara," announced a man wearing black with four scrolls on his back and a Sand hitae-ate on his forehead. "To let those three remain in Suna… I fear it's a mistake, one that we'll pay for… dearly" he added, narrowing his eyes slightly as his gazed stopped a the man only a little younger then him, also dressed in a black outfit, who carried a gourd on his back and had spiky, crimson-red hair. His jade eyes stared at the speaker indifferent, before the man turned around and glanced out the window.

"Perhaps we will" he finally responded, without turning back. "But even so, do you really suppose I, of all people, could throw them out? Or worse yet: kill them? There was a time that I would not hesitate in doing so, however these days passed long ago. I cannot bash you for your way of thinking, but from everyone in this village, I understand those boys more then anyone. I know their pain. My duties makes it impossible to sacrifice more attention to the three, but I do believe that if they'll manage to hold a contact with society, with time they'll grow to become great shinobi of the Sand. I can only wish that you'd see things my way, Kankuro…"

"You misunderstood," the other man tried to defend himself, yet his words froze in his throat for a moment. He shut his mouth, only to open it a second later, seemingly changing the topic: "And what about that man? Do you intend to keep him in the dungeon all his life? He produced Tarakudo and the other two, but what's done is done. By making him a prisoner we're not gaining anything really. Considering his crimes and ideology, I think it's best that we just execute him…"

"Not just yet," was Gaara's quick response. "He still has a certain role to play," he added and then his eyes snapped open wider as he sensed something. In a fraction of a second a whirlpool of sand surrounded his body, making him disappear from view and an instant later he re-appeared, right behind Takai, pressing his hand against the wall right next to the boy's face.

"Oh, it's you," he said calmly, his face rid of emotions. The boy only managed to swallow his saliva loudly as the Fifth Kazekage stared into his eyes: "I… I'm looking for Touba-kun," he finally murmured with a little shaking voice. "I… didn't mean to…" but at this point his words were cut off by the redhead, who 'freed' him and walking aside, stated, pointing to the stairs with his hand: "He's in his room, apparently resting. Third door on the right…"

Takai nodded and with a respectful bow headed in the pointed direction, too nervous to even bother looking back. As Kankuro joined his younger brother, he spoke up, glancing after the boy: "Think he heard what we were talking about?"

"Most likely," the Godaime replied simply, his voice passive. "But that should not concern you. In actuality, all this could prove to everyone's advantage. Regardless we all must walk our own path. I can only hope that this boy will pick his wisely…" and with that he walked away, disappearing in the hallway. Kankuro remained in place, now gazing after his brother, and then narrowed his eyes as a worried expression crossed his face: "_It is something all of us can only hope…_" he added in his mind, before going his own way.

_**---doubts gather around… next is a dreadful meeting!---**_

And this concludes this chapter. Sure hope you enjoyed it and that you'll leave me a review once you're done reading. I guess some of you might be now thinking 'where the heck are Aoru and Honemaru?' (judging from the Popularity Contest no-one gives a damn about Horamaru XD)… well, I assure you they'll play their part in the right time. Every bit of this flashback is a piece that in one way or the other influenced Takai and the way he is now.

Also, I wanna invite you all to my FictionPress account (my penname there is the same as here) to try my original stories. Especially fantasy fans should be pleased, if they like my style. I'm gonna keep on inviting you until you guys will give it a try (I'm so evil XD), so you might as well do so XD

Thanks for reading and hope to see you with the next update! Take care!


	109. The One Who Crawls in the Dark

Well, again the update took me slightly longer then I have anticipated. Sorry bout that, but I had last exam (well, not exactly an exam, but…) this Tuesday and it required quite some studying. But it's all behind me now and during my breaks I sat down to writing, actually managing to finish not one, but two N:NG chapters! And since recently the updates were slow, I figured I'll make a double update.

A bonus reason was that this chapter (meaning 109) kinda shared the fate of the previous: the events presented in it were supposed to be divided into two chappies, but I figured the major scene in it would be too boring to take so much space, so I've shortened it, leaving only essential stuff in it. This, naturally resulted, in the scene feeling rush again, but this is the last time I'm doing it (the last time in Takai's story, that much is certain). Besides, even with that operation, the flashback still has five or four chapters to finish (and that without counting the double update!), so I figured it's best to speed it up a bit. Hope you'll endure it this one, last time.

Also I wanna thank everyone who reviewed the previous chapter and I hope you'll do the same with this two (I didn't announce the multiply update earlier, coz I had no idea inspiration will strike me this hard XD): meaning 109 and 110. It'd mean a lot.

_A word from our beta_

Hello to all out there in the fan-fic universe. I decided as well to start on a little fictional project of mine as well. It would be awesome if you take a scrutinizing look at my pilot chapter of _Birth of a Legend: The Fox Druid_. I plan on finishing out the piece, but fortuitously, I had been loaded with work and my organizations, along with setting up arrangements to study abroad this summer (so, in short, my plate is kind of full for the moment). I will plan on updating, but need not worry for the moment. But for now, any and all critiques and criticism will be allowable, because I would like for my story to be enjoyable, even though a type of story has been done before…but _I_ will make it better.

I think that is all I have to say. I hope that you are enjoying the progression of this fic as well as I am.

—DHO

And one, last thing before starting the newest, double update: I wanna invite you all to give my original stories on FictionPress a try. If you like this piece, then most likely you'll enjoy them as well.

**Chapter #109: The One Who Crawls In the Dark – Takai's Story part III**

_**Title Page:**_ cemetery: Takai is standing on a huge, stone cross, his back turned towards the 'audience' and is gazing at the full moon

Kitsune stretched himself while yawning. If there was one thing that he hated, it was certainly waking up in the middle of the night. He threw off his sheet and put on his slippers, heading to the kitchen to get a glass of milk. As he walked down the stairs, he noticed light shining in the hallway leading to the door. Narrowing his eyes, he slowly headed in the right direction, trying to stay as quiet as he only could. As he looked over the corner, he saw his father reading some scroll. But what surprised him even more was the figure of the late-night visitor.

"The design is rather unusual, Hagane-san," the man announced, scanning the scroll carefully. "Are you sure this is what you want? We could easily re-create your old chain…"

But at those words Kusari shook his head in disagreement, interrupting the blacksmith: "Thanks for the advice, but my last weapon proved to not be strong enough, and thus, I need some improvements. While I understand the weapon itself will not win a fight for me, I believe this design will be more suitable for the battles ahead…"

"I see," the head of the Debano, a man with long, black hair nodded, wrapping the scroll. "I'll get to it first thing in the morning. I think the most you'll have to wait will be a week. You can come by to pick it up by then…" At hearing this Kusari bowed slightly and saying a quick 'good night' disappeared in the shadows of Konoha streets.

---Five years ago in Hidden Sand---

Darkness filled the empty hallways, suppressing the dim light that came from the burning torches to the maximum. The cracking sound of the burning fire was the only noise that traveled between those black walls, echoing to the furthest reaches of the dungeon. That is also the main reason when a creaking sound of an opening door entered the darkness, the only prisoner in this forsaken outpost lifted up his head.

He was a man around forty years and his hair was blonde, though now long, messy and extremely dirty. His skin turned pale due to the lack of sun exposure and his eyes, once sky blue now became blanker. Yet as the man gazed into the darkness that could not cover anything from him anymore, a figure emerged, to his surprise a figure of a young boy. His surprise grew as he realized he knew this boy, though never did he truly meet him.

"Well, this is most unexpected," he said with a smirk, while the boy came close. "You're one of the last I'd expect to come and see me… much less the guards letting you in of all people." And with that he stared deep into the blood-red eyes of the eight-year-old, who froze a few meters away from the cell bars. The boy scanned the surroundings, noticing tens of seals all around, assuring that no-one could break out of this prison, unless he or she was freed.

"Why have you come?" the man asked, apparently annoyed. In a flash Takai snapped out of his amazement and directed his gaze at the man again, his face showing confusion mixed with fear. He gulped loudly, before words finally managed to escape his mouth with a slightly trembling voice: "I… I'm sorry to disturb you, b-but…"

"Disturb me?" the man burst out laughing at the words. He calmed down after a moment and then spoke up, giving the boy a devilish smile: "I'm a prisoner, boy. The only guests I've been having the past eight years were either the Kazekage or interrogation officers… well, I don't count the guards that give me food, 'coz they're not much of talkers. It's not like I have anything to do. But even in this dump I hate to waste time, so either speak up or get the hell out. I'm not much of a social type, at least not anymore…"

"Well, I came," began Takai, still unsure, yet doing his best to keep his voice from trembling. "I came here, because I heard… you're the one that… gave birth to me. Me, Tarakudo and Honemaru," he managed to announce, making the man rise his eyebrow slightly. "And I want to know… why?"

"Why?" the man repeated, obviously surprised and amused. "Are you really that defective to not realize the simplest of things? You were supposed to be a perfect weapon! The re-creation of the Kaguya clan! Well, at least that was our aim, but sadly you turned out to be just a second failure in our work. Or more specifically, my companions marked you as one. But they were blind, 'coz I know the truth: out of all three subjects, the one that's the biggest success is most certainly you!"

"What do you mean?" Takai demanded, somehow fury surpassing every, other emotion, leaving merely a small space for curiosity. "You played with life! You played God! And yet you talk about this like it's nothing more then child's play! Do you even realize what sort of hell you brought upon me? Upon all three of us? We're not just tools, dammit! We're living beings!"

"That you are," agreed the man, still smiling evilly. "But you should remember that you're _living_ because of us. We're the ones that brought you into this world, like it or not. Your entire body is nothing more then re-created cells of a long lost blood. Even your skeleton is artificial… but then that last part is your own doing. I gotta hand it to you: your body certainly has the most incredible survival instinct in existence. To come up with an… anti-virus like that. We sure did a great work with you, even if it was by pure chance…"

"What do you mean?"

"Face it, Takai…'coz that is the name I gave you… there's no better shinobi than you. Even at your age, should you feel like it, you can't be beaten! Kaguya's bloodline limit evolved beyond our own imagination within you. To put it simple: there is no way you can be killed. And since shinobi fight to the death…Well, even you should be able to complete that sentence. That alone makes you strong… possibly you could even beat the Kazekage himself if you'd like…"

"Beat Kazekage-sama?" Takai repeated, once more horrified. "What are you talking about? Something like that cannot be done!"

But at those words the man only burst out laughing again: "You're still too naïve… maybe someday you'll learn. But that doesn't matter. What you should understand however, is that you're superior. Superior to any shinobi. While your abilities will most certain label you as a monster, you should not worry about things as minor as that. You out best everyone. They're not gonna love you, that much is certain and if that is so, then make them fear you! It's an advice I give you as a father…"

"Father?" the boy instantly shot back, narrowing his eyes. "You call yourself a father? What you just said proves exactly otherwise! You don't care about me, Tarakudo or Honemaru! What you want is for us to become weapons, to become what you _DESIGNED_ us for! Well, I have news for you: we're not puppets and I most certainly ain't! I found friends who accept me the way I am! They don't fear me! It's easy to make everyone be afraid of you, but I'm not gonna take that path! I'll earn everyone's respect!"

"You're still too young," the man replied with a smirk as he sat down and propped himself against the cold wall of his cell. "You don't understand the way this world works. It's in your nature. You were made to kill, not love. And it's also human nature to isolate all those, who are different. Like it or not, you don't have any choice in the matter…"

"You're wrong!" screamed Takai as he felt water gathering in his eyes, while Tarakudo's words echoed anew in his mind. "You both are! People are not like that!"

At this point the prisoner laughed again and with a grim face, he turned towards him: "Then let me ask you this: if they're really not as I describe them, how would you explain me being here? My only crime was giving life to the three of you… doing something no one has done since the time your precious Kazekage was born…"

The boy had no answer for this question. A loud sniff escaped his nose before he headed back to the exit, leaving the man smiling evilly under his nose: "_Sooner or later you'll learn, Takai. You will see how little of a choice you actually have. Quite frankly, I don't think you really have a choice… and you'll be back, that much I'm sure off…_"

_Few days later, Suna Ninja Academy:_

Waiting is never fun, much less when it's waiting for a class you dislike. And Suna history with Kazuchiro was certainly such a class. Takai sat in his seat with his chin propped against the desk. He stared blankly at the blackboard while the rest of the kids kept on chatting happily. The crimson-eyed boy gazed to his left, where Karame was entertaining several girls, Torune and Hari included, with making instant origami. He saw the kunoichi-to-be applaud as he went from giraffe, to a turtle, to changing that into a scorpion, all in mere seconds.

If Takai had more experience in life, he'd figure out that the sudden sorrow he felt deep down was jealousy: "_I wonder if anyone would ever applaud me_" he thought sadly and turned away to his right, where Dekai sat. The other boy took his eyes of his sword, which he was polishing, and gazed back at his new friend. After a few moments of silence, the swordsman finally spoke up: "Is something bothering you? You seem slightly… strange, even for you… no offense."

"It's nothing," Takai assured him, though did so in the most unconvincing way possible. Dekai observed his friend closely for a moment longer, even when the latter turned away, yet decided it's best to not push the topic further. Unaware to them both, Sabure, who sat a row before them, threw a quick look over her shoulder at the crimson-eyed student and then looked away, glancing over to the floor.

"Tou-kun is late," noticed Hari, slightly worried as she gazed at the clock, making Karame stop halfway through switching his paper hedgehog into a salamander. His eyes settled on the girl and then traveled towards Takai, who sat beside him. He turned again, speaking up while finishing his work: "What are you worried about? Touba is the best student in our class and a Kazekage-sama's son at that. Certainly, from time to time, he may have more important things to do than attend classes… and besides, he's your cousin, so it's kinda inappropriate for you to have a crush on him…"

"What the hell?" the blonde snapped, drilling her sight through the mummy. "Who has a crush on that redhead? I dare you to repeat that, you asshole!" she yelled, while Karame simply formed a paper rhinocerus, seemingly ignoring his friend.

In the meantime Torune giggled slightly, before speaking up: "If what he said wasn't true, why did you react like that?" she teased, making the other girl boil inside.

"Tarakudo!" a sudden yell interrupted all the conversations as it echoed through the classroom. The boy in question simply went to the window and gazed outside, spotting a boy his age with short, blonde hair, wearing a baggy, white and black outfit. The bandaged boy only let out a sigh and shook his head, while opening the window: "And again…" he murmured before jumping down.

Takai observed the whole situation, completely confused. He turned towards Dekai, but a quick shrug from the swordsman assured him he knew nothing of it either, thus the crimson-eyed boy stood up and walked towards the window, to observe the scene better.

"Don't you ever quit?" Tarakudo asked, actually showing boredom in his voice, while the blonde had his eyes settled on him, fury burning within. "You should've learned by now that there's no way you can beat me. One of those days I might snap and end up killing you…"

But the other boy's replied was immediate and full of anger, making Takai all the more confused: "You think there's anything you can do to me that would make my life worse then it already is? You took everything away from me! _EVERYTHING_! And I'm not gonna rest until you'll die by my hands!" And with that he charged forward, throwing a kunai at his opponent.

_**---the challenge is thrown… and the conclusion? ---**_

And so this chapter ends. To be honest I hesitated about putting Kusari's scene in it (mostly 'coz I was afraid it'd be sorta a spoiler), but then figured that you guys would probably figure out that I'm not gonna leave the guy on ice and that he'll get his chain back for the final exam. Plus I assure you that the changes that will be made are quite drastic.

Plus Kusari ended up as the most popular character in the recent contest, so it's only fair to keep my promise and give him some screen time when I can. And I hope that I've managed to make your curiosity about his new weapon bloom (I really am evil XD).

Oh yeah and should you wonder: naturally it's not like in normal circumstances Takai could just visit a prisoner that is put in a dungeon like that. So why was he allowed? Well, I never planned to clear that up in the story itself ('coz I do believe that writing a story where the readers got everything given to them on a silver platter is bad story-telling), so I'll just leave it that several events that took or will take place in the flashback will be the only hint you'll get from me (it's kinda like Kishimoto never revealed why Sasori, being able to dodge Chiyo's last attack, didn't do so)… it's the same I did earlier, not saying straight how Ibuki was freed or why Naruto let his students go ahead during the Tanken Estate assault.

Thanks for reading, but don't go anywhere, 'coz the next chapter is already on its way!


	110. Hate

Just as promised, here's the second chapter of the double update. I believe I said everything in the previous A/N, so before starting this next one I'll only ask you to give me stories at FictionPress a try (told I won't stop until you do XD).

_A word from our beta_

Well, I have nothing else to say, except that I plan to update my story soon…that is, whenever I get a chance. I already have several ideas on how my story will go. Well, that's enough for me advertising…Now…take it away, Shang!

Let's get this show on the road:

**Chapter #110: Hate – Takai's Story part IV**

_**Title Page:**_ out front stands Takai with his scythe on the back and his arms crossed, on his right is Tarakudo, slightly bended forward and on the left Honemaru with spiky bones growing out of his body

Kai punched the training pole again, making splinters spray the ground bellow. He huffed heavily as the chilly, night breeze engulfed him. Suddenly a sound of a breaking wood came from behind and as he quickly turned, Hizoku's figure was slowly coming towards him, with a warm smile on his face. The blonde instinctually smiled back with a chuckle: "You're not very good at sneaking…"

"Oh, if I wanted, you wouldn't notice me at all" assured the grass-nin with a smirk as he crossed his arms. "But I didn't come here to fight. I see that you're training. It's quite admirable, considering that the eliminations ended only a few hours ago. Plus, I heard you and your teammates gotten into a fight earlier on. Is it really wise to push yourself that much?"

"News travels fast these days," Kai responded while turning back to the pole and hit it again. "But all you said is true. We did. But I can't really just lie around and not do anything. I only have a month and I'm fighting that creepy guy from the Sand. If you knew you're the one going against him in the first round, what would you do?"

"Probably the same thing as you," Hizoku admitted after a moment of thought. Silence fell between the two for a moment, broken by the redhead, who spoke up: "On that note however, I wish to ask you something, Kai-san. This… Takai fellow… do you really suppose you can win against him? That shadow-nin struck every vital point in his body and yet he just stood up like nothing happened. Do you really believe someone like that can be beaten?"

"I don't know," the blonde replied truthfully, still not turning away from the pole. "Quite frankly I have no idea how I could win against a guy like that. But just because I can't figure it out now, doesn't mean I won't be able to. Nobody's undefeated, I recall Naruto-sensei saying that. Even that Takai bozo gotta have a weak spot. There's gotta be a way to beat him and I'm gonna do it!" and with that he punched the pole again, breaking it in two.

Seeing this, Hizoku smiled widely while turning around and began walking away. As he waved the leaf-nin goodbye, he added quickly with a cheerful tone: "Well, I hope you'll beat him as well, 'coz if you do I'll be able to fight you. That's a promise I'm making to you: I'll advance to the second round and I hope you'll do as much. I really want to test your skills" he announced as his mind drifted off: "_I wanna see how your son have developed, Chitose-san…_"

But as soon as a smile appeared on his face, his face narrowed, while his voice became serious again: "A piece of advice however… since you're fighting that guy, I want you to do me a favor: should you feel that he has overpowered you… give up. Give up without a second waste. I can't place a finger, but this Takai… he's scary. I believe that he will not hesitate to kill you, should he feel like it. He really is… a monster."

---Five years ago in Hidden Sand---

"I'm not gonna rest until you die by my hands!" the blonde yelled, charging at Tarakudo while throwing a kunai at his opponent. The bandaged boy simply strafed to his left, dodging the assault, but it was then that the other boy swung his hand suddenly and the knife quickly switched direction, again coming at Tarakudo, who was still in mid-air.

In an instant he picked out his own kunai from beneath the bandages and deflected the incoming blade, making it strike the nearby wall. As he came to a sliding stop, Tarakudo's eye narrowed at noticing the sunrays being deflected by something. Immediately he understood what was going on: "_Metal strings! That guy used them to hit the kunai! That way he changed its route. I see…He did learn some new tricks since the last time I beat him_" and with that a smirk appeared behind his bandages while he turned towards the blonde: "This is why I always let you leave alive, Horamaru" he stated playfully, making the other boy's face twist in an even angrier expression it already was: "'Coz the next time you come, you always find a new way to amuse me. Come to think of it, it may be that I just feel anxious as to what you'll think off next." He concluded with a chuckle, while the blonde's body shook from fury.

"That laugh," Horamaru responded, lowering his head. "I'm gonna cut your throat and make sure you'll never let it out again!" And with that he swung his hands again, making the strings tied to his fingers cut the sandy surface as they came flying at Tarakudo, like whips. The bandaged boy merely smirked as he placed his left hand on the ground and bent in that direction, making the assault slash the air beside him.

In a flash the blonde swung his hands again, aiming to chop his adversary to pieces, yet the other boy quickly bounced off the ground and somersaulting, he flew over the deadly strings, making them leave slashes on the Academy walls. Horamaru retreated his whips with a single stroke, while Tarakudo landed safely on the ground, pleasure showing in his visible eye. This seemed to deepen the other boy's anger even further, should it be physically possible.

His strings slashed at the bandaged boy again, and yet, Tarakudo merely picked out more of his kunai and threw the knives at them, surprisingly managing to deflect them all. Hari only widened her eyes in disbelieve as she analyzed what just occurred: "_This guy… in a fraction of a second he not only calculated the trajectory of all the strings, but also manage to throw his kunai effectively enough to hit something as thin as a string! He can't be human!_"

"Tough luck," the bandaged boy announced playfully before charging straight at Horamaru. However as the distance between them disappeared, the blonde suddenly jumped into the air, somersaulting. Spinning in mid-air, he unleashed his strings at the masked opponent again, but he easily blocked every single one with kunai that he picked from beneath his bandaged less then a moment earlier.

"It's useless—" he began, but these words froze in his throat as he felt his back suddenly getting slashed, while his blood sprayed the golden sand behind. Without another sound he collapsed to his knees, visible eye widen: "_How…?_" he asked himself, while Horamaru safely landed a few meters away, again throwing the strings at him.

Instinctually Tarakudo jumped back, again blocking the assault with his knives, yet also this time new slashes appeared on his body, this time making his upper arms and side sting from pain: "_What the hell is going on? I'm blocking all the strings! Where do these wounds come from, dammit?_" he asked nervously, the first time in his life actually feeling something that could be considered panic.

"For someone so strong, you sure prove to be weak," Horamaru announced, this time making the bandaged boy boil over in rage. In an instant he performed a set of hand seals, slamming his palms to the ground once he was done: "Doton: Ishi Tomurai no Wa!" and immediately stone spikes shot from around the blonde, each aiming to pierce right through him.

Horamaru however merely spun on his foot, unleashing his strings, which cut all the spikes to pieces before they managed to reach their target, leaving the blonde unharmed. As the rubble fell to the ground, the deadly strings came at Tarakudo again, slashing him all over and only as he saw his blood covering his opponent's weapon did he realize what was going on: "_Strings! He tied more strings to the ones that are tied to his fingers! What madness! He has no control over where those extra strings will fly! He may even end up cutting off his own arms! To go this far…Could it be that I really pushed him into this?_" he wondered, falling onto the ground, incapable of moving.

Horamaru took his time walking towards his fallen opponent, killer intent written all over his face. A strange sensation took over as he realized Tarakudo was now incapable of doing anything. He was an easy target. And he was about to die by his hand. A grim smirk appeared on his face as excitement built up in him. This was the end of it. And the beginning of something new.

"Come on, we gotta break them up!" Dekai suddenly yelled, running towards the two. Without a second thought Karame soon followed, yet both got stopped by the collar as a mysterious man appeared behind them with an ordering tone: "Do not interfere". Takai instantly recognized the arrival as Kazuchiro, one of the Academy teachers. He only managed as much as to stare at the chuunin surprised, while several thoughts raced through his head: "_Why did he stop them? If we won't stop this fight, then that blonde… he could really kill Tarakudo! It's not like I especially like him, but… I… I gotta do something!_"

"Because of you I have nobody! Nobody!" Horamaru yelled, lashing the other boy with his strings. "You monster! You made my life a living hell! Even death is too good for you! But I'll kill you! I will and when I do, I'll take care of your two friends!"

And with that he raised his hand to deliver the final blow, yet before he could drop it, someone grabbed his wrist. The blonde gazed with fury still showing in his eyes at the new arrival and realized that the one to interfere was Touba: "Let go!"

The redhead's face remained emotionless, yet he did not release his grip. Instead, he spoke up: "What good will this do? If you are to kill him, would that make all the things taken away from you return?"

This somehow angered Horamaru even further: "No, but it'll make me feel so much better! Let go!" but the Kaezekage's son was still unfazed by the blonde's tone. Finally the string user calmed down as the moment Touba felt it, he freed his wrist.

"This is not over," announced Horamaru, glancing over at the fallen figure of Tarakudo. "I've just proven you can be beaten and sooner or later you'll end up in a place where no one will help you… sooner or later, I will kill you." Sending the last angered look at the redhead, he headed towards the Academy gates.

Once he was gone, Touba immediately turned around, surprising everyone as he yelled towards the teachers in an ordering tone: "We need to get him to the hospital wing! Come on, someone help me carry him." He took Tarakudo by the shoulders while another chuunin appeared, lifting up the bandaged boy's legs. Takai observed the whole scene, too stunned to move and it was then that a sudden voice reached his ears. A voice he knew well: "I suppose it could not be helped, but I'd have never thought that Horamaru kid will actually be able to hurt Tarakudo to this extent…"

The crimson-eyed boy glanced over his shoulder, spotting another boy his age with long, white hair and purple eyes. Not sure as to how he should respond to the boy's comment, Takai merely spoke up, asking a question: "Do you know what this was all about?"

Honemaru only shook his head as a 'no' before continuing: "I do not, but quite frankly not always must there be a reason for something. We are different than others. We're freaks and people fear us… hate us. Not once or twice will we find ourselves in a situation when someone will start a fight with us for reason none other then the fact that we're not human…"

"This much hatred," Takai cut in, again turning towards the spot the fight took place. "There had to be a reason. I mean, how can anyone hate someone just because of who he is?"

At this point the white-haired boy merely placed a hand on his shoulder as he replied: "Believe me, for some just the fact that you're different is reason enough for them to justify killing you. During the Great Shinobi Wars it was not uncommon for some ninja to kill peasants from enemy countries. The battle itself was only between hidden villages, so why kill people that weren't involved? If you're not with us, then you're against us. A simple rule that drives us to the slaughters. Our world is actually a very cruel place to live in, Takai. You either fit in or you're not welcomed… and the three of us definitely do not fit in. To those who are… normal… we are nothing more than mere monsters. Possibly to many we are even less." And with that he left, leaving the crimson-eyed boy also in the yard, staring at the battlefield.

"_Monsters_" he repeated in his head, staring blankly into the distance.

_**---prelude to catastrophe---**_

And this concludes this chapter (and the double update). Hope you enjoyed it and that you'll bless me with a review (or better yet: two) once you're done. I wonder if Horamaru defeating Tarakudo turned out as a surprise to you guys. Anyway, with my exams behind me, I hope I'll be able to update sooner then during the last month or so. Also there was a new technique used in this chapter, so as usual I give you a translation of it (it's a variation of a technique used during Naruto vs. Kataki fight way back in the story):

_Doton: Ishi Tomurai no Wa_ (Earth Element: Stone Funeral Ring)

And this really concludes this chapter. Hope you enjoyed the double update and until next time, hopefully. Take care everyone! And thanks for sticking around for so long!


	111. Monster

Hey, guys! Unlike to what I've anticipated, this took my longer to finish. This is mostly due to some unexpected events that occurred somewhere in the middle of writing and which occupied most of my time. Sorry that I made you wait, but at the time a friend of mine required my help, so…

Either way the chapter is finished now and while I must say I'm rather satisfied with the overall result, I think the short fight in it is kinda… simple. Recently I found myself having problems writing action scenes (a fact discovered when I was finish new chapters for my original works on FictionPress… and as always I wanna invite you all to give them a try XD). Maybe it's because I've already written so many? At the very least the battle in this one was never meant to be too spectacular, but still…

As always I wanna thank everyone who took their time to review the previous chapter and even more those who also decided to read the **side story** I've made for Valentine's Day. Glad you enjoyed it. As things stand right now, that one shot will be made into a series, though as I said the updates on it won't be regular. Currently I'm working on a single chapter and afterwards I'll be putting up the first mission arc (that one will circle around Hinata's cell), when it'll be done however I cannot say.

_Word from our beta:_

_What's going on, ladies and gentlemen? There's not much else happening on my end of the boat, other than assignments and the like. Anyway, I have nothing else to say, and I hope that you'd enjoy another chapter of Naruto: Next Generation._

Now, one final thing before I'll get to the chapter itself. I'd wish to dedicate this piece to a friend of mine, who's currently going through a very rough time. Be strong and have hope. Things will turn out for the better!

**Chapter #111: Monster – Takai's Story part V**

_**Title Page:**_ Honemaru is standing with two, large tibias that cross each other behind his back

"Here you go, Konpaku-san," the salesman announced, handing the young kunoichi a bag of groceries. Rei took the package and with a deep bow, she thanked the man. Thus far there was nothing unusual in the scene. What was strange however, happened afterwards. Or rather what did not happen, for the girl was not raising her head. The man stared at the picture confused and finally decided to speak up again: "Umm… Konpaku-san?" he asked, making the genin's head shoot up as a cry of someone being awakened from a nightmare.

"Yah!" she screamed, but as her eyes traveled around, her face turned red, while an apologizing smile appeared on it: "Sorry, I must be more tired then I thought," she stated, making the man sweat drop as he watched the kunoichi run out of the store. Little she did not know was that there was also someone else observing here.

Tasuki stood in the nearby alley with his arms crossed and back propped against the wall. His eyes narrowed as he watched Rei's figure disappear in the shadows of night while she ran down the street. A twitch of his eyes outstripped his sudden turn of his head as he gazed into the dark of his hiding spot. Finally, with an annoyed tone, he asked as he glanced away: "What the hell do you want?"

Teela slowly walked into the moonlight and looked in the direction that her teammate was staring, before speaking up with her usually calm voice: "This girl seems to interest you for some reason," she noted simply, her face indifferent. "It's because of her bloodline limit, isn't it? You think she holds the answer to your question, don't you?"

"Even if, what's it to you?" Tasuki shot back suspiciously, throwing her an anger glare. The kunoichi seemed to ignore his reaction however and just went on, which annoyed the boy even further: "I fought her in the eliminations and quite frankly I do not think she's the one you should be looking for. While connection between you two seems logical, what makes you think she has any idea of what occurred all those years back? She's roughly the same age as we…"

"If I wanted your opinion, I'd have asked you," the greenhead responded coldly. "I do not butt in your business and I'd appreciate it if you'd just return the favor. I may accept you as my comrades now, but some things are still meant to deal with alone," he concluded as a sad expression crossed his face for a split second.

Yet even that was enough for Teela to notice it and while her facial outlook did not change, there was something different in her voice when she spoke again: "Hinami-sensei wishes to see us. We shouldn't make her wait." And with that she was gone, leaving Tasuki alone in the alley. His eye only twitched again, before he followed suit, disappearing.

---Five years ago in Hidden Sand Village---

"_Monsters_," the single word echoed in Takai's head as he stared at the ceiling. He didn't pay much attention in class today, possibly the reason he did not even notice the bell ring and his classmates began to get up. Torune, who happened to sit next to him, elbowed him in the ribs lightly, gaining his attention: "What're you thinking about, Takai-kun? A girl?" she asked with a teasing smile, making a small blush appear on the boy's face as he instantly shot up from his seat: "What the hell? Who would think of something like that?"

"Geez, boys sure mature way slower," the blonde responded with a slightly annoyed expression on her face. But that soon turned into another smirk as she threw her eyebrows up and down a few times, turning towards the crimson-eyed boy again: "She must be a hottie then. Go on, tell me who it is? Or maybe it's me?" she teased further. Certainly, if Takai's face was red before, then now it gathered all blood in his body to cover itself with red even more: "Would you cut that out, dumbass?" he yelled with murder intend in his eyes, while the girl only giggled.

Seeing this, Touba, who sat just few rows behind the two, propped his cheek on his arm, smiled: "_It's rare to see him this carefree… and I was quite sure the whole Tarakudo incident had reverted him back. Still, there's something unnatural about his behavior. But maybe I'm just being paranoid. He's not a social type after all… he needs time, I suppose…_" And with that thought, he picked up his bag and headed out of the classroom just like the other students.

The Academy soon emptied, leaving Takai alone in the hallways as he placed his books in the locker. Certainly he would've left long ago as well, should his mind be not occupied with the recent events. A sudden noise from around the corner instantly made him snap out of his trance however, turning in the direction from where the sound came. Closing his locker, he headed there and, as he was taking a peek over the corner, he saw a scene that left him confused.

There were a group of five kids, seemingly older than him by a year or two, surrounding a single, redheaded girl his age. The female was now pinned to the wall, shaking in fear as the boy who seemed like the leader of the group, a spiky blonde with a yellow and black jumpsuit, walked slowly towards her, grabbing her by the arm and lifting her back up to her feet: "Come on, Aoru-chan, don't be like that. I told you you're cute. Why won't you go out with me?"

"I'm only eight!" she yelled fearfully as tears gathered in her eyes. "And I don't like you! Please, just leave me alone!" she begged, but the blonde's face only got twisted with anger as he tossed her against the wall, making a loud 'thud' fill the empty hallways: "You think you have a say in this? You don't say 'no' to Uryuu!" he announced and as he raised his hand for a slap, a voice made him froze in his tracks and turn around.

"Leave her alone!" Takai yelled, jumping from behind the corner. The group instantly turned towards him, obviously surprised and unsure what to do. The first to snap out of it was the leader, Uryuu, whose face quickly took on an annoyed expression, as he shot back: "Scram, you freak, if you don't want us to bust you up!" The crimson-eyed boy did not move, merely narrowing his eyes, his hands automatically clenched into fists.

"Beat up that creep," the blonde ordered, pointing at Takai with his head, making the boy with brown skin wearing grey, one with black hair clipped in a ponytail and another, whose orange hair was made into dreadlocks charged at the newcomer. First to attack was the brown-skinned boy, as he threw a punch at his adversary, yet the crimson-eyed fighter managed to block the assault with his hand and spinning on his foot, he grabbed the other boy by the arm, tossing him over his shoulder.

As the first attacker crashed hard against the wall, the other two beat the distance between them and Takai, now throwing punches at the other boy's back. Letting his instincts kick in, the black-haired kid ducked under both assaults, making the fists whistle just above his head. In a flash he rested his hands on the floor, throwing his legs back in the attempt to kick his opponents, however missed in both cases as the two dodged by strafing to the sides, now located on Takai's left and right.

The first to resume their attack was the kid with the ponytail on Takai's right. As he charged with a wild battle cry, the crimson-eyed boy bounced off the ground and spinning to his right, he threw a kick, making his assault connect with his opponent's stomach, the impact causing the bully to bend forward. Landing on all fours with his adversary's head above, Takai threw a kick back, making his foot hit the other boy's chin, sending him flying back.

The orange dreadlocks, however, wasted no time and was already throwing a fist at the crimson-eyed boy. Again his body acted before his mind, making him stand on his hands as the punch went zooming right before his face. Seeing his opponent lean forward due to the attack, Takai quickly dropped a kick on his head, making the bully's face crash hard against the floor with a loud 'thud'.

Takai jumped to the air and somersaulted, landing safely on his feet, ready to continue the battle against the remaining foes. What happened afterwards took him by surprise, however. A loud yell of 'die freako' rang in his ears from behind, making his body turn around on instinct. It was the brown-skinned boy swinging his hand at him, with a kunai ripping the air in his grip.

Jumping back immediately certainly saved Takai from getting his chest cut, yet the blade still split his skin on his arm, making burning pain engulf his hand. The wound instantly closed however, not allowing even a single drop of blood to escape the body. This apparently shocked the assailant as he froze in his tracks. That was enough for the crimson-eyed boy to take action: with a quick spin he delivered a kick into his adversary's face, knocking him out, yet his face showed nothing like satisfaction.

"Why you…" began the girl with long, blonde hair, clipped in two ponytails, as she prepared herself to attack, but was quickly stopped by the leader, whose hand suddenly appeared between her and Takai. She gazed at her companion, his eyes narrowed as they set upon the other boy.

"I'll show you something interesting," Uryuu announced before going through a series of hand seals. In a flash his arms were engulfed with electricity, making the thunder sizzle as he threw them to the sides. "It's my clan's special skill. With this it doesn't matter whether you can't be killed or not, I can still implement a shock strong enough to paralyze you. You'll pay for interfering, you monster!" He charged forward, only to stop a second later as a sudden whirlpool of sand appeared in his way, right before Takai.

In an instant Touba's figure emerged from the sandstorm, his eyes settled on Uryuu with anger blasting from them, while the redhead spoke up: "I thought I already told you to leave Aoru alone and yet here you not only try to harass her again, but you also pick on a friend of mine. Now I'm certainly pissed. Get out of my face…"

"And there you go again, helping those freaks," the other boy shot back with an annoyed tone, holding back his fury. "Why bother? They're monsters, dammit! Do you really believe they'll be grateful for this? You can't trust people like that!"

At that point he was cut of by Touba's death glare: "I won't allow anyone to insult them in my presence… especially one of your kind. Scram, unless you want to have a visit at the medical wing." As his words sunk in, Uryuu seemed to shiver for a moment, before turning on his heel and disappearing behind the corner with his companions following soon after.

The red-haired girl slowly got back to her feet, still slightly confused, with her cheeks becoming as red as her hair, when she bowed towards the two boys: "Thank you for your help, Touba-san," she said respectfully before her gaze traveled to the crimson-eyed boy, now standing behind the son of the Kazekage, shock easily visible on his face: "And thank you too… umm…" she began, realizing she has yet to learn her savior's name.

The boy's face reddened instantly as well as his head tilted to the side, making him stare at the floor. Seeing this as he glanced over his shoulder, Touba smiled under his nose before turning back to look at Aoru, pointing at his friend: "His name's Takai," he announced cheerfully, and for some reason, that only deepened the blush the boy was already wearing.

"Well, in that case," the girl responded with a warm smile as crimson eyes turned in her direction. "Thank you for saving me, Takai-san," she bowed and ran away, her face red as a beetroot. Touba observed her for a moment and then turned back to his friend, elbowing him lightly on the ribs: "Well, who would have thought, you playboy, you," he teased, winking to the brunette.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Takai quickly snapped, raising his voice. Immediately he calmed down and gazed at the floor again, trying his best to avoid eye-contact. "It was just a 'thank you'… she probably felt saying it was obligatory. What other reason could there be after seeing what she just saw? I didn't bleed! That guy cut me and I didn't bleed! What sort of human being doesn't bleed? The wound closed just like that! And the sudden urge that I had just now… I really felt that… that I want to kill those bullies. Perhaps Horamaru was right? Perhaps they're all right? I… I'm not human… I'm a mon…" but before he could finish, a powerful punch hit his face, sending him to the floor.

"You freaking retard!" Touba yelled, his face just as angry as a moment ago. "What the hell do you think you're saying? I told you I won't allow anyone to insult my friends in my presence! You're not a monster, Takai! A monster would've just let Uryuu and his gang do as they please to Aoru! But you didn't! You stood up for her even when you didn't know her! You think that's something anyone would do? Drill this into your skull…" he said, placing his finger on the crimson-eyed boy's forehead with a serious face aimed at his friend: "You'll be a monster only if you'll let yourself become one! It doesn't matter what others say or think! Do you really think being human is just about the way you look or how you were born into this world? Or about what you can or cannot do? Trust me when I say this: you're more human than many people I know and don't let ANYONE tell you otherwise."

_A little later:_

Footsteps echoed in the darkness, making the man raise his head up to look into the shadows. His eyes narrowed as a small figure began emerging from the pitch-black air that surrounded the cold, stone walls. A victorious smile crept onto his face as a pair of crimson-red eyes now gazed at him. He stared into nothingness as he greeted the arrival with a playful tone: "I told you you'll come back…"

"I want to get stronger," Takai announced with determination booming from his voice. "That ability of mine you mentioned… can you teach me to use it?"

_**---Life moves forward---**_

And so this chapter is complete. Hope you enjoyed it and that you'll leave me a review once you're done. I believe that besides inviting you to drop by when this piece is updated (trying out the side story mentioned and my original works on FictionPress in the meantime), there's not much more to say.

Take care everyone, and until next time!


	112. Friends

To be honest I do not know what to say, coz on the one hand I said I won't be shortening the chapters of this flashback anymore, but on the other as I wrote this down, I came to realize that the events in chapters 112 and 113 seemed really dragged. I was truly at a lost as to what should I do, so I've decided to issue a sort of compromise: I crossed out the scenes that were suppose to appear before both of these chappies (not to worry, the two were typical fillers anyway) and merged 112 & 113 into one. After that I re-arranged the scenes a bit (shortening them where I could) and ended up making a single chapter of it all. And I think it turned out for the best.

While it's true that the pace of this chapter may be fast, I do not feel that it's rushed and I haven't skipped anything that's important (the only, real difference is that Takai's training is less exposed then it originally was). This chapter is somewhat essential for the whole flashback, so I really wanted to make this right. Hopefully I did well enough, but that is for you to decide.

Also I'm somewhat disappointed with the number of reviews for last time. Naturally big thanks to those of you who did review. It helped me get inspiration and finish this a bit faster. I do hope that you'll enjoy this chapter as well and I do ask that you review it as well (naturally everyone should feel welcome to do so XD). And, as always, I wanna invite you all to try out my original works on FictionPress.

_A word from our beta_

_Greetings to you all and I hope that you've been well. To those of you that haven't checked out my fic, Birth of a Legend: The Fox Druid, please do. I would greatly appreciate it. Other than that, I'm enjoying my Spring Break, aside from the working aspect…_

And with that said, the only thing left for me to do is to get on with it:

**Chapter #112: Friends – Takai's Story part VI**

_**Title Page:**_ the beach: Sabure and Touba are making castles from the sand

White chakra began escaping Takai's body, forming itself into a figure beside him. The darkness of the dungeon made the creation easily seen as it began taking the shape of a human, only to suddenly explode, fading into thin air. The man behind bars let out a sigh, while the crimson-eyed boy rested his palms on his knees, panting.

"At the very least you've learned to release your chakra properly," the blonde man announced in a praising tone, making Takai gaze at him. "That's a start. But it'd appear you're still incapable of materializing it outside your body. When you formed your own skeleton, I was positive your ability will be chakra materialization of sorts. You should've been able to make a skeleton with your chakra alone, but it seems that doesn't work…"

"Is that really the reason?" the boy asked between breaths, making his teacher think for a moment: "Well, that's the natural assumption, but who really knows? Back then you recreated your entire skeleton. The only natural bone that's left within your body is your skull, and everything else is just materialized chakra. Oh well, let's skip that part for now. Besides making bones, you have more abilities that I can help you uncover…"

"Before that, I want to ask you something," Takai announced, his breath returning to its normal pace. "Recently I've been wondering… do you have any children? And I don't mean myself, Tarakudo and Honemaru! I mean real children!" he added quickly, making the man raise his eyebrow in surprise.

Silence filled the dungeon for a few moments, before the prisoner decided to speak up, his voice surprisingly emotionless: "I did, back in the day. Twins, actually. They were born not long before you came to this world. However, my wife died while giving birth to the second and since I'll be stuck here until I die or get executed, I don't suppose I can count on any more, can I?" he asked, bursting out into laughter, which made Takai angry, while his eyes narrowed.

"What's so funny about that? You orphaned two children and lost someone you loved. You should feel sad. And furthermore, if your wife died, why did you still decide to go with the experiments? Was her death really that insignificant to you to not have any effect?"

"It was something to do," the man replied simply, with slight annoyance sounding in his voice. "In a shinobi world, people die everyday. I don't think mourning about my wife's death should be reason enough for me to drop the project I've been working on for so long. I don't really see that as tragedy. It just happened…"

"How can you even say that? Don't you really feel anything?"

"How I deal with my life is my own business. I don't even know why you asked me a question like that all of a sudden, so be glad I bothered to answer. I won't allow you, who haven't lost a thing, to judge me! Shinobi are alone. Things like love, friendship or companionship are just illusions that hold us back. Sooner or later you'll understand that in this world you can count on yourself and yourself only…"

_Some time later, at the Shinobi Academy:_

"Man, Aizawa-sensei's lessons sure are boring," Takai announced as he stretched himself. Touba, who was walking beside him, only chuckled at the comment and gazed at his friend, a smirk appearing on his face. Noticing no one around could hear the two, he spoke up loud enough only for his friend to hear: "Seems to me you could use some fun, so I may have a suggestion on how to make this day a bit more interesting…"

"What did you had in mind?" the crimson-eyed boy asked intrigued.

"Why don't you try asking Aoru out?" Touba proposed with a cocky smile, making a deep blush appear on Takai's face as the other boy quickly replied: "Why would I do that? What the hell is this, you coming up with such an idea out of the blue! We're only eight, you pinhead! And furthermore: why do you even care?"

"Well, even from the short time you saw each other, it seemed pretty obvious she liked you," the redhead replied, still smiling as he kept on walking. "And you shouldn't use your age as an excuse. Do not forget: we are shinobi. Our lives can end at any time. During a war your age, gender or sentiments play no part and just because you're still young won't even make your opponent do as much as hesitate before killing you. Thus, my advice is you use every minute of your life that you have left. And as for your last question… isn't it only natural for one wanting his friends to be happy?" And at those words, Takai's eyes widened in shock as he observed the Kazekage son's back, while he walked away.

_Later that day:_

Touba was sitting on a bench in the park, as the white clouds slowly sailed through the blue skies above. The sound of footsteps made him gaze to his right, only to noticed Aoru coming his way: "_Well, she's punctual_," he thought to himself as the girl came closer and sat down next to him: "So, what is it you wanted to talk to me about?" he asked immediately the moment her butt rested. "It must be something big, since you went through all the trouble of placing that note in my locker to meet you here…"

"Straight to the point?" she replied with a forced smile, while her body shook nervously. "And I was hoping I'll get some time to get mentally prepared," she added, making the boy raise his eyebrow in confusion. Being engaged in the conversation, the two didn't even realize that Takai appeared nearby, deep in his own thoughts: "_Aoru likes me? Nah, that's ridiculous. Who in their right mind could like me? It's…_" he began, but the sudden noise of Touba's voice reaching his ears made him freeze instantly to look in the direction the voice came: "You want me to arrange a blind date?"

For reasons unknown to himself, Takai quickly jumped behind a nearby wall. He recognized the other redhead that his friend was talking with. It was that girl from the other day that he tried to save. It was Aoru: "_What in the world could she be doing here at a place like this? And_ _did he just say… a blind date?_" he thought, as sudden sadness filled his heart. He gazed at the ground with resignation: "_Of course, what was I thinking anyway? I let Touba's statement cloud my mind and think what he said was true. I wonder who she's talking about: Karame or Dekai…_"

"Why would you want me to arrange you a meeting with Takai?" Touba's words found their way into the crimson-eyed boy's ears, making shock freeze his face, while his heart started pounding. As Aoru began a shy 'well, I' speech, the other redhead stood up and walked slightly forward, his back turned towards the girl.

"This is important, Aoru," he announced seriously, still his face hidden from her view. "Why do you want me to do this? Do you have a crush on him or something? Why are you attracted to Takai?"

"Well, he may seem scary at first," she began as a blush appeared on her face, which she tried to hide by looking to the ground. "But I have a feeling that deep down, he's much more then he lets others to see," she finished, making Takai smile under his nose at these words. However, what he heard next instantly turned that expression in disbelief: "No… actually, he's not, unless you're referring to him not being human."

It was Touba speaking in the most serious tone the crimson-eyed boy had ever heard. The sudden shock made him look over the corner at his 'friend', whose face was rid of emotion, while thousands of thoughts and emotions ran through both his mind and body. The son of Gaara went on, not even bothering to look at the girl: "How can he be? Even putting the fact he was manufactured aside, he doesn't bleed. From what I know he doesn't even have a skeleton. How can someone like that be human?"

"T-Touba-san, I… I don't understand," Aoru announced uncertain, her voice a little shaky. "W-weren't you his friend?" she asked, finally making the other redhead turn towards her, his face now twisted with something that could be considered anger as his jade eyes drilled onto her: "Friend? Befriending a demon such as him? That's a nice joke. Tell me, would you really become friends with a monster, something as unnatural as Takai is? Don't make me laugh! No one would want to have him as a friend, much less develop deeper feelings for such as him. Why you are interested in him is completely beyond me…"

Those words hit Takai like thunder. Sweat began covering his body as it shook, while his heart did its best to jump out of his chest. Without a word he sped down the road without looking back, while water gathered in his eyes. The conversation between the redheads however was not yet done: "If… if that is really how you think, then you're a bigger monster than Takai, Touba-san! I don't care if you're Kazekage-sama's child or not, even you don't have the right to betray people like that! It doesn't matter what you think, Takai-kun saved me back then! There's no way I'll believe someone like that can be a monster! And furthermore, you have no right to tell who to like and who not to!"

"Is that so?" the boy asked with a warm smile, making Aoru completely confused. The sudden change of her speaker's expression and the softness his voice instantly gained left her unable to say another word, allowing Touba to continue: "That's good then, it means you're serious about your feelings. I'm relieved I wasn't wrong about you. I'll talk to Takai about what you asked the next time I'll see him…"

"Huh?" the girl only managed to let out, still clueless to no end. "But just now, you…"

"You may treat that as a test of sorts," the other redhead simply replied with a smile still decorating his face. Noticing that explanation was not enough for his speaker, he went on with his face becoming slightly grimer then earlier: "You must understand, Aoru, that it's not as simple as you think. I do not know if Takai likes you or not, but that's beside the point right now. What matters is whether _you_ like him. And I don't just mean 'like'. I needed to make sure this is something more then a simple crush. For Takai's sake…"

"I… I'm afraid I'm not following you, Touba-san…"

"Takai's world is darker then you might think," the boy explained, looking deep into her eyes. "All his life he's been treated like a monster, a freak. He was pushed away, always on the outside. Since the day he was born, he was always in contact with the darkest side of human nature. I do not know what pain such treatment brings, but my father faced similar demons in his early days, so I can at least grasp the horror of it. People want someone to share their lives with, be it a lover, friend or just someone they can talk to. It doesn't matter whether they admit it or not, but they all do. It's our nature. But for Takai it's not easy to trust someone. I noticed it when I introduced him to my friends. He's expecting a betrayal, because never before was there someone to show him kindness. Knowing this, tell me what you think would've happened if you'd told him you liked him and some time later just walked away, coz you wouldn't be attracted to him anymore? You think that'd be something he would be able to handle?"

The girl didn't reply. She just looked down on the floor, speechless. Touba's eyes narrowed as he observed her for a while, and then spoke up again: "Since the day they are born, shinobi are thrown into a cruel world. Certainly, although being young, we have a mentality of an adult. It's not our choice, it is a necessity. It is the result of a fact that we know that everyday may be our last. That is why I believe that even while being eight, there's a possibility for people like us to develop deeper feelings for one another. The problem is we're still kids at heart. What we think we feel can easily change and we lack the experience to know how to handle it when our hearts get broken. That is why, if it can be avoided, I prefer to spare Takai pain like that. He already suffered enough and should he suffer a loss like that, he may fall into darkness completely. Sorry for being harsh, but as his friend, I'll do everything that's in my power, to keep him safe…"

"I see," Aoru announced, sending the boy a warm smile: "So you didn't mean any of it, did you? But there's no need for you to worry: while I may still be a kid, I think I understand my feelings. And I truly believe Takai-kun is special. Not because he's different… but because he _is_ different," she stated, making a smile return to Touba's face as well.

"Now I know that as well," he replied, winking at her. "And I do wish you both best of luck."

But alas, Takai did not hear that part. By the time he was far away, finally coming to a stop as he tried desperately to catch his breath. Tarakudo's words rang in his head anew, with Honemaru's statement echoing in the back: "They will never accept me," he said out loud, his face pale froze in shock. "They'll never accept me…" The repeat of those words made him clench his fists, while anger suppressed every other emotion that tried to take over him. His crimson eyes seemed to gain an even deeper shade of red as his expression twisted into fury. It was decided. He will not go back: "You want a monster? I'll give you something much, much worse!"

_Few weeks later:_

"I haven't seen Takai-kun at all lately," Torune stated worried as she sat with her friends at the table in the Academy cafeteria: "You think something happened to him?" she asked, making Dekai merely shrug as a 'dunno', while a troubled expression crossed Hari's face. The one to answer verbally was Touba: "You're worrying too much. I'm sure Takai's perfectly fine. Probably he just doesn't feel like attending classes, that's all. With his skills, I don't suppose he'll require classes to pass the final exam anyway…"

"Sabaku no Touba," a sudden voice interrupted his trail of thoughts, making everyone gathered to gaze at the entrance, where Takai was slowly moving towards the table the redhead sat at, while a large scythe was carried in one of his hands.

Honemaru observed his 'brother' with an emotionless face, while a victorious smile appeared behind Tarakudo's bandages. Horamaru's eyes narrowed at the sight of one of the creatures he hated most, but no one moved until the crimson-eyed boy reached his destination, now standing right behind Touba. Karame was first to break the silence that filled the wide hall: "Takai, where have you been? We were getting…" he began, but the other boy did not pay attention to this. With a cold voice he spoke up, the tone of his voice enough to quiet the mummy instantly: "Sabaku no Touba… lets fight."

"What?" the redhead replied confusedly as he raised his eyebrow while turning around to look at his friend. Quickly he chuckled slightly, turning away again: "I haven't seen you in weeks and you start off with a joke like that? That's not very funny, Takai. Now, sit down, I have an important manner to discuss with you and I wanted to do so ages ago…" But at that point his sand suddenly rose, making the words freeze in his mouth.

Sabure only managed as much as to widen her eyes as Takai's scythe flew through the air with a ripping sound, blocked merely inches before her brother's neck by the sand. The son of the Kazekage got stiffed for a moment. This was something he truly did not expect. With the silence still engulfing the room, he turned his head towards the crimson-eyed boy again, not believing he actually spoke the words that came out of his mouth a second later: "You're serious?" he more stated then asked, seeing his friend's face remained emotionless.

Takai simply retreated his scythe and headed towards the exit, leaving the redhead confused. After a moment of hesitation, Touba stood up and followed the other boy without a word spoken. "Wait, Touba…" Hari began, a terrified expression making its way to her face. "Are you guys really gonna…?"

"Regardless to what happens…" the sand user interrupted her without even blessing her with a glance. "Do not interfere. You must not interfere, not matter what occurs!" As the blonde began her 'but', the redhead raised his voice, taking an ordering tone: "No! Do not interfere," he repeated and then left the cafeteria. It took a while before everyone got out of their shock and followed the two to the backyard, where Takai and Touba already stood before each other, their faces rid of emotions.

"Why are you doing this?" the sand user asked simply, but his friend didn't reply. Instead, the crimson-eyed boy pointed the tip of his scythe at him, announcing loud enough for everyone to hear: "Make no mistake, Touba. This is not a joke or something I did on a whim. You said it yourself: during shinobi battle age and gender don't play a part. This is not a sparring match. I have every intention… to end your life!"

_**---the final showdown has begun! ---**_

And so this chapter is finished. Hope you enjoyed it and that you'll leave me a review once you're done reading. With this, Takai's story is coming to its end and quite soon at that. I actually find the irony of this chapter as cruel as one can be (especially since, while before I never really cared much about Touba, as I began writing this flashback, he became one of my favorite characters thus far XD). The 'long-awaited' showdown between Takai and Touba is upon us and with it the conclusion of the back-story. But I assure you, before this flashback ends, there are still things that need to be told, so don't think that the closing chapters (coz I doubt I'll manage to squeeze the fight into just one) of this arc are just about the battle.

With that said, I believe there's nothing left for me to do then to ask you to review this piece, invite you to my stories on FictionPress and to drop by with the next update. Take care and until next time!


	113. Full Circle

Holy crap, I never would've expected that updating this will take me that long. Around a month time since the last installment, wasn't it? If it's any consolation, the lateness of this chappie is caused by the fact I had little time to work on it (once I dig out enough, I wrote it all in record time XD). I might've managed to finish it last week, but I felt the need to update my original works on FictionPress first (and, as always, I wish to invite you to give them a try and possibly leave a comment).

Naturally I wish to thank everyone who sacrificed their time to review the previous chapter (and apologize if I haven't replied to your review, coz my mailbox sort screwed-up in the meantime) and hope that you'll find this chapter worth waiting for. Hopefully you'll leave a comment about it as well.

_A word from our beta:_

_DarkHeroOrion: I don't have much else to say, other than my update for Birth of a Legend: The Fox Druid is going to have to take a back seat for the time being._

And with that, let's move on to the newest chapter of "Naruto: Next Generation"!

**Chapter #113: Full Circle – Takai's Story part VII**

_**Title Page:**_ the desert: Takai is laying on top of a large rock; Aoru is sitting in its shadow, drinking water from a bottle, while Touba made himself a roof from his sand

Takaru sat on the rooftop with both his arms and legs crossed, gazing at the Hokage Monument, allowing the moonlight to clear his view. A saddened expression crossed his face, as he glanced to the side for a brief moment. A sudden 'tap', too quiet for a typical person to hear, reached his ears, making him look over his shoulder to see Senkou walking towards him from the other side of the roof. "It's pretty late. What are you doing here?" he asked. "And shouldn't you be hospitalized?"

"A midnight walk," the masked genin replied, crossing his arms. "As far as I know, this village is still a free one, so I'm allowed to do whatever I want. But, since I answered your question, I think it's only fair you repay me in the same manner. What are you doing here at this hour?"

Takaru threw his companion a death glare, but his face quickly softened and turned worried, while he shifted his sight to the mountain again. "I… I just wanted to think a bit, that's all," he finally responded with an annoyed voice. Senkou didn't react to that statement at first. He just stared at the scar-faced genin, as his speaker's gaze got lost in the distance.

"It's not easy, is it?" the masked boy finally asked, making Takaru turn his head towards him. "Being the son of a Hokage. These people our heroes of the village; legendary leaders that everyone respects. When someone you admire is gone, you usually hope another person will be able to fill in his or her spot. In most cases the children are those that are expected most of. It can't be helped; that's how this world works…"

The scar-faced boy didn't reply. He just glanced at the Monument once more, stone-faced.

Senkou threw a quick look at his speaker, only to follow his sight as he continued: "But you know what? We are not them," he announced, making Takaru gaze at him once more. "We may be related to them, use their techniques, even look like them in many ways, but we're not them. We are ourselves, regardless to how other people see us. We should be proud we're children of these great shinobi, but that alone shouldn't determine what we do with our lives. We can choose our own path, Takaru. By looking to the past, you'll only get lost in your future. You shouldn't let what happened to your mother hold you back. I'm sure she, for one thing, wouldn't want that…"

"You're awfully talkative tonight," the scar-faced boy replied, smiling after a moment, but the masked genin quickly responded, waving his hand. "I just don't want you to be unfocused. You're fighting a guy who beat my teammate. I'm counting on you to take revenge on him for Tsume, since I won't be able to do so myself. I guess I'll be cheering for you during the finals." And with that he was gone, leaving Takaru alone once again.

The black-haired boy turned towards the stone faces once more at a glance, managing a forced smile as a certain thought raced through his head: "_Children of great leaders, eh? I'd wish things were as easy as you put it, Senkou… choosing our own path. But the thing is there's more to it than that. Should we not live up to everyone's expectations… won't we just get forgotten?_"

--Five years ago in Hidden Sand Village--

"You won't change your mind?" Touba asked his friend, yet Takai's emotionless face was all the answer he needed, even though words were not spoken. "I'm still clueless as to why you're doing this," he announced, slightly worried, but instead of a reply, the crimson-eyed boy just charged forward, aiming his scythe at the head of the Kazekage's son. In a flash another wall of sand rose, blocking the assault, while grains of sand sprayed into the air.

"Your scythe cannot break through my Sand Shield," the redhead reminded him calmly, while his friend froze in place, his weapon still pressing hard against the barricade. "And if you can't hit me, then there's no way for you to defeat me, regardless to how strong you are…"

But as his words escaped his mouth, Takai replied, his voice as emotionless as his face: "That… is not entirely so." Pushing his blade further, he made it cut through the sand barrier; forcing Touba to duck under the assault, making the scythe cut the air above with a whistling sound.

Instantly the redhead flipped back a few times, extending the distance between himself and his friend, his eyes set on Takai.

"Why are you so surprised?" the crimson-eyed boy asked, almost as if he was mocking his adversary, yet the emotionless tone and expression put that in a doubtful manner. "We were created to be perfect weapons, it's only natural the research also included the issue of being able to get through Kazekage's sand. This scythe was specifically manufactured for that purpose: I can release my chakra and make it gather in the blade, thus increasing its destructive power. Things with chakra will be destroyed by simply putting more chakra into them. While your Sand Shield is definitely effective against physical attacks, once those get combined with one's inner energy, they can get through that protection of yours, should the barricade be thin enough…"

"I see," Touba replied, his face now different, more determinate. "Seems like it'll be pointless to try and talk you out of this in the end. But I should warn you: since this is your approach, I will not hold back either."

The only response he got was Takai's tightening grip on his scythe. In a flash the redhead threw his hand forward, making the sand dance around the crimson-eyed boy, wrapping around his legs like ropes. Without a second to waste the artificial shinobi jumped to the sky, just barely getting out of the desert's reach, but the son of the Kazekage was not yet done.

Instantly his hand rose up, making new whips shoot out from the ones that tried to bind the scythe-user a second ago, piercing the boy's arms and legs with a sound of ripping clothes accompanying them. Takai didn't scream. He merely narrowed his eyes before going into a spin, which made his weapon cut the spikes, only to have them break into dust that fell to the golden surface.

As Takai's feet touched the ground, more spikes shot out from all around him, rising to the sky and then dropping on the boy like rain. The crimson-eyed shinobi kept on charging forwards, slaloming between the falling whips as they crashed against the ground. He cut those that he could not dodge in time with his scythe, making them split into grains that fell freely on his head.

The instant his running form emerged from the 'apocalypse', Touba quickly formed a single seal, pushing a spike from the ground in the attempt to pierce Takai's chest, but the artificial ninja managed to jump up in time and somersaulting in mid-air, he landed safely on the sand lance, sliding down it, thus shortening the distance between the two fighters even further.

Seeing this, the redhead threw both of his hands to the sky, blasting up sand poles, each shooting from below the crimson-eyed boy's feet, leaving him not more than a fraction of a second to dodge. While Takai managed to avoid the first few, he was not fast enough to completely get out of the range of the next set. With his left foot falling behind, the pole hit it, making the young shinobi lose his balance and thus rendered him vulnerable, allowing another column to raise, hitting him hard in the stomach and lifting him up on its top.

The impact itself was enough to leave Takai breathless for a moment, stopping him from taking action until the pole froze. Without a second to waste, the crimson-eyed boy jumped off the column and struck his blade into its side, slowing down his fall and leaving a wide slash in the solid sand.

Countering, Touba threw his hands to the sides, suddenly making the pole Takai was jumping off spread into grains, circling in the wind. The crimson-eyed boy's fall took up speed, while the floating dirt began shaping once more, forming itself into a multitude of tiny needles, each aimed at the artificial shinobi.

"Suna Senbon!" the redhead called out, making all the needles shoot straight at Takai, but the boy didn't even bother to take evasive action. He just turned his back at the assault, having all of the sandy spikes strike him from behind, yet with no effect it'd seem as the scythe-user simply landed safely on the ground and resumed his charge at the son of the Kazekage, his weapon ready to swing.

As the blade ripped the air, sand arose to block the attack, but the scythe went right through it, separating Touba's head from the rest of his body. But Takai didn't seem to pay attention to the round object, covered with blazing-red hair that suddenly flew to the sky as he merely glanced over his shoulder. A moment later the real son of the Kazekage emerged from under the sandy surface, while the one he just 'killed' broke into a storm of grains.

"Seems the only way to tame you is to take away that scythe," the redhead stated, forming an instant seal. In a flash, sand whips shot from right below the crimson-eyed boy's feet, wrapping around the weapon's handle in an attempt to pull it out of the artificial shinobi's grip. As his attention concentrated on keeping his blade, more sandy ropes jumped up, this time from behind, binding Takai's shoulders.

"As long as there is sand, I can do anything," Touba reminded him with a monotonous voice. "You cannot defeat me. At the very least not as you are now. Give up and let's end this madness," he purposed, but his 'friend' did not reply. Instead, he just turned his back at the redhead and a moment later, the sand senbon that were stuck there shot out, right at the surprised son of the Kazekage.

"_Shinobi, if only they're skilled enough, can deflect material objects with chakra alone,_" Honemaru noted to himself, while other spectators around him stood amazed at the turn of events. "_I heard of a clan in the Leaf that mastered such a skill. With his entire skeleton made of chakra, I suppose it's not hard for Takai to fill whichever part of his body he desires with his ki. Most likely he just suddenly transferred great amounts of it to his back, blasting those needles…_"

Before long, the sand spikes broke the distance between themselves and their target, but a single swing of the redhead's hand made the needles separate into grains again, merely hitting their master's face as dust carried by the wind. This covered the Kazekage son's view for a moment and the instant he regained it, the crimson-eyed boy was already near him, ready to deliver a fatal blow.

Touba quickly slammed his hands to the ground, making a huge wave of sand rise up with the redhead riding on its top. The golden tsunami came with a rumbling sound at Takai, who froze in shock, covering his face in his arms as the shadow of the attack engulfed him. He still did not scream, even as tons of sand crashed over his head, burying him completely in the vast desert, while the tidal wave disappeared, leaving the son of the Kazekage standing on top of wide pile of sandy earth.

"_With this much sand covering you, all pressing against your body, it's basically impossible to move a finger, much less take any sort of action,_" Touba noted in his mind as his eyes shut in pain, while his head lowered. "_Why? Why now? This is not fair,_" he complained, clenching his teeth in both anger and despair. "_This is not fair at all. This is not how it was suppose to end. Is… is there really no other outcome? Does everything have to be decided by that?_" Touba asked himself as he held out his right hand again. His arm shook as it hung stretched over the mountain of sand, under which the scythe was still buried. "_Should I do this…? Wouldn't it all come to an end? Is this salvation or fate's cruel joke? Takai… forgive me…_" His eyes slowly opened as hesitation faded into the recesses of his brain.

"Sabaku SouSou!" the redhead called out, tightening his fist.

_**--buried under the sand… and the conclusion? --**_

And with that this chapter is complete. I hope that you enjoyed it, that you'll leave me a review once you're done reading (all you need to do is push that pretty button at the bottom and write a few words) and that I'll manage to finish the next installment sooner this time. And just to be on the safe side, in case you're not aware (or have forgotten), Sabaku SouSou is "Desert Funeral" (in some translations marked as "Imploding Sand Funeral", "Sand Funeral" or even "Desert Coffin", though that last one is not accurate).

Well, that's that for now. Thanks for tuning in and hope to see/read you next time!


	114. Turning Point

**Extra update:** Well, it still took me two weeks to finally finish the next chapter, but at the very least this time I can make it up to you guys, at least to some extent. To start off: this is going to be a double update, meaning besides chapter 114, I'll be putting up chapter 115 as well, which was done some time ago. With that Takai's flashback is finished and the story finally enters the final stage of Chuunin Selection Exam. Another part of the extra update is that along with these two chappies that you'll get to read (if you'll feel like it) another side story concerning NNG. It'll be put in "NNG Side Stories". Those of you, who put NNG Valentine's Day special as alert, will probably get a notification on their mailboxes in a moment about it being updated. The Side story is an inside on Funbo and though I realize he's not all that popular, perhaps you'll enjoy it.

Naturally, as usual, I wanna give a warm 'thank you' to everyone who sacrificed their time to review the previous chapter. I'm glad you all seemed to enjoy it and hope you'll find the end of Takai's story at least as good. I'd also like to ask you all to review both chapters that are getting submitted. Thanks in advance.

_Word from our beta__: How's it going, ladies and gentlemen? Things have died down considerably, so I have the time to focus on helping out with Shang's fics as well as finishing up Chapter 13 of my own, which is Birth of a Legend: The Fox Druid. Now, without further ado, I'll turn it over to Shang…_

I'd also like to dedicate this chapter to a friend of mine who, much like Takai, suffered his own tragedy. Stay strong, everything will be okay. And remember that no matter what happens, you can always count on me. We'll make it through.

With that, I believe there's nothing more left to say, besides inviting you to read the newest installments of "Naruto: Next Generation". Hope you'll find these chapters worth reading:

**Chapter #114: Turning Point – Takai's Story part VIII**

_**Title Page:**_ Takai is dressed like a grim reaper with a hood over his head, his hands made only out of bones, holding tight onto his scythe

"Sabaku SouSou!" Touba called out, tightening his fist. Silence filled the battlefield as the ground stopped moving. Everyone stared amazed at the redhead, who slowly retreated his hand, while Hari asked quietly, though the surrounding silence made her question echoed throughout the backyard: "Is it over?"

But her words didn't even manage to fade into the air when Takai suddenly shot up from the sand behind Touba, his body covered with blood, swinging his scythe at the son of the Kazekage. Instinctually, the redhead ducked as the attack whistled just above his head, cutting through the sand that rose in hope to protect its master.

Quickly the barrier that formed right before the assault shivered, releasing sand bullets straight at Takai, hitting the artificial shinobi at point blank range, sending him flying back with holes in his body, from which more blood escaped his veins. The crimson-eyed boy broke his flight however by striking the blade of his scythe to the ground and coming to a stop, he charged at his opponent once more.

In a flash, Touba spun on his foot as he was forming another hand seal, which made another wall of sand rise before him, while a pile of the substance shot from below his feet, lifting the son of the Kazekage to the sky. This did not stop Takai, however, as he simply swung his scythe a few times, completely cutting the barrier to pieces and headed for the column that the redhead stood upon.

As the pile began to disintegrate, Touba jumped of it and as he was flipping in mid-air, he held out his hand, collecting sand that floated in the sky. As the tiny grains reached his palm, they started forming into a huge shuriken, which got tossed straight at the crimson-eyed boy the instant their creator's feet touched the ground. Too surprised to use a different maneuver, Takai jumped over the projectile, only to have it reform during flight and went for him again, this time in a shape of a large spike.

Unable to dodge in mid-air, the artificial shinobi took the assault head-on, making it pierce his left shoulder while he landed clumsily on the ground. His earlier wounds seemed to heal by now, but the skin was still covered in crimson, while new loads of the fluid escaped his body through the hole in which the sand spike was still stuck.

"_Getting buried in the sand, where the pressure surrounds you…He should've been crushed completely,_" Karame analyzed, observing the fight carefully. "_And even if not, then there is little to no chance of him digging himself out so quickly in these conditions. Could it be that…?_" His trail of thoughts got interrupted as another gust of sand shot straight at Takai, who sliced it in half with his scythe, making the assault go around him.

"You cannot win," Touba repeated, noticing his opponent's breath became slightly faster. "But neither can I. This battle is pointless. Takai, calm down and let's talk. Surely there's…"

But at this point he was cut off as the crimson-eyed boy swung his scythe with its tip ripping through the ground. Instantly, a handful of sand went for the redhead's eyes, but the son of the Kazekage quickly held out his hand, making the assault stop right before his face.

In a flash, Takai appeared behind his back, coming to a sliding stop and swinging his scythe horizontally in the attempt to cut his torso.

"_He suddenly got faster?_" a quick thought raced through the redhead's mind as he threw his hand back, blocking the attack with a kunai that he picked out from his holster on the way. With a loud 'clang', the son of the Kazekage performed another hand seal, raising a steam of sand that blasted his opponent away.

"_Takai's entire skeleton is made out of chakra,_" Tarakudo thought to himself with a playful smile creeping onto his face behind the bandages. "_It's easy for him to fill any muscles in his body with it, extending their limits. With that, each part can work more efficiently than normal. Naturally, this puts a strain on the organs that are forced to work beyond it capabilities, but with regeneration skill of his level, something like that is nothing more than minor inconvenience for him. The only question is: why use this ability only now?_"

Takai managed to flip in mid-air and land safely on his feet. In a flash, he charged forward again at sound-breaking speed. Allowing his instincts to kick in, Touba formed a quick hand seal, making the sand below his opponent's feet to split, suddenly swallowing the crimson-eyed boy in a dark hole.

"To run, you need to have a surface," the redhead stated simply, forming the sand around the edges of the pit into spikes.

With a couple more hand seals, sand shot up from the trap he created a moment earlier, making Takai rise above it, nailed to a sand cross by sandy spikes that pierced through his arms, legs and chest: "Maybe now you'll listen," the son of Kazekage began calmly, staring into his friend's eyes. "Calm down, Takai. I'm not your enemy…"

"No, you're not," the artificial shinobi responded, much to the redhead's surprise. He added, "And this is why I won't forgive you." Instantly, chakra began escaping his body, spinning wildly around it. A cutting noise filled the air as with each spin, the cross got decorated with a new slash, breaking into grains in less then a second, setting Takai free.

The crimson-eyed boy resumed his charge once his feet touched the ground, again running at top speed, but Touba could see it clearly; every step he made, each swing on his arm, the redhead took note of it all, seconds turning into hours in his mind. A sad expression crossed his face as the artificial ninja came closer, drastically shortening the distance between them.

"_So that's how it is,_" he thought to himself, lifting his hands to perform another seal. "_I hoped it would never come to this, but there's no other way. This has to end… so I'm gonna end it!_" And with that his seal was complete.

Instantly the scythe pierced Touba's chest, making his blood spray the blade. Silence enveloped the area, while a shocked expression painted itself onto Takai's face. His crimson eyes were set on his 'friend', now standing motionless before him with a victorious smile on his lips. A moment later his body began to collapse, while a murmur echoed through the battlefield. Among the collections of whispers, one particular line managed to reach the artificial shinobi's ears: "He actually did it. He killed Touba-san!"

Takai merely followed the redhead, dropping to his knees as well, while his "friend's" body slid off the blade.

"_That's not it,_" he announced in his mind, still not taking his eyes off the sand user. "_That attack just now… he could've dodged it, if he wanted to. He let me land that blow on purpose. Why? Why the hell did you let me kill you, asshole?_" he demanded, his body beginning to shake. Sabure wasn't willing to wait for him to recover.

"Monster!" she let out a cry and thrust her hand at the crimson-eyed boy and thus making a torpedo of sand fly straight at the artificial shinobi with a speed that cut the air. "I'm gonna kill you!"

But before her attack reached its target, a sudden whirlpool of sand blocked its way, making both techniques cancel each other out, lifting up tons of dust. As the cloud cleared, the kunoichi widened her eyes, noticing her own father now standing between her and her brother's killer.

"Move aside, dad," she said in an ordering tone, her hand still aimed at Takai. Gaara however remained motionless, his face rid of emotion, while he settled his eyes on his daughter. "Move aside" she repeated, but the effect was still the same. "Get the hell out of my way!" she screamed as sand began swirling at her feet. "He killed Touba!"

"And even if you were to kill him, would that bring Touba's life back?" the Godaime asked calmly, still not taking his eyes off her. "Enough blood has been shed here today. Return to your classes. Everyone," he said in an ordering tone, yet his face remained calm as his eyes were still set on his daughter, who did not move. "That includes you as well, Sabure." The girl still did not move.

"Why?" she asked, apparently calming down a bit and not giving her father a disappointed gaze. "He killed your son, but you still choose to protect him? Touba was just as stupid as that: even when that creep attacked him with every intention to kill, he still refused to go all out… What reason can there be to let this…this…_thing_ walk the streets of our village? What makes him so special that you're willing to forget your child's death just to keep it alive? Answer me!"

"This is not a matter of him being special," Gaara replied in his usual calmness, finally turning his glance at the boy, who was still kneeling next to the fallen form on the young sand user. "In actuality, it's the exact opposite. Touba understood that. He understood that more than anyone. Perhaps someday you will too, Sabure. But know this: if everyone insists on following the rule of 'an eye for an eye', then eventually it'll end with everyone becoming blind. Touba's dead and nothing can change that. If you believe I think nothing of that, then you're insulting me more than you could even imagine.

"I am the Kazekage of the Hidden Sand and every single person in this village is important to me. Takai is no different. Instead of falling into despair about my son's death, I think it's best to do everything that is in my power to avoid more unnecessary casualties. Besides, I doubt that getting revenge is what Touba would want in this case. Now, return to your class," he repeated and this time the girl complied after a moment of hesitation.

Once there was no one else around, the Godaime spoke up again, directing his voice towards the boy, yet the scythe user didn't even seem to care: "I'm disappointed in you, Takai. I really thought you were different. I even let you speak to that man… Perhaps that was my mistake. You did great harm today. And not just to Touba, Sabure and myself, but to the whole village, and to yourself as well. I believe it is best that you quit the Academy…at least for the time being. Now follow me, for there are matters we need to discuss in private…"

And as the memories of the days from years ago once more disappeared into the back of Takai's mind, so did the moon from the sky, allowing the sun to rise over the horizon. With the first rays of light embracing his body, the crimson-eyed genin stood up, settling his gaze on the ball of fire that was slowly coming into view. Not a word spoken, the sand-nin turned away, heading back to his quarter. Another day has come.

And as the sunrays wrapped the Hidden Leaf Village in light, many of the young ninja had awakened, preparing to start a new day. That signaled the beginning of their preparations. For in a month time they were to step into the arena for the final challenge of the Chuunin Selection Exams. Regardless to whom their opponents will be, surely the battles ahead would not be easily won. For thirty days they'd train, perfecting their skills, some learning new ones. For some one month is short, for others it can go by for ages. But regardless, time flew… and the day of the Final Exam has arrived…

_**-- The wait is over. Up next: the Final Exam begins! --**_

And this concludes the first chapter of this double update. Now, before you go to read the next, I'd just like to ask you to sacrifice a short span of your time to leave me a review for this chappie. It'd really mean a lot.


	115. Day of the Finals

Just as promised, here's the second chapter of the double update. It's more of an intro to the Final Exam, but you'll come across several hints regarding some of the subplots that are still to come and I hope you won't find this chappie as a bore.

Before starting, I wish to congratulate a cousin of mine (but most of all: a good friend) for completing his studies and becoming an engineer. Yesterday's celebration (and the start of today) was surely filled with unexpected turns (at least for me). Well done man.

**Chapter #115: Day of the Finals**

_**Title Page:**_ the stairs: Kai is reaching the top, right behind him stands Kumiko, resting her hands on her knees, Kusari is sitting on one of the steps lower, his back turned towards the "audience", Ibuki stopped beside him, taking a sip from a bottle of water and Takaru is even lower, sitting calmly on a balustrade

"Welcome, Gaara-dono," Kakashi greeted the red-haired man that just entered his lounge, taking the seat next to the Leaf's Hokage. The Hidden Sand leader merely nodded in acknowledgement, not allowing any trace of emotion to appear on his face. Besides the two, there were a few other people, occupying the rest of the throne-like chairs, all put in a straight line with one next to the other. The masked, Sharingan user sat at the middle, with the Kazekage taking the place to his right.

Gaara's eyes shifter further right, noticing a young woman that sat beside him. She seemed to be in her mid-twenties with long, purple hair, clipped in a ponytail and two bangs falling on the sides of her face. Her green eyes caught the redhead's gaze as he examined her violet outfit with black leg guards and metal protectors covering her arms. She winked to the Sand's leader, but the Kazekage's face remained motionless, even though his heart seemed to skip a beat.

After that, his glance went to Hokage's left, where two more people sat. First was a man with a headgear that covered his short, brown hair and cast a shadow on his teal eyes. He wore a black t-shirt with a grey vest on it and pants in matching color. He had several scrolls hanging around his belt and seven wooden umbrellas attached to his back. He made nothing of Gaara's judgmental gaze and kept on staring down at the arena before those gathered.

The last person was also a man, though much older than any of them. His long, grey hair was clipped in a ponytail, but some of it was falling freely on the sides of his head. His left eye was completely white, with a scar going across it, while his right one was green. He wore a grey robe with wide sleeves, which were now folded up, thus revealing the man's right hand was wrapped in a chain, while the left seemed to hide a root beneath the skin. But regardless, the redhead's attention was driven to something else…

"I notice that two seats are empty," Gaara finally spoke up, settling his gaze at Kakashi.

The Sixth Hokage didn't look at him though, as a calm response left his mouth, "The Takigakure leader is excused for injury. And when it comes to the Hidden Grass representative… he simply refused to come…"

The redhead's expression didn't change, but as he asked another question, a note of surprise could be caught in his voice: "But from the information I was given, there will be four grass-nin participating in this phase. It's quite strange for the leader to not appear in these circumstances, especially since Kusa is not all that famous. This predicament is a great opportunity for them to advertise themselves. What reason could there be to not come?"

"Hidden Grass' new leader is pretty young, Gaara-chan," the woman announced with a playful smile. "Even younger than myself. Who knows what thoughts float in his mind? Don't let that bother you and just enjoy the show," she added.

At this point the older man spoke up with a somewhat annoyed tone: "You're really too carefree, Satsuki-dono. Your village will have two representatives and yet you came. Heck, Genmei-dono's and my own only have one and we showed up regardless. As village leaders, it's our duty. I do not think it's very trustworthy of Fugo to ignore it…"

The last person, the man with a headgear, didn't respond in any way. He just cast a quick glance at the speaker and then shifted back to the arena, awaiting the beginning of the final exam in silence.

--A little earlier, outside the stadium--

"Well, this is it," Ibuki announced as she and her teammates reached the entrance to the arena. "You guys better do your best, coz I'll be cheering for you from the stands. Good luck."

With that, she bid them farewell, leaving for the main gate of the stadium. As she disappeared from their view, Kai turned towards Kusari, asking the question that was floating in his mind since they met up on the bridge few minutes earlier.

"Where's your chain? No offense, but after seeing you fight during our assault on the Tanken estate, I must say that you suck without it."

"There's no need for you to worry about that," the chain master replied calmly with an evil smirk appearing beneath his nose. "I have that covered…"

As those words sunk in, another familiar voice reached their ears: "You better; otherwise I'll be greatly disappointed if I let just a weakling, that'd lose in his first match, enter the final exam…"

As they turned in the direction it came from, they was a team of grass-nin heading their way, with Hizoku out front. The speaker turned out to be Taka, whose mask hid an annoying smirk. The redhead on the other hand offered the four a warm smile as he spoke up. "So, you guys are ready for this?" he asked, settling his eyes on the young blonde as a worried expression crossed his face.

"Just you wait, I'm gonna kick that scythe guy's butt in an instant and then it'll be your turn!" Kai responded confidently, pointing his finger at Hizoku, only making a smile return on the redhead's face. Kumiko, however, was skeptical.

"You shouldn't take your fight lightly. That sand-nin is most likely the worst opponent in the whole event. Winning against him won't be easy. Stay on your guard." And with that, Taka left them as the rest walked through the door, entering the stadium.

Hanamaru stuffed his mouth with more chips, crunching them between his teeth, while Kogane observed him, sweat dropping. The blonde then turned right, where Rei was sitting, or more specifically – sitting with her legs stretched out front and loud, snoring noises escaping her lips. "You guys suck!" the young alchemist finally broke, her eyes turning pupil-less.

"Quality time with your teammates, I see," Senkou's voice made her look over her shoulder, noticing three of Hinata's subordinates sitting down just one row behind her. "But, seeing how she acts, it makes me wonder why she even bothered to come," the masked genin announced, glancing over at the seat the lazy girl was occupying, still sound asleep.

"Umm, Kogane-san, are you sure you should be here?" Mikka asked the blonde worriedly as she took the chair left to the silver-haired boy. "Your injury was quite serious. I heard your body suffered internal damage. It may not be safe for you to…"

But she never got to finish that sentence as the alchemist quickly interrupted her with a warm smile. "Two of my teammates are going to participate. It'd be inappropriate of me to not show up." As silence fell between them, it got instantly broken by the blonde kunoichi, who added with a devious smirk. "And I couldn't let Takaru-kun down…"

"Too bad, you were this close to sounding cool," Senkou responded, while another voice reached his ears.

"Sorry, it this seat taken?" Ibuki asked Mikka, settling down next to the young medic. At seeing this, Kogane merely smiled, resting her chin on the back of her chair.

"Seems that all Konoha rookies are here as well. I wonder…"

"They're coming out," Tsume interrupted her, pointing at the arena below, where a group of young ninja entered, walking towards the center of their future battlefield. Everyone's eyes turned to the participants, who stopped upon reaching the place Lee was standing. Kai looked around; all the elimination winners seemed to be there: two girls from Tsuki, the bald axeman who fought Kusari and Ibuki in the Forest of Death, the boy with scars from Hidden Rain, the fat Taki genin, the team of elder genin from their village, Funbo included, Hizoku and his companions, other Leaf rookies, and the sand-nin, most of all Takai.

Takaru took this opportunity to look around their soon-to-be battlefield: it was a wide arena with few trees and bushes here and there, along with a pond a little to east of the center. Tall white walls reached the sky, dividing the fighters from the audience and on one lounge the son of Tsunade spotted village leaders, observing them closely.

"I suppose it's time to begin," Kakashi muttered, picking himself up from his seat. The Sixth Hokage gathered air in his lungs and then spoke up as loud as he could, quickly gathering everyone's attention. "Ladies and gentlemen, to start off I'd like to thank you all for coming here today to witness the final phase of the Chuunin Selection Exam! In a moment, the thirty two participants that stand below in the arena will enter the last test that'll determine whether they'll get promoted or not! I hope you'll all enjoy the show and cheer for all of our young warriors!" And with that, claps echoed in the stadium as anxiety rose.

"Okay, please calm your youthful spirit just a little longer," Lee asked, making all genin gaze at him. "Before we start, I have few last words to say. In case you're not aware of that fact, this exam has the same rules as eliminations, meaning that there are none, although the battlefield differs. The loser is whoever dies, forfeits, or loses consciousness and if I'll decide the fight is over; I'll step in to stop it from progressing. Clear thus far?" Upon receiving nods from most of the participants (_A/N: Takai ignored the question all together and Reiji simply stated that only a complete moron would not understand_), he went on: "I hope you remember who you're fighting with...Now, will everyone, besides the first two fighters, please move onto the platform?" All of the young ninja complied. Kai and Takai were the only ones left.

"That blonde is Naruto's student, right?" Kankuro asked his sister as they sat in the stands, waiting for the test to begin.

Temari merely nodded with a worried expression showing on her face. "Yeah… he's almost like a mirror image of that dope. If he's at least half as stubborn, then this match can end pretty badly for him. Takai… he seems to have his eyes set on that boy…"

"You shouldn't worry about Kai," a sudden voice made them look to the side, where Naruto appeared out of nowhere. "When I stood there for the first time, few gave me any chance fighting Neji and I still won. This past month, Kai surely didn't slack off. I wouldn't bet my money on Takai, because you might just lose it." A devilish smile crossed his face, while his eyes set on his blonde subordinate.

"_This guy's the teammate of Teela's chain boy,_" Tasuki noticed as he and the Chishio twins settled on their seats in the crowd. Very similar thoughts ran through Hogosha's head, who found a place at the opposite side of the stadium. He glanced over at Futatsu, who merely narrowed his eyes, yet said nothing. The tension was also sensed by Naginata, but the redhead kunoichi decided to ignore it and just chewed on her popcorn.

"_It's that brat with Kage Bunshin,_" Nazaa noted in his mind, while his teammates chattered loudly about something. "_This could be interesting,_" he added as a tiny smile appeared on his face. All around everyone began to settle down, sensing that the show was about to start. Even Shita and the rest of the Waterfall-nin froze, anxious for the match to begin.

"First match: Haisha Kai from Konoha against Takai from Suna!" Lee announced loudly, raising his hand, as Kai narrowed his eyes, settling them on Takai. The stands remained silent, as the two genin held their breaths, waiting for the signal to start. The Leaf's Green Beast froze for a moment and then dropped his hand instantly…

"BEGIN!"

_**--And so the battle begins--**_

And thus the chapter (along with the double update) is done. Hope you enjoyed it and please leave a review before finishing. It'd really mean a lot. There's not much to say anymore, but just to stay on the safe side, below I'm placing the list of genin that participated in the Chuunin Exams (Yuki team is absent, coz they're already gone and since none of Kumori shinobi made it to the final exam, I left them out too): in italics are the names of people who didn't win in the eliminations and are only present at the stadium to cheer for their teammates. And after that the match-up of the Final Exam, just so you won't have to go to chapter 102 to look it up:

**KONOHA:** Kumiko Murasakki, _Ibuki Tanken_, Takaru Gekido, Kusari Hagane, Kai Haisha

**KONOHA:** _Mikka Igaku, Tsume Inuzuka_, Kokoro Benda, _Senkou Hatake_, Galu Kobushi

**KONOHA:** _Rei Konpaku, Kogane Rikoteki_, Toku Amagasa, Kitsune Debano, _Hanamaru Gusoku_

**KONOHA:** Taki Hamano, Hitomi Hyuuga, Akira Manako, Funbo Tanken, Horohoro

**SUNA:** Aoru, Torune, Honemaru, Takai, Tarakudo

**SUNA:** Hari, Sabaku no Sabure, Dekai, Horamaru, Karame

**KUSA:** Tobane Hokku, Nezumi Kanraku, _Taka Kuchibashi_, Tokame Kyohaku, Hizoku Wanabi

**AME:** _Youji Kasano, Karei Nokogiri, Ryo Eshaku_, Tsuino Furikuzu, _Nazaa Hebereke_

**TAKI****:** _Kawa Azarashi, Miaka Tora_, Tetsu Abura, _Shita Makko_, Kasui Rein (dead)

**TSUKI:** Teela Juusei, Tenka, _Kumo Chishio, Nobu Chishio, Tasuki Kihako_

**KANE:** _Naginata_, Reiji Ono, _Futatsu, Hogosha_, Sentou (absent, went back to Kane for recovery)

**Fight 1:** Haisha Kai (1) vs. Takai (2)

**Fight 2:** Ono Reiji (3) vs. Wanabi Hizoku (4)

**Fight 3:** Abura Tetsu (5) vs. Tanken Funbo (6)

**Fight 4:** Honemaru (7) vs. Gekido Takaru (8)

**Fight 5:** Benda Kokoro (9)vs. Horamaru (10)

**Fight 6:** Furikuzu Tsuino (11) vs. Tarakudo (12)

**Fight 7:** Manako Akira (13) vs. Dekai (14)

**Fight 8:** Hyuuga Hitomi (15) vs. Tenka (16)

**Fight 9:** Hokku Tobane (17) vs. Sabaku no Sabure (18)

**Fight 10:** Murasakki Kumiko (19) vs. Debano Kitsune (20)

**Fight 11:** Junsei Teela (21) vs. Kanraku Nezumi (22)

**Fight 12:** Horohoro (23) vs. Hagane Kusari (24)

**Fight 13:** Aoru (25) vs. Hamano Taki (26)

**Fight 14:** Torune (27) vs. Hari (28)

**Fight 15:** Amagasa Toku (29) vs. Kyohaku Tokame (30)

**Fight 16:** Kobushi Galu (31) vs. Karame (32)

And this truly concludes the double update. In a moment the side story I promised will be submitted as well and that'll end the extra update completely. Hope you had fun reading this and that I'll read your reviews for future chapters as well.

Until next time!


	116. Kai vs Takai

Hey you guys! I hoped to finish this by the end of the weekend, but that certainly blew in my face as all sorts of… distractions began arising all around. Furthermore, although I had high hopes, I didn't manage to complete chapter 117 yet, so the double update will have to wait for later (but I do aim to make an update in a week's time since quite much of 117 is already done). Sorry to let you down, but I guess with the semester ending, my time will just keep on getting more and more limited. Hopefully summer vacation in two months will allow me to catch-up a bit.

I wish to thank all of you who sacrificed their time and left a comment under previous updates, especially those who wrote reviews for both chappies. I really can't thank you enough. I do hope you'll find this chapter worth waiting for, as it is a little late.

_**IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT:**_ As some of you might have noticed, another anniversary is coming up (boy, that one year sure passed by fast this time). Three, whole years. Certainly this calls for some sort of celebration and while I had one in mind, I've decided to save it for later (not because I don't want to do it, but because it'd be pointless to use it now). This, naturally, left me thinking how to celebrate this anniversary and I must admit I'm disappointed in myself, coz for a guy who has more story ideas then he'll ever manage to write, I'm pretty clueless as to what I should do to make the anniversary special.

Thus I'm asking you what sort of celebration (meaning an extra) you would like to see for a three-year anniversary. It's on a pretty short notice and all, but as long as it'll be manageable, I'll do my best to cope with it. A piece of warning though: things that will be done in the story itself (meaning revealing who Takaru's father is, how Sasuke returned to Konoha etc.) you just have to wait for. Also, you may call an omake in "NNG: Side Stories". Dunno what sort of ideas you'll give, but hopefully I'll be able to fulfill at least a few.

_A word from our beta:__ Greetings to all. Given my current state of affairs, after I finish up with the next chapter of my tale, I won't be working on Birth of a Legend: The Fox Druid until after June 22, 2008. I'll be going abroad for five weeks, so I will barely be by a computer during that time. If Shang does have new updates, then I'm sorry to say that I probably cannot beta within that time frame._

_But in any case, I'll turn it over to Shang…_

And with that, I believe the only thing left for me to do is to invite you to read the newly written chapter of "Naruto: Next Generation"! Hope you'll enjoy it!

**Chapter #116: Kai vs. Takai**

_**Title Page:**_ Kai is sitting on a golden throne with a crown on his head, with gold hanging all over his body, holding tight to the scepter and all sorts of treasure scattered around in the room

"First match: Haisha Kai from Konoha against Takai from Suna," Lee announced loudly as the two participants stood before each other, ready to engage the opponent at any second. Silence filled the wide stadium, broken a moment later by the Leaf's Green Beast's call: "BEGIN!"

In a flash the sand-nin charged forward, grabbing his scythe, ready to swing it at any moment. As the distance between the two disappeared, the blade cut the air horizontally with a whistling sound, but the blonde managed to jump into the sky in time, making the assault go below his feet. While still in mid-air, Kai threw his right leg to the left, aiming to hit the crimson-eyed boy in the face, yet the Suna genin was faster and ducked under the attack.

As the kick went over his head, Takai twisted his wrist, stopping the scythe in its tracks and thrust it up, hitting the blonde dead-center in the stomach with the handle, blasting the leaf-nin back. As his opponent flew defenseless back, the artificial shinobi stood up straight and again charged at his adversary, swinging his weapon in an attempt to cut the clone user in half.

Acting solely on instinct, Kai threw his right leg forward again, hitting the incoming weapon in the stick. The moment his kick connected, he used the momentum to change direction and putting his body into a spin, with his back turned towards his opponent, he thrust his left leg back, aiming to land a blow on Takai's face. The sand-nin however managed to bend his head to the left, dodging the assault in the last second.

The blonde wasn't finished though and instantly threw his left fist over his right shoulder, again going for the artificial shinobi's face, this time forcing the scythe user to bend back in order to avoid the attack. As another assault got dodged, Kai quickly threw his right hand to the sky and in one smooth motion, brought it down, making his fist connect with Takai's chest, leaving the sand-nin gasping for air at that instant.

With his fist still pushing hard against the crimson-eyed boy's stomach, the blonde used the momentum again to flip his body, launching a drop kick to his opponent's face, once his own body located itself above Takai. Having no way to dodge, the sand-nin quickly blocked the assault with his free hand, raising his scythe to pierce through the leaf-nin, now hanging above.

Seeing this, Kai took advantage of the palm Takai used to block his kick, and shifting the weight of his body to his foot, he pulled himself out of the weapon's course and bouncing of the sand-nin's hand, he somersaulted a few times, before landing safely on the ground, his eyes set on the artificial shinobi, who spun on his feet to face his opponent. Their faces seemed emotionless, but the fires in their eyes shown perfectly that neither was willing to just left the other win easily.

Again letting his instinct take over, Kai crossed his fingers as his mouth opened.

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" the blonde called as a legion of his copies popped out of thin air, covering the arena with white smoke due to the amount of clones arriving. Once his vision cleared again, Takai only traveled around with his sight, noting he was surrounded by identical Leaf-nin, each reaching for a kunai, ready to attack.

"Is this supposed to scare me?" the artificial shinobi asked calmly, gazing out front, where he figured the original was. "One, two, twenty, one hundred, a thousand… you'll always equal zero in the end. It doesn't matter what you do, I cannot be killed. And if I cannot be killed, how can I get scared?"

"There are many types of fear," Kai's voice echoed through the stadium, making it impossible to locate the speaker among the clones. "Even if you are not afraid for yourself, you still can be scared someone you care about gets hurt… that something you treasure gets stolen. Even being immortal doesn't rid you from fear…"

"That is where you're wrong," the crimson-eyed boy corrected him with an emotionless voice, his face indifferent. "Truly, you cannot imagine what my life is like. In this world, there is absolutely nothing that I'd find precious. For what's the point of valuing something, when you know it'll eventually be taken away from you? This is why the victor will be me: regardless to everything, I have nothing to lose, while you are limited by fear…" And at this point the clones charged at him from all directions.

"_A man who has nothing left,_" Hizoku thought to himself as his eyes set on Takai. "_For a person like that, fear truly has little meaning. I may not like him… no, I definitely don't like him, but even above all I said about him… ironically, in the end, he's just like me…_"

Kunai sunk deep into the sand-nin's palm as it came at the artificial shinobi's head, while the crimson-eyed boy swung his scythe with his other hand, making its tip scourge the ground, lifting up dust right before in cut through the clone, thus initiating a puff, followed by a blast of white smoke. Takai then went into a spin, thrusting his weapon forward, ending the existence of more bunshin that were not fast enough to jump back.

As the sand-nin was slowing down, one of the blondes went for the attack and with his head near the ground, the scythe cut the air just above him, while he pushed his knife up, piercing right through Takai's heart. A sizzling sound filled the crimson-eyed boy's ears as the explosive tag tied to the kunai burnt, going off a moment later, sending the Suna genin to the sky, while the clone puffed.

In a flash another blonde appeared under Takai, kicking the artificial shinobi into the sky, while several more clones followed, each punching the scythe user further up. Finally, as the sand-nin reached the top point of his flight, the last bunshin came from above, delivering a powerful drop-kick into the crimson-eyed boy's head, sending the immortal crashing to the ground: "Haisha Kai Kyokudo Rendan!"

"Oh come on, that's just a freaking rip-off!" Naruto snapped at the sight. Lee merely sweat-dropped, for he was too shocked to react as Takai came towards the ground. Before his head hit the surface however, the sand-nin struck the blade of his scythe into it and as the handle of the weapon bent. He used that moment to blast himself in a different direction, cutting right through the nearest clone, which was too surprised to move out of the way in time.

Instantly the artificial shinobi spun on his foot, cutting another bunshin's head and paid no attention to several kunai that sunk into his back at the same moment. Bending back, he avoided a knife thrust by another clone that went for his head, while Takai threw his left fist to the side, striking the attacker straight in the face. His scythe kept on whistling in the air, accompanied by explosions of white smoke, indicating more of Kai's doppelgangers disappearing.

As he charged forward, the clone out front thrust his kunai at him, but the Suna genin ignored the assault, completely oblivious to the blade that cut his right cheek. He rammed the blonde, going through instantly as a loud 'puff' filled his ears. Covered by smoke, he jumped to the air, somersaulting in the process, and as his figure came out of the white cloud, he cut another Kai in half as his scythe came down.

In a flash he threw his scythe back, making the handle hit a clone that came from behind in the stomach and as the weapon went through the white cloud, Takai propped its end on the ground and used the momentum to throw himself up. Once his feet left the ground, he flipped in the air and placing his body parallel to the surface, he delivered a kick into another bunshin. Still not letting go of the handle, he thrust his legs forward and somersaulting on the spot, a kick connected with the blonde that came from the front in the attempt to hit the sand-nin.

The artificial genin hung on his scythe a moment longer before landing back on the ground, as the clones began surrounding him. With a wild battle cry all the blondes charged forward with their kunai ready, but Takai did not seem to make anything of it as he just swung his scythe in every direction, ignoring the pain of a myriad of cuts that began appearing all over his body with every bunshin he missed to destroy before it reached him.

Puffs filled the air in a vicious symphony as white smoke began wrapping around the arena, covering the battle from everyone's view. As the bombardment of explosions finally quieted down, the fog started to fade away, clearing the battlefield, only to reveal the two genin standing in front of each other, almost like their gazes could kill.

"_Dammit, he destroyed them all,_" Kai cursed in his mind, his eyes settled on the scythe user as the last of his clones disappeared in the cloud of white smoke. "_And it doesn't seem like he's affected by this at all! Shit, if this keeps up, I'm gonna have to use Naruto-sensei's technique, but…_" At this point he cut his trail of thought, glancing at the stands in search of the Kyuubi vessel.

"Done already?" Takai asked calmly as if nothing happened, most of the wounds inflicted upon him healed completely, like they were never there. The blonde's eye twitched from annoyance as his sight returned to the artificial shinobi.

"Of course not!" the clone user confidently announced by putting a wide smirk on his face, albeit a forced one. "You haven't seen anything yet! I'm going to become Hokage someday, and how will it look if I get defeated here? And above that, I simply refuse to lose to the likes of you, even if it kills me!"

"Kai-kun…" a quiet call escaped Mikka's mouth before she covered it, while Senkou didn't seem to flinch at all this.

He merely spoke up calmly, gaining everyone's attention.

"This certainly does not look good. I was hoping Kai actually did improve, but it'd appear the opponent is way too powerful for him to handle. I guess it's too much to ask for someone who was Dead Last not long ago to go up against a monster such as that Takai guy…"

"You never change, do you?" Ibuki cut in with a playful smirk as she turned towards the masked genin. "Regardless to how you feel, you always keep that badass attitude on the outside. It's the same as the time we first met. Wouldn't it be easier to just admit that you're worried? But even so, there's no need for that. Kai may seem like an idiot… no, he _is_ an idiot. But when he gets into a fight, he becomes a completely different person. If you think the result of this match is already obvious… then you're sorely mistaken."

"Damn, it doesn't matter that his attacks connect," Kusari noted, narrowing his eyes. "They just don't have any effect. How can you beat a guy who cannot be hurt in any way?" he asked, turning towards his teammates with a slight worry showing on his face as he noticed grim expressions covering his companions.

"You can't," Takaru finally replied, his eyes settled on the fight below. "And that is exactly what makes that Takai guy a monster," he added, making Tarakudo to burst out laughing. As the leaf-nins gazed upon him, he glanced back with satisfaction showing on his face, as little as it was uncovered.

"Of course he is! Takai cannot be classified as human! He's way above that! There's absolutely no chance for that blonde to win against him, because no one can be victorious when fighting Takai!" he announced, which made Aoru lower her sight as she looked away. Sabure merely let out a growl of sorts, but her mask covered her face completely, not letting anyone see her expression at that point.

"That Kage Bunshin of yours…" the artificial shinobi began as his hand reached towards his backpack, while white chakra began escaping his body. "It's becoming a little tiresome to deal with. It's almost like fighting an entire army. A useful trick, however not one you should be putting your confidence in. You see, you're not the only one who can have a legion do his biddings!" And with that he threw his hand forward, making several skulls fly into the air.

In a fraction of a second calcium heads froze in mid-flight, while chakra began accumulating underneath. In a flash Kai found himself surrounded with skeleton beasts, all in shapes that can be called anything but human. He looked around; trying to take into account all the opponents he has just gained: above soared a bat-like creature with a long beak, filled with fangs, and a scorpion's tail floating behind its small body.

To his left stood three beasts, the first being of medium size and crouching on all fours, with its back covered in sharp spikes and legs ended with massive claws. Right next to the 'hedgehog' was a monkey-like creature with its upper hands longer then the ones allowing it to stand, thus making it possible for the palms to rest on the ground without forcing the animal to bend over. Its massive skeleton giving the impression of its wielder to be insanely strong, even though now composed of nothing more than bones.

The final of the trio was a snake-like being, completely rid of any form of legs; however, at the upper end of the long tail, the beast had three heads instead of one, each of the faces possessing powerful jaws with a nose hidden beneath a wide horn.

To Kai's right were two more monsters, one that could be easily describe as a huge beetle with an armor-like body and huge pincers growing from the front of its mouth. Eight, thin legs were thrown to the sides from the torso as the creature let out a snapping sound a few times, every moment its body moved.

The bug's partner was a tiger-like beast with four long fangs growing out of its mouth and three tails whipping the air from its back. The creature seemed ready to jump at the blonde at any time to sink its claws into the boy's body.

And out front stood Takai with a monster of four arms, each ended with a scythe-like blade and a long serpentine tail growing from the bottom of its chest. Its skull, being an irregular cross between a snake and a wildcat, had sharp fangs growing out of its mouth as the beast made a hissing sound when its forked tongue shot out in the open.

Terrified by the sight, be it from the amount of opponents he has just gained or demon-like shapes that suddenly surrounded him, Kai took a single step back, while Takai spoke up again, his voice still as emotionless as it gets: "Now, let us see how well you'll do against my army…"

_**--the awakening of an undead legion… what will become of Kai? --**_

And that's it for now. Hope you enjoyed it and that you'll leave me a review once you're done reading. Below there's a jutsu encyclopedia, though the technique used in this chapter… well, there's not much to write about it XD:

_Haisha Kai Kyokudo Rendan_ (Haisha Kai's Extreme Combo) – basically it's just a somewhat improved version of Naruto's Combo.

And this truly completes this chapter. Hope you liked it and that you'll leave me a review before leaving. Until next time, hopefully.


	117. Kai's Improvement

Well, I gotta admit that my exams proven much more demanding then I have anticipated, sucking most of my free time during the last weekend (I 'love' collage) to the extend I was unable to write even half of the chapter. But, on a more positive note, I surprised myself and once I sat down to it tomorrow, I've managed to finish up chapter 117 and wrote most of the following, so I've decided to wait those few hours and actually pull off an unexpected double update for the time of anniversary (I so rock… but you all know that XD).

Being entirely honest, I was positive the events in between the beginning of chapter 117 and the end of 118 would fit into just one chappie, but apparently they didn't, so I had to separate them, adding an extra scene to fill the empty space and in the end come up with what you're about to read. I'm a little bugged about how chapter 118 turned out, but that one is actually essential for the fight, so…

**THREE-YEAR ANNIVERSARY:** normally, this is the place where I write 'thank you all for reviewing' and so on, but this time I wish to twist that gratitude into something wider and that is a big thanks to all of you who reached this point and kept on reviewing. It's really you guys that helped me keep going with this 'little' story for so long. It's mostly you that I wish to dedicate this special, double update. I don't know if you'll find this fic interesting enough to stick until the very end, but I truly hope you'll keep on enjoying at least a while longer. And to those that think two chapters aren't enough, can drop by to my other, next generation fic which I recently revived, "Those Who Inherit the Will of Fire".

As I checked my manga volumes of "Naruto", I got a little disappointed with myself as, apparently, after his, three years, Kishimoto reached something around 145 chapters, so I'm falling behind. Then again, he does gets paid for them XD

Now, one last thing before I start off: as some of you may know/remember, Dark Hero Orion is absent for a while, so this chapter (as well as the next) were done without his betalization (hey, I invented another word XD), thus you'll most likely have to suffer from my bad grammar again. I did my best to stick to some pointers he left behind for the time he's gone, but… well, you know me XD

And with that said, the only thing left to do is invite you to read the newest installment of "Naruto: Next Generation"!

**Chapter #117: Kai's Improvement**

_**Title Page:**_ Kai riding in the saddle on a huge hawk that soars above Konoha

"Lets see how well you'll do against my army," Takai purposed calmly and with a quick swing of his hand, all undead beasts came at the blonde, each letting out vicious sounds, which combined send chills down the leaf-nin's spine. The first to reach Kai was the three-tailed tiger that came from the boy's right, jumping at him with its claws extended. Acting on instinct, the gennin leaned to his right, barely avoiding the beast's attack, and grabbed one of its tails as the monster flew beside him.

In the next moment, the young gennin found himself ducking under a vicious swing of a powerful arm, thrown by the monkey-like skeleton that came from his other side. As the fist went whistling above his head. With his left hand still occupied with the tiger's tail, he reached for his hostel and picking out a kunai, he blocked a slash from the 'hedgehog' claws palm with a loud 'clang' ringing in the arena the instant the two clashed.

In a fraction of a second, Kai jumped forward, away from the trio and as he did saw, a blazing note wrapped around the tiger's tail could be seen. As the tag went off, the 'gorilla' covered his head with long arms, taking the most of the blow and being blown back, shielding the spiky creature beside him, yet still their skeletons went to pieces due to sheer impact. The three-tailed monster was not left off the hook either as it's body broke, while the skull split in two.

Kai smiled under his nose, coming to a sliding stop: "Three down already. Boy, that was way too easy. I can tell you place too much faith in this… army of yours" but his words froze in his throat as the skulls of the monkey and hedgehog sudden rose back to the air and the familiar, white chakra began collecting beneath, in a flash rebuilding their bodies, almost like they were never destroyed.

"Their skeletons are made of chakra" Takai announced calmly with his arms crossed, his face as emotionless as ever. "They're not like real bones. Even if you break them, all that's required is to put more chakra to restore the fractured piece. You might say they're immortal, just like myself…"

In a flash the 'hedgehog' rolled into a ball and mimicking Akimichi's Meat Tank, came straight at Kai, scourging the earth behind. The blonde mindlessly threw his kunai at the incoming ball and picking out a scroll, bite his thumb, drawing a quick seal on it, making a huge shuriken pop into his hand. Instantly the leaf-nin folded it back and using the now one-wing weapon, blocked the scythe-like blade that the beast which stood besides Takai a moment earlier threw a him.

Seeing the monster swinging its other arm from his other side, Kai quickly rose his left foot, hitting the beasts wrist with it, stopping the assault halfway through. The creature was not done yet however as it swung its lower, right arm in the attempt to sweep the blonde off his feet. With no, other way to dodge, the leaf-nin jumped and as the scythe cut below him, he rested his other leg on the wrist of the left, lower arm of his current opponent.

With his legs frozen in a split, Kai used his free hand to reach for his hostel and grabbing another kunai, he struck the monster dead-center in the head, making the skull crack. In a blink of an eye its skeleton fall apart as the calcium head broke: "_I'm no idiot! It's like that Sand lady said: he uses skulls to recreate living beings. The skeleton may be unbreakable, but if you destroy the skull that's the element bonding that chakra body together, it's only natural the rest to follow. That's why that tiger thing didn't get revived like the other two!_"

The instant his feet touched the ground, a snapping sound reached his ears, announcing the arrival of the beetle-like creature. In a flash the blonde opened the Fuuma Shuriken he held in his hands, making the wings that flew to the sides stopped the huge pincers that attempted to squeeze the leaf-nin between. Trapped in a deadlock, Kai pushed his shinobi star into a spin, making the pincers get blasted away. Using the opening, the Leaf gennin quickly spun on his foot, ready to split the head of the monster behind him with the spinning blade in his hand, yet before he managed to complete that task, his eyes caught a spinning ball flying straight at him.

In an instant the hedgehog cannonball crushed against the boy, cutting his skin and sending him flying back to roll on the ground for a few meters before finally coming to a stop. Kai rose to his feet immediately, his grip on the shuriken still tight. As his face twisted with both anger and pain, chakra began escaping his body. With a vicious cry, the blonde threw his weapon at Takai, making it fly right between the two beasts he just clashed with.

In a flash the leaf-nin went through a series of hand seals and as the last symbol was formed, he yelled from the bottom of his lungs: "Fuuton: Kiritori no Kaze!". Instantly, the wings of the shuriken got surrounded with circling air, which grew to the side, widening the weapon's range and cutting right through the skulls of both hedgehog and beetle, sending the two into oblivion, while the shinobi star kept going forward, aimed at Takai's chest.

Acting on an instinct, the sand-nin strafed left, dodging the incoming shuriken in the last moment, yet Kai wasn't done and with another seal, the air surrounding his projectile twisted, blowing the weapon at the shocked Takai again. Still in motion, the scythe user struck his blade into the ground, stopping himself instantly, and ducked under the deadly windmill. With a whistle, the shinobi star flew above his head.

Adjusting to the situation, the blonde executed another seal, making his weapon turn around come at the crouching form of its target once more at point blank range, leaving Takai wide open. The sand-nin's eyes widen as he braced himself for impact, but the hit never came as a powerful punch crashed against Kai's face beforehand, making the Leaf gennin lose his concentration, resulting in the shuriken getting blown off course and striking the ground just next to the artificial shinobi.

The monkey skeleton kept on charging forward, unleashing a storm of punches at the blonde, which the latter barely dodged. With no time to counter, Kai went through another set of hand seals, gathering wind underneath his feet: "Fuuton: Tatsumaki Hakka no Jutsu" he cried out, making a small tornado blast him to the sky. Once in mid-air, he somersaulted, reaching for more kunai, quickly showering the beast with his knives, eventually striking the skull twice, thus sending it to pieces, making the body soon follow.

"Since when is Kai able to do that?" Tsume barked, her body shooting up from her seat. But no-one answered. Ibuki only stared at her teammate fighting below, her eyes widen: "_I can't believe it,_" she stated in her mind as her sight settled on the blonde. "_That idiot… he's a wind user like me!_"

"This is your doing, eh Naruto?" Temari asked suspiciously, turning towards the Kyuubi vessel, who carried a wide smirk on his face as he replied: "What can I say? Fate really likes to play weird jokes. Why else would it bring me and that brat together? He really is a lot like myself: the looks, the attitude, the skills… he even has talent for the same element as me. I just couldn't let that opportunity slip. With taijutsu alone, there's no chance he can beat Takai, so I had to teach him new tricks… I already told you: bet your money on Takai and you might lose it."

As Kai's feet finally touched the ground, the blonde felt the ground rumble a bit and in a flash the four-headed snake sprung upwards, wrapping its long tail around the surprised leaf-nin, trapping both boy's hands and legs, completely stopping his movements. At this Takai allowed himself to smirk a bit, slowly walking towards his immobile opponent.

"You're good… better then I have anticipated," the sand-nin announced calmly, readying his scythe. "I really want you in my collection. But, this is an exam after all, so it's only fair to give you this one chance to surrender before I behead you. Refuse and I shall not even bother with repeating my request. Don't underestimate me, I will kill you on the spot…"

"Funny thing… the one underestimating someone here… is you!" the blonde shot back just before his clone jumped from under the ground right behind Takai, ready to strike with his kunai. Surprisingly, the artificial shinobi didn't react and as the bushin reached the top of his flight, his chest got instantly pierced by a sharp blade. With a puff, the clone was gone, the smoke created by its dismissal quickly blown away by the flaps of the bat-scorpion's wings.

"Do you truly believe I made it this far only because I'm immortal?" the sand-nin asked, his voice again rid of emotion. "You've miscalculated. I figured creating your army of clones had more to it then you let on. You used the cover of the smoke they disappear in to hide one of them underground, making it wait for the right moment to strike. But note this snake has four heads, while the one I created with others had three. I don't need seals to form my legions. Since the very beginning I released some of my chakra into my backpack, just in case. When the smoke from your bushins covered the arena, I send one-headed snake into the ground. It scouted the area below our battlefield. When your clone dug under the surface, the earth vibrations alerted my minion. I knew of your clone hidden underground all along. I still win."

"So, you just combined two skeletons into one, extending the number of skulls?"

"Naturally." Takai responded simply with a monotone voice. "Judging from your action, I'd guess even you figured out by now the strength behind my creations. Their skeletons aren't real, it's just materialized chakra. At any, given time I can reform it. As long as the skulls remain unharmed, I can mixed any beings I have in my collection, joining their power in one body. In theory, I can even make a human with tiger's strength and claws…"

"I see…" the leaf-nin replied as a sudden smile crept onto his face, making his opponent rise his eyebrow. "Thanks for telling me this, it might prove useful in the future. However, you miss out on a single detail: as you said, you knew my clone was underground thanks to that snake thingy, but once you joined the two skeletons and this thing wrapped around me… you lost track of what was going on below!"

As on cue, another Kai shot from the same hole the previous clone emerged. With kunai ready in its hand, the new blonde tossed his knives at the beast tying the original, striking all, four skulls. The effect was instant and the real Leaf gennin was freed, going through a set of hand seals the moment his hands could move.

"Kaze Onban!" the blonde called out as a disc of spinning wind froze in his palm, only to get tossed straight at the bat creature a moment later. With an ear-piercing 'buzz', the bullet cut the air, hitting the beasts head dead center, making it share the fate of its comrades. In the meantime, Takai rid himself of the bushin that freed his adversary, now slightly annoyed.

"_That blonde…_" he thought to himself with his eyes narrowed. "_He actually made his clone perform another Kage Bushin before making it jump out on me. Since my snake wasn't underground anymore, I had no idea of that maneuver. Could it be that he knew about my scout all along and planned this much ahead? Or was it pure, dumb luck?_"

"Dammit, that's my technique too!" Takaru snapped at the sight of the disc. "Just wait, you bastard, I'm so gonna kick your ass for stealing all my moves!"

"So, you like playing with animals?" Kai asked his opponent, completely ignoring his teammate's shout (_A/N: although it did send shivers down his spine_) as he bite his thumb, performing another set of hand seals. "Two can play that game!" he announced, slamming his hand to the ground with determination booming from his face. "Kuchiyose no Jutsu! Come forward, Gamabunta!"

_**--the summoning of boss toad--**_

And so this chapter ends, but stick around as the next one is already on the way. Before inviting you to read that one as well, I wish to ask you to hit the review button on the bottom left of the screen and possibly write a few words. Also, I'm placing the jutsu encyclopedia as it's been a while since new techniques were used. There's no descriptions though, but I promise to correct that with the next update, when I will have more time (meaning after my exams are over):

_Fuuton: Kiritori no Kaze_ (Wind Element: Cutting Wind)

_Fuuton: Tatsumaki Hakka no Jutsu_ (Wind Element: Tornado Ignition Skill)

_Kaze Onban_ (Wind Disc) – just for the record, to explain what Takaru said at the end of the chapter and Kai ripping him off; do any of you remember such a skill Kasai Onban? Actually, it's a technique that Takaru used all the way back in chapter 12 against Kataki. The physic behind that move is the same as Kaze Onban, with the only difference that Takaru's version uses fire, not wind XD

**KONOHA:** Kumiko Murasakki, _Ibuki Tanken_, Takaru Gekido, Kusari Hagane, Kai Haisha (fight in progress)

**KONOHA:** _Mikka Igaku, Tsume Inuzuka_, Kokoro Benda, _Senkou Hatake_, Galu Kobushi

**KONOHA:** _Rei Konpaku, Kogane Rikoteki_, Toku Amagasa, Kitsune Debano, _Hanamaru Gusoku_

**KONOHA:** Taki Hamano, Hitomi Hyuuga, Akira Manako, Funbo Tanken, Horohoro

**SUNA:** Aoru, Torune, Honemaru, Takai (fight in progress), Tarakudo

**SUNA:** Hari, Sabaku no Sabure, Dekai, Horamaru, Karame

**KUSA:** Tobane Hokku, Nezumi Kanraku, _Taka Kuchibashi_, Tokame Kyohaku, Hizoku Wanabi

**AME:** _Youji Kasano, Karei Nokogiri, Ryo Eshaku_, Tsuino Furikuzu, _Nazaa Hebereke_

**BAKUFU****/TAKI:** _Kawa Azarashi, Miaka Tora_, Tetsu Abura, _Shita Makko_

**TSUKI:** Teela Juusei, Tenka, _Kumo Chishio, Nobu Chishio, Tasuki Kihako_

**KANE:** _Naginata_, Reiji Ono, _Futatsu, Hogosha_, Sentou (absent, went back to Kane for recovery)

**KUMORI:** _Saiken Tenma_ (the mysterious, headgear gennin, currently somewhere in the Leaf)

And with that, let us move on to the next chapter!


	118. The Oath

Welcome to the second part of the anniversary double update! Hope you enjoyed the previous chapter and that you'll like this one at least as much. So, without further delay, here's another chapter of NNG:

**Chapter #118: The Oath**

_**Title Page:**_ Kai dressed as Hamlet is performing the famous monolog, holding a skull in the air

"Kuchiyose no Jutsu! Come forward, Gamabunta!" Kai yelled from the bottom of his lungs as an explosion of white smoke covered his body. A moment later, the air cleared, revealing a toad with red skin and two daggers strapped to its belt… the size of a shoe: "What the…? It didn't work? Who the hell is that pipsqueak?"

"Gamashi, nice to meet ya," the frog replied happily, turning towards its master. "So, watcha want from me, dude?" it asked, giving the boy wide, 'puppy' eyes. The blonde merely sweat dropped at the scene and then kicked the amphibian out of the way, while reaching for his kunai. A second later a loud 'clang' echoed in the arena as Takai's scythe got blocked by the knife, inches away from the leaf-nin's head.

"_In the end he's still incapable of performing summoning,_" Naruto summed up, his face froze in shock. With all his might, Kai pushed his opponent's blade back, creating an opening to strike, but in stead of the heart, he went for an eye. In a flash the knife penetrated Takai's right pupil, releasing incredible pain throughout the sand-nin's body, while the boy's head shot back.

Blinded by fury, the artificial shinobi swung his scythe at Kai, who immediately jumped back into safety, leaving wounded Takai to himself. With one, rough motion, the sand-nin jerked the kunai out of his eye, making his blood spray the ground. Be it annoyance or anger, the blonde couldn't really tell, but certainly the instant his opponent glared at him with his single eye, he could tell killer intend exploding from the crimson pupil.

"Takai-kun!" Aoru almost shrieked at the sight, completely shocked.

"_That's right!_" Mikka widen her eyes at realization. "_His regeneration skills are incredible, but still he can only use his body's natural healing abilities. Cut deep enough, even if the wound will heal, the eye will remain useless without medical treatment. That's his weak spot! He can be blinded, just like anyone!_"

"Looks like there are some wounds that doesn't heal," the Leaf gennin noticed as blood kept on escaping Takai's right eye, which was now an ever deeper crimson then the other boy's actual pupil. To his surprise however, the sand-nin's expression quickly changed, turning into something different… almost… amusement.

"This is new," he announced calmly with his usual, emotionless tone, rubbing his wounded eye with his hand. "I've never suffered the after effects of getting hurt. Seems like it will keep on burning. I never imagined it'll be like this. But, regardless, it's nothing a good medic-nin couldn't fix. I always carry a spare, just in case. This is nothing more, then a minor set back. Even with this, the result will still be the same," and with that he reached for his backpack again, quickly picking out a new skull, which this time turned out to be something of a panther with long fangs growing out of its mouth.

"I like that guy," Funbo announced with a smirk, but most of the gennin seemed to ignore his comment, not taking their eyes off the battle below. Kumiko even narrowed hers as quick analysis bloomed in her head: "_He really did wounded him. He can be wounded! In the end, he's still human, only much more scary then most. Who knows, maybe Kai can really win?_"

With a wild roar, the skeleton cat jumped forward, coming to a sliding stop to Kai's left. In a flash it leapt at the blonde with its claws extended, but the leaf-nin reacted instantly, reaching for his holster and picking out two kunai, one for each hand, he blocked the assault with the knives. As the beast froze on its back legs, trapping its target in place, Takai sprung into action, appearing behind his opponent in immediately, his weapon already in motion.

With a horizontal swing, his scythe ripped the air, aiming to cut the blonde in half. Having no, other way to dodge, Kai bended back, placing his upper body parallel to the ground, while his right leg shot to the sky. As the blade whistled before his face, his foot smashed the panther's skull, making the beast tilt back, but somersaulting in mid-air, the skeleton managed to land safely on its feet, its head surprisingly unharmed.

Acting on instinct, the blonde propped his hands on the ground and splitting his legs, put his body into a spin, aiming a kick into his adversary's chest. Instantly the artificial shinobi jumped up, making the assault go below, but seeing this, Kai rose his other leg up and kept on spinning, having another kick go for the sand-nin.

Incapable on dodging in mid-air, Takai blocked the attack with the handle of his scythe, forcing the blonde to come to a stop. In a flash, the crimson-eyed boy blasted his opponent's leg away and twisting his weapon, he brought it down in the attempt to pierce Kai from above, but the Leaf gennin saw that coming and quickly flipped back, making the blade hit the ground he was propping himself on a moment earlier.

As Kai kept on flipping, the panther rejoined the battle, running right after the blonde, ready to pierce him with its claws. Coming to a sliding stop, the leaf-nin threw the kunai he still held in his hands, each aimed at the beast's skull, yet the monster managed to dodge the assault by strafing to its left from the first knife and ducking under the second in the process.

With the beast still closing in, the blonde reached for his holster again, readying another kunai. With his eyes set on the skeleton, Kai jumped to the right, prepared to throw the knife at point blank range, but before he could do so, Takai meddled once more, cutting from below. Left with no option, the leaf-nin blocked the assault with his own weapon, making a clear path for the calcium cat to attack.

Spotting the monster charging from the back, Kai forced his opponent's blade to the ground and still pushing his knife against it, he used the hand he held his kunai with to prop on the surface, lifting his body up, keeping Takai's scythe immobilized. The maneuver allowed him to avoid the panther, but left him open for a counter, which the sand-nin gladly used, freeing his weapon from the grip of his left hand and delivering a powerful punch to his adversary's chest, leaving the blonde flying back, out of breath.

In a flash the skeleton's claws sunk into the ground, allowing the beast to spin in place and resume its assault, while Kai managed to land safely on his feet, his kunai still within his grip. With a burst determination, the blonde charged forward, dragging his knife behind, ready to engage the monster blocking his way to Takai.

Suddenly something jumped from the panther's right, landing on the beast's head. In a flash Gamashi reached for his daggers and in a blink of an eye struck his blades into the skull, shattering it to pieces, making the skeleton disintegrate before Kai, allowing the blonde to run right through the place it stood merely a moment later.

"Good job, toady! I'll handle the rest!" the leaf-nin called out without slowing down: "_That eye… he's blind from the right!_" and with that thought he ran to his left, passing inches away from his opponent, with a swing to the scythe user's head. Before his attack connected however, Takai performed a single hand seal, making bone spikes shot from the ground.

Allowing his instincts to kick in, the blonde jumped back, avoiding certain death, yet some of the spikes still managed to cut his body, piercing the flesh and releasing blood. Kai landed on his feet, but as the pain from newly inflicted wounds kicked in, the boy's legs collapsed, making him fall to the ground face first. His breath became faster as he propped his hand on the surface, lifting himself up, while his body shook uncontrollably.

"Why?" the artificial shinobi demanded, seeing Kai slowly rising back to his feet. "What reason can you have to get up? Isn't it obvious you cannot win? You are inferior to me in every aspect. There's no way you can emerge victorious…"

"And yet, I will!" the blonde shot back, panting as his eyes settled on the sand-nin once more. "I won't lose to you! Not to you! I heard what you did during eliminations and I simply refuse to lose to someone, who kills his best friend and makes nothing of it! You hear me? Even if it kills me, I'm not gonna let you win! It's an oath I made to myself with Hizoku as my witness! I won't back out! You want to win? You'll have to kill me!"

"You will not lose to me because of that?" Takai asked, somewhat amused by the statement. "And what could you possibly know about Touba and myself? Regardless to what you say, you never suffered true hell… true pain… you are in no position to judge me! Friends? Comrades? Teammates? It's nothing more then a joke! We're shinobi! We cannot trust anyone! I've learned the hard way that since day in till day out, we're meant to fight only for ourselves! I recall you said you wish to become Hokage to protect all the people of your village… make them take back what they said about you being a failure. That's a fool's dream! It doesn't matter what you do. Even if you were to change yourself completely, to others you'll still be who you were. You know why? Because people are too self-centered to admit they were wrong! Getting strong for others… I once thought it's a good path. That was stupid and naïve. One becomes stronger only for themselves and when it comes to friends and companions… I have no use of such things!" and with that he reached for his backpack again.

At hearing those words, Aoru's grip on the rail tightened as she felt tears trying to make their way to her eyes. Her face froze for a moment, before she lowered it and without turning, she spoke up: "Torune, to him… what are we really? Are we really that insignificant? Just now… he refused to count us as anything to him. I… ever since the day we met for the first time, I felt that he was special… that he was someone who I could become strong for… but after hearing what he just said… would he really think anything of it?"

The blonde kunoichi opened her mouth to reply, but before she could do so, another voice sounded in their ears, making them turn towards Honemaru, who was now standing behind them and was also the one to speak: "That's a possibility… but you shouldn't let that get to you. I recall Touba once saying Takai is a very complex person. He was constantly betrayed and hurt. Knowing this, do you really suppose it's easy for him to open up?" the two girls stared at their teammate, almost as they were mesmerized by the bone user, who continued, oblivious to their expressions: "But whether others choose to accept it or not, he's still human; he feels and holds onto that human mentality. Even he… no, him most of all… cannot detest his humanity. And humans are not build to live by themselves. I doubt he'll ever admit it, but the fact that we are here, cheering him on, means more to him then you could imagine. But, just watch… what he's about to do will prove my point better then any words," and with that he pointed back to the arena, making everyone's attention shift back to the battle below.

Takai finally picked out the skull he was looking for and began releasing chakra, forming a skeleton beneath it, which proven to be human, to Kai's horror. Seeing this, Tarakudo narrowed his exposed eye, as a single thought run through his head: "_That skull… isn't it the first he…?_"

With the ghostly warrior complete, the crimson-eyed boy retreated his hand, grabbing the handle of his scythe with it: "You haven't disappointed me one bit. I want you in my collection. But for now that'll have to wait. However, in respect to your fighting spirit, a piece of warning: playtime's over. Starting now… I unleash hell," and with that announcement, he prepared himself to charged forward, while the skeleton still stared blankly out front, its eyes settled on the blonde gennin: "Lets get him... Touba!"

_**--the resurrection of Suna's champion… what will become of Kai?--**_

And so this concludes the special, double update. Hope you enjoyed it and that you'll be so kind as to leave me a review before leaving. I'm somewhat curious if I managed to surprise you guys with bringing Touba back. The whole scene was planned from the very beginning of the fic and in a way I couldn't wait to finally write it XD. Hope you liked that twist.

**KONOHA:** Kumiko Murasakki, _Ibuki Tanken_, Takaru Gekido, Kusari Hagane, Kai Haisha (fight in progress)

**KONOHA:** _Mikka Igaku, Tsume Inuzuka_, Kokoro Benda, _Senkou Hatake_, Galu Kobushi

**KONOHA:** _Rei Konpaku, Kogane Rikoteki_, Toku Amagasa, Kitsune Debano, _Hanamaru Gusoku_

**KONOHA:** Taki Hamano, Hitomi Hyuuga, Akira Manako, Funbo Tanken, Horohoro

**SUNA:** Aoru, Torune, Honemaru, Takai (fight in progress), Tarakudo

**SUNA:** Hari, Sabaku no Sabure, Dekai, Horamaru, Karame

**KUSA:** Tobane Hokku, Nezumi Kanraku, _Taka Kuchibashi_, Tokame Kyohaku, Hizoku Wanabi

**AME:** _Youji Kasano, Karei Nokogiri, Ryo Eshaku_, Tsuino Furikuzu, _Nazaa Hebereke_

**BAKUFU****/TAKI:** _Kawa Azarashi, Miaka Tora_, Tetsu Abura, _Shita Makko_

**TSUKI:** Teela Juusei, Tenka, _Kumo Chishio, Nobu Chishio, Tasuki Kihako_

**KANE:** _Naginata_, Reiji Ono, _Futatsu, Hogosha_, Sentou (absent, went back to Kane for recovery)

**KUMORI:** _Saiken Tenma_ (the mysterious, headgear gennin, currently somewhere in the Leaf)

And that's that for now. Once more I wish to thank you all for sticking around so long and hope that you'll like what's still in stored. Take care and until next time!


	119. Thin Line Between Darkness and Light

Hey! Again it's been an incredibly long while since I updated. What can I say? Life happened and basically my exams were the least of my worries throughout the last month. I'm not gonna bother to complain about it, especially since those of you who read it, might require a huge deal of antidepressant pills afterwards. Let's just say I certainly saw better days.

On a more positive note: all that is now behind me and my vacation finally started. Sure, I'll have to work and write my final work for college, but in between, I do hope to find enough time to update more often than I had for the past three months or so. But then, I hoped for a lot of things, so for the time being, let's just say I do my best.

As always I wish to thank everyone who reviewed the previous chapter. It means a lot and sorry I kept you guys waiting so long. Hopefully this chapter will turn out as worth waiting for and that you won't have to wonder "what happens next" too long with the next.

Now, before some final words, one of you asked me about Takai's skeletons and since the reviewer was anonymous, I cannot use the 'review reply' to explain, thus I'm putting the answer here. The question was whether Takai's skeletons are mindless tools or beings that came back to life as they were before. Basically, it's something in between: while Takai does possess total control over his minions (as in they're subdued to his every command, regardless to what the order might be), the creatures did preserve a form of their own will as they can act on their own even without a given order; however having their master's best interest 'in mind'. To sum it up: due to Takai's chakra filling their bodies, they're his puppets above anything else, but they can act to preserve themselves if that does not collide with Takai's plans. Or, I might even write that their existence follows the three rules of robotics Asimov created, having the 'robot' being skeletons, while 'human' being equal to 'Takai'.

Also, DHO is back, so the grammar issue will be improved in this chappie XD

_A word from our beta:__ Well, as you can see, I'm back. It's been a rough few weeks, but I'll cope for the time being. Anyway, I don't have much else to say…_

_Shang, take it away…_

And with that, the only thing left to do is to invite you all to the newest chapter of NNG:

**Chapter #119: Thin Line Between Darkness and Light**

_**Title Page:**_ Kai is pushing a shoebox into the lake, in which a small toad is laying with a flower in its hands, while behind the blond stands Takai, with his arms crossed

"Let's get him, Touba!" Takai called out, making Kai take a step back at the sound of the name.

Aoru's eyes widened at the sight, while Sabure collapsed to her knees, tears slowly gathering behind her fox mask.

"O…onii-chan!" she managed to call out in a form that resembled a shriek, piercing everyone's ears.

Gaara merely shut his eyes, lowering his head in the process, but said nothing. Takai remained oblivious to it all and simply tightened his grip on the scythe, charging straight at his opponent, ready to attack. In a flash, the skeleton formed a hand seal, unleashing a wave of sand that came crashing at the blond, following suit of the artificial shinobi. As the distance between the two disappeared, the sand-nin swung his blade horizontally, making the Leaf genin duck under the assault. Yet the maneuver proved to be a fatal mistake, for as the clone user's face went down, sand shot from the ground, smashing hard into it.

In the blink of an eye Kai was sent soaring into the sky, completely opened. His adversary didn't waste a moment and jumped up, his scythe ready for another swing. As the blade ripped the air, the blonde quickly reached for his kunai and grabbing one with each hand, held them before his chest, stopping the assault by blocking the handle, the tip of his enemy's weapon merely inches away from his face.

A wicked smirk crept onto the leaf-nin's face as chakra suddenly began surrounding his knives, forming into blades. Instantly, Kai swung his hands, making the newly formed weapons split the scythe's handle and scourge Takai, leaving deep cuts on the artificial shinobi's chest. The boy's crimson eyes widened in shock as he began falling to the ground head first, his body refusing to respond to his command.

The skeleton, however, was still left unharmed and with another hand seal, sand bullets shot to the sky, going straight at the blond. Unable to dodge in mid-air, Kai quickly performed his standard technique, and as a clone appeared before him, he used its back to bounce off, getting out of the assault's way, while the bunshin took the full impact of the attack. Naruto's pupil flipped, landing safely on the ground and narrowed his eyes at the sight of a sand cloud, gently placing Takai on the surface.

"_That skeleton saved him,_" Kusari thought to himself, piercing the undead sand user with a suspicious glance.

Meanwhile, Takai was already struggling back to his feet, his wounds beginning to close, yet the blood kept on dripping to the ground, covering most of the boy's chest. His single eye was filled with fury as it set on the blonde. In a flash he reached for his backpack, picking out a skull that looked all too familiar.

As white chakra began forming, another four-armed beast rose before Kai, its scythe-like hands pointed at the blond. But to the leaf-nin's surprise, the monster started changing, one of the blades moving to the head, while the rest of the body took a form of a stick. Instantly the artificial shinobi grabbed the handle, wielding yet another scythe, this one all the more terrifying then the previous.

"Why the surprised look?" Takai asked almost playful, seeing his opponent's expression. "Have I not told you I can reform these skeletons whichever way I desire? They're just chakra. The only thing that has to remain the same is the skull. Other than that, there really are no limits to my skill…"

A smirk bloomed on his face as Touba unleashed a trail of sand spikes that shot from the ground straight at the blond.

Allowing his instincts to take over, Kai jumped to his right, avoiding the first spike that rose to impale him, while he somersaulted in the air to slow his flight and bounce off the next, which would pierce his chest should he maneuver a moment earlier. As he flew higher, the Leaf genin performed a quick set of hand seals and as two more spikes came, a sudden gust of wind lifted up his body, out of the attack's range.

The blonde landed safely on a tree branch, while the sand circled around the trunk, just waiting to attack its prey the instant he'd drop to the ground again.

"_This is not good,_" Kai thought to himself as he analyzed the situation. "_I cannot execute any successful attacks from here, and furthermore, this won't do for a safe spot. They can just use that sand to knock the tree down at any time. I've seen what can be done with this ability when Ibuki fought that redhead girl… basically; any assaults on that skeleton without my wind chakra are less than useless. Besides, there's still Takai to worry about. Frankly, it's hard to land a hit on either if they were alone and here I am, fighting both at once. How should I play this?_" he asked and then glanced to the stands where his teacher was: "_I really may not have a choice, Naruto-sensei…_"

"Hey boss, so what's da plan?" a sudden voice made him yelp in surprise as a small toad jumped right next to him.

The blond sweat-dropped at the sight, his eye twitching a single time. "Oh, it's you… what are you still doing here? It's dangerous kiddo, go back home…"

"Oh c'mon, don't be like that, boss," Gamashi pled, making puppy eyes at his master. "This is the first time someone summoned me, and I wanna help!" he announced eagerly, resulting only in Kai's sweat dropping at the sight.

"_So, all this time he carried around Touba's skull,_" Horamaru thought to himself with his arms crossed. His eyes narrowed ever so slightly, but it was still enough for Hari to catch that fact, while the string user tried to take over the chaos that was born in his mind: "_Why? What reason can something like that have to do that? And more importantly: how come he's allowed to? Touba was Kazekage-sama's son. Isn't this disrespectful?_"

"I think we have given him enough time," Takai stated, glancing over to his skeleton soldier. The undead shinobi didn't seem to respond in any way but raised his hand, making the sand around the tree shoot up, aiming at the blond. Instantly Kai jumped into the air, but as the whips swept below, they bent and went for the leaf-nin again. Incapable of dodging, Naruto's pupil performed a quick set of hand seals once more, allowing his body to get tossed to the side by the wind and out of harm's way.

As he came to a sliding stop a few meters away, another sand spike shot to the sky, only to dive right at the blond in the next moment. Acting on instinct, Kai rolled out of the way, suddenly coming to a stop as more spikes rose from the ground, piercing him should he roll another inch. Immediately the Leaf genin lifted up his body and landed on top of the spikes. He charged forward, preparing his kunai that were already engulfed with wind chakra.

Beating the distance between him and the skeleton, the blond kept on dodging the spikes that emerged from the ground, each aiming to pierce him from below. Managing to avoid the storm of attacks, his eye caught sight of Takai, who came from his left, the sand-nin's scythe already prepared for the swing. Using only his natural reflexes, Kai ducked under the swipe and thrust his knife up, straight at his opponent's head, but the artificial shinobi quickly tilted his head to the left, dodging the assault.

In a flash, Takai's scythe flipped in his hands, placing the blade in the opposite direction it was a moment earlier, while its wielder swung again, scourging the ground with the blade as it came at the leaf-nin again. Left with no other option, Kai jumped back, out of his adversary's range, having the weapon cut merely air once more.

Nonetheless, the Suna genin repeated his maneuver and swung the scythe, making the blond's eyes widen in surprise as the handle of the weapon suddenly extended, forcing him to block with his knives as the blade went for his chest. As the two clashed, Hanamaru choked on his chips at the sight.

"How the hell did he do that?" he asked, stunned.

"That scythe is made almost entirely of that Sand guy's chakra," Rei began, still lying in her seat, her eyes closed and her voice sleepy. "I don't think it's that big of a deal for him to change its form. After all, he could vary the shape of his skeletons, like that time he put together those two snakes. Extending the handle's length is most likely just one of the many options. Frankly, it'd appear that he just keeps on improving, adjusting to the situation at hand. It's hard to believe Kai could beat a guy like that…"

"This is where you're wrong," Ibuki responded with a smirk as her eyes settled of her battling teammate. "Just now, this Takai guy dodged the assault. Since he dodged, it means that the assault in itself had to be dangerous to him in one way or another. Kai already wounded him, broke his scythe and, what I believe, forced him to summon his most powerful skeleton. It may seem that Kai is on the losing side, but judging from the developments, it'd appear this sand-nin was never pushed so far in a fight. While that whole scythe fellow really is getting stronger and stronger… so is Kai. You shouldn't cross out his chance of winning just yet…"

In the blink of an eye, the scythe extended further, passing the blond's body and starting to wrap around the leaf-nin, immobilizing him completely, engulfing him in a crushing hold. Before long, more sand rose around, shaping into hundreds of small needles, each aimed at Kai, ready to pierce every inch of his body at any moment.

"Give up," Takai said in a monotone voice, his face rid of emotion once more, but a little shock that went through his body didn't leave a bit of a doubt that he could no longer hold himself in check. "We have dragged this long enough and should you not comply, I will not waste a second and your life will come to an end…"

"Very well," Kai responded, lowering his head, but the instant he said so, sand shot up from behind the artificial shinobi, hitting Gamashi straight in the abdomen, blasting him away as he aimed to cut Takai's throat. As the toad landed on the ground near Touba, sand whips rose from the ground again, wrapping themselves around the small amphibian.

"Have it your way," the sand-nin only said as the needles shot at their target. Before they managed to reach it however, a puff of smoke engulfed Kai's body, revealing Gamashi. With his body much smaller then the ring around, the toad used the chakra handle to bounce away, out of harm's way.

"_Kawarimi?_" Takai's eyes widened suddenly as his body automatically turned around to glance back, where the blond stood inches away from Touba: "_With the tightness around that amphibian, when the body grew several times, the bonding broke! Shit, this guy… from the beginning…_"

"_I can't strike that scythe guy down!_" Kai figured, already swinging his kunai at the sand user, making the chakra blade around it extend and go straight for the undead warrior: "_But if this skeleton's sand is anything like the girl's Ibuki fought, it can't stop wind! I can break it!_"

As his wind blade cut right through the wall of sand that rose in its way, it came closer to the defenseless Touba.

And the instant the chakra struck, the entire stadium went silent…

--That time, elsewhere--

The ANBU collapsed to the ground, his body completely devoid of life. As he joined his three companions that had lain motionless, the man who attacked them stood up straight, with his blue eyes absent of any emotion. His long, black hair floated in the wind a bit, covering Kumori's hitai-ate, that replaced the slashed Leaf one he wore on his forehead merely days ago. This man was Kumoshi, a visitor to Konoha…and a premonition of a tragedy.

"_It's disappointing,_" he thought to himself calmly as he glanced to the distance, right over the walls of the Hidden Leaf Village, scanning the surrounding forest. "_For Kakashi-san to leave only this many ANBU to guard one of the gates, especially at this time. That's almost like an invitation. Well, I guess that's not my problem, I've done my part; without the lookouts, the alarm won't be raised sooner then we want it to. But I guess the bodies may draw attention to either of our little puppets. Making the same mistake we did with Iwa would be unacceptable. I should dispose of them…_" With his conclusion, spiders crawled out of his legs, heading straight towards the unmoving, masked ninja.

A sudden cheer echoed in the air, making Kumoshi gaze in the direction of the stadium, from where the noise came: "_It'd appear the fights are heating up. Makes me wish I could watch them. Oh well, can't be helped. Regardless, soon I'll enjoy carnage, one way or another. The stage has been set. Now all we need is for all the actors to show up…_"

_**--the play of life carries on… and the final act is about to begin--**_

And this concludes this chapter. Hope you enjoyed it and that you'll review before leaving. Also, on a side note, since you may not remember, that Kumoshi guy is Tategamaru's (the jounin leader of Saiken's team) partner. He didn't appear too much so far, but as you can guess, he will have an impact on the story.

**KONOHA:** Kumiko Murasakki, _Ibuki Tanken_, Takaru Gekido, Kusari Hagane, Kai Haisha (fight in progress)

**KONOHA:** _Mikka Igaku, Tsume Inuzuka_, Kokoro Benda, _Senkou Hatake_, Galu Kobushi

**KONOHA:** _Rei Konpaku, Kogane Rikoteki_, Toku Amagasa, Kitsune Debano, _Hanamaru Gusoku_

**KONOHA:** Taki Hamano, Hitomi Hyuuga, Akira Manako, Funbo Tanken, Horohoro

**SUNA:** Aoru, Torune, Honemaru, Takai (fight in progress), Tarakudo

**SUNA:** Hari, Sabaku no Sabure, Dekai, Horamaru, Karame

**KUSA:** Tobane Hokku, Nezumi Kanraku, _Taka Kuchibashi_, Tokame Kyohaku, Hizoku Wanabi

**AME:** _Youji Kasano, Karei Nokogiri, Ryo Eshaku_, Tsuino Furikuzu, _Nazaa Hebereke_

**BAKUFU****/TAKI:** _Kawa Azarashi, Miaka Tora_, Tetsu Abura, _Shita Makko_

**TSUKI:** Teela Juusei, Tenka, _Kumo Chishio, Nobu Chishio, Tasuki Kihako_

**KANE:** _Naginata_, Reiji Ono, _Futatsu, Hogosha_

**KUMORI:** _Saiken Tenma_ (the mysterious, headgear gennin, currently somewhere in the Leaf)

Well, that's it for the time being. Hope you enjoyed it and until next time, hopefully.


	120. The Key

Wow, it's been a while since I've updated, hasn't it? I have a lot of reasons for that and no point in actually boring you guys by exposing them all. Let's just say this last month was quite a crazy one for me. And besides, I'm a little disappointed in the number of reviews for last time, so the motivation to keep writing was much lower than usual.

On a bit more positive note, the wait was not entirely in vain as now I can present to you a rather unexpected, multiple update. With this the battle between Kai and Takai finally comes to an end and all of you can learn the result of it. I hope it'll turn out to be worth the wait.

Also I wish to thank everyone who DID review the previous chapter. It truly means a lot and I sure hope I'll hear from you this time around as well. And keep in mind that **THE MORE REVIEWS I GET, THE GREATER THE MOTIVATION TO KEEP GOING I'LL GET AND THUS AN UPDATE WILL COME SOONER**.

_Word from our beta:__ It has been a long time, to be perfectly honest. _

_I, too, haven't had much time in updating my fic, Birth of a Legend: The Fox Druid. I do, however, have a pilot chapter out that you may enjoy, entitled Limit Breaker: Fūjin no Ōdachi (translation: Great Sword of the Wind God). If you all have a chance and/or time, then be sure to check it out._

_I think that's all on my part. Take it away, Shang!_

And now, without further ado, let me invite you to read the newest installment of NNG. Hope you'll enjoy it.

**Chapter #120: The Key**

_**Title Page:**_ festival (Day of the Dead): Kai, dressed as a skeleton, is lifting his mask up, winking to the 'audience', a little further Kumiko is dancing with Kusari, while in the background Takaru plays the guitar, Ibuki – flute, Kogane – bongos and Galu – drums, all wearing sombreros. One could also spot Rei lying under the wall, the giant hat covering her face, indicating she's sleeping… like usual.

The stadium went completely silent, while the two fighters froze. An expression of shock took over Kai's face as his hand stopped, raised to the sky, the chakra blade fading into the air. The skeleton was gone, but not because he cracked the skull. Instead, several drops of crimson liquid fell to the ground, while a wide and deep slash appeared on Takai's back, who now stood with his back turned towards his opponent, his arms wrapped around the calcium head tightly.

None of the two moved, even when the newly inflicted wound began closing itself. Finally the artificial shinobi gazed over his shoulder, settling his eyes on the blond and then turned around, slowly putting the skull back in his backpack.

"_He struck that scythe of his into the ground and pushed against it. Thanks to that the inflicted pressure would blast him across the arena,_" Hizoku analyzed in his mind, his eyes set on Takai. "_Interesting maneuver, but what's really intriguing is the sheer reaction. Earlier, Kai destroyed many of his skulls and yet he didn't seem to care; however, this time he shielded it with his own body… makes you wonder what's so special about this skull…_"

In a flash, the artificial shinobi clenched his fists, making sharp bones shoot out of his body, creating an armor of spikes that covered every last inch of it. Without a second to waste, the sand-nin charged forward, swinging his fist at the blond, his arm now filled with calcium blades.

Acting on instinct, Kai jumped to his left, avoiding the blow, yet as the fist cut through the air, the bone of Takai's right shoulder suddenly stretched, going straight at the Leaf genin's soaring form. Instantly, Naruto's pupil performed a quick hand seal, initiating a gust of wind that blew him sideways; however the spike still managed to cut his left side, ripping the shirt.

At top speed, the sand-nin ran to the spot his opponent came to land, ramming the blond with the bone growing from his elbow even before Kai's feet touched the ground. The impact sent the Leaf genin flying back and bouncing a few times off the surface, before stopping on a tree with his back… hard.

Pain shot through his chest as its left side began to be stained with crimson. Kai's breath became faster as he found himself gasping for it, yet Takai was not planning to stop, already charging at him once more with both hands ready to trust through his stomach. In fraction of a second, the blond jumped into the air, making the bones sink into the tree trunk, while the clone user reached for his kunai, aiming to unleash a rain of blades upon his adversary.

However, the artificial shinobi quickly retreated the bones on his arms back to his body, freeing himself from the tree's grip, while the calcium spikes on his back shot up, going for the blond, yet again. Left with no, other option, Kai unleashed his knives, making them all get deflected by the incoming blades. As kunai began falling to the ground harmlessly, a sizzling sound reached Takai's ears. And as he took a closer look at the projectiles, he spotted something burning on them.

"_Explosive tags!_" he instantly realized, jumping back instinctually as the notes went off, lifting tons of dust into the sky. Thanks to his sudden movement, the bones aimed to pierce the Leaf genin changed course, going through the air inches before Kai's face, who was already in the process of forming more hand seals.

"Fuuton: Kaze no Kei!" the blond called out as steams of wind began circling around him, shooting at Takai a moment later. Acting on instinct, the artificial shinobi started dodging the air whips, making them scourge the ground with every missed swing. As the Leaf genin's feet finally landed on the ground, he unleashed the last two blows, which only went below his opponent as he jumped up, somersaulting in the process.

With his head facing the ground, more chakra shot out from his body, shaping itself into a pair of grotesque wings. A shocked expression crossed Kai's face, making his body freeze for just a moment. But even that proved to be too long as Takai instantly dived and, soaring inches above the surface, went for the blond at top speed, inflicting a myriad of new cuts to his adversary, forcing a yell of pain from the boy.

As the leaf-nin dropped to his knees, the artificial shinobi flew up, hanging in the sky with his bat-like wings flapping slowly in order to keep him flying. Kai quickly recovered and as he was getting back to his feet, he gazed at the spot his enemy now was, narrowing his eyes: "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" he called out, performing his standard technique, creating multitudes of clones that surrounded him, all gathering below Takai.

"Fuuton: Tatsumaki Hakka no Jutsu!" In the arena as the bunshin all executed the trick, blasting themselves to the sky by using wind. Before long, the sand-nin found himself surrounded with the copies of the blond, each with a kunai ready in their hands.

In a flash, Takai's bones extended once more, while the boy himself went into a spin, widening the range of his attack. Instantly the clones began disappearing, creating a cloud of smoke in the sky as a puffing sound filled the air. Some of the blonds managed to bounce off the backs of their comrades, jumping even higher and then came falling at the immortal with a wild battle cry.

Hearing that, the artificial shinobi froze in his tracks and threw his hands up, again making the bones extend from his arms, each aimed to pierce its own clone. But as the spikes came close, the blonds again performed Kage Bunshin, summoning even more copies. This had proven futile as the bones that came only grew new spikes that extended from the old, all going for their own target.

In a desperate maneuver, one Kai used Tornado Ignition once more, blasting himself out of harm's way and grabbing the nearest bone, slid down on it at top speed, reaching Takai before the boy managed to react. In a fraction of a second, the blond wrapped his arms around the sand-nin, immobilizing his wings and making the two begin their descent to the ground, head first.

Not giving in to panic, the artificial shinobi simply made the bones grow from his body again, piercing the clone and allowing him to flip just in time to land safely on all fours on the ground. Naturally, this made the bones in his arms and legs shatter, but in less than a blink of an eye, he just pushed more chakra into them, putting together the fractured pieces.

He instantly raised his head, anger showing on his face as his limbs began burning, only to see the real Kai charging at him with a kunai engulfed in wind-element chakra at hand. As the swing came, aiming at his head, Takai immediately shot up, jumping back, making the slash go across his chest, only several inches short of cutting his body in half.

"_Such a deep slash and he's still moving,_" Ibuki thought to herself, seeing the sand-nin flip back a few times. "_That attack just went through his heart and he's still alive. If Kai managed to cut him in half, perhaps he'd have won, but that aside, surviving such an assault… is it really impossible to bring that scythe guy down?_"

Takai finally came to a stop, the wound on his chest already healing, but the blond was not done as he kept running straight at the artificial shinobi, the knife still ready in his hand. Acting on instinct, the sand-nin rose his arms, making bones shoot out of his finger tips and fly at the incoming Leaf genin.

"_He can even throw them like that Honemaru guy?_" Kusari's eyes widened from shock of the sight, while below Kai dodged to his left, making the bullet fly pass him. It did not take long for another barrage of bones to get shot at the blonde, this time forcing him to jump over the assault.

Landing on the ground, the leaf-nin rolled forward, making another round of calcium spikes fly inches above his head. With the distance between the fighters much shorter, he charged again, oblivious to bones that came at him at point blank range. But, to most people's surprise, the projectiles just sunk into Kai's body, without causing any harm, while the boy himself swung his wind blade from below, in the attempt to cut off Takai's hand, barely missing as the Sand genin strafed left.

"_Of course!_" Kumiko instantly understood, a smile appearing on her face at her teammate's realization. "_He said himself that all his bones are just materialized chakra with the skull as the basis. By blasting the bones out of his body, the bullets lose the connection with the skull and become nothing more than harmless energy with no actual form. It's basically the same as simple bunshin: phantoms can't cause real damage!_"

With fury taking over, Takai threw a punch at his adversary, again extending bones from his arm, piercing the blond's chest as the fist connected and sent the leaf-nin flying back. But as the Konoha genin went rolling on the ground, a small figure jumped from the artificial shinobi's back, landing on the shoulder and striking its blades on both sides of the boy's neck.

Takai let out a scream that could only be considered something in between pain and frown as Gamashi's daggers pierced his skin, causing a burning sensation to fill his neck. With a quick hand seal, another bone shot out of his body, hitting the tiny toad dead-center in the stomach, blasting it to the sky.

"Gamashi!" Kai only called out, seeing his summon disappear in a puff of white smoke. Slowly his anger took over, making his gaze settle back on his adversary, while the air began circling just above his palm with a loud whistle: "_Sorry, Naruto-sensei… I know that this is supposed to be 'last resort'… but I'm out of options…_"

And with that thought, he spoke up as an orb of spinning wind gathered in his hand: "Let's finish this!"

"_Rasengan?_" Kakashi's visible eye widened at the sight, only to return to normal a moment later as he took a closer look: "_No, it's somehow different from what it should be, but it does seem quite similar to the latter. Naruto, is this your doing?_"

"Let's finish this?" Takai repeated with amusement in his voice, his bone armor still surrounding him. "Then what have we been trying to do up till now? I'm willing to do that ever since we stepped into this arena. If this is your final try, then come," he responded, extending his hands towards the blond.

Meanwhile, Hinata observed the two closely as a worried expression crossed her face: "_That sphere of wind seems to be pretty unstable and just by looking, one can tell it takes a lot from Kai to keep it in check. On the other hand, reforming his own skeleton into that armor put a great strain on the sand-nin's body. It's still too early to decide; however there's one thing certain: their next encounter… will be the final…_"

And as those words echoed in her mind, the Leaf genin charged at the artificial shinobi with a wild cry.

_**--the final encounter… and the outcome? --**_

Normally, this would be a perfect cliffhanger, but as stated, this is a multiple update, so all you need to do is push the 'review' button, write a short comment and move forward to the next chapter that should already be on the site.

As for me, before wrapping this chappie up, a quick translation of the technique used in this installment and just as a reminder a list of genin, along with the Final Exam match order:

_Fuuton: Kaze no Kei_ (Wind Element: Wind Whip)

**KONOHA:** Kumiko Murasakki, _Ibuki Tanken_, Takaru Gekido, Kusari Hagane, Kai Haisha

**KONOHA:** _Mikka Igaku, Tsume Inuzuka_, Kokoro Benda, _Senkou Hatake_, Galu Kobushi

**KONOHA:** _Rei Konpaku, Kogane Rikoteki_, Toku Amagasa, Kitsune Debano, _Hanamaru Gusoku_

**KONOHA:** Taki Hamano, Hitomi Hyuuga, Akira Manako, Funbo Tanken, Horohoro

**SUNA:** Aoru, Torune, Honemaru, Takai, Tarakudo

**SUNA:** Hari, Sabaku no Sabure, Dekai, Horamaru, Karame

**KUSA:** Tobane Hokku, Nezumi Kanraku, _Taka Kuchibashi_, Tokame Kyohaku, Hizoku Wanabi

**AME:** _Youji Kasano, Karei Nokogiri, Ryo Eshaku_, Tsuino Furikuzu, _Nazaa Hebereke_

**BAKUFU****/TAKI:** _Kawa Azarashi, Miaka Tora_, Tetsu Abura, _Shita Makko_

**TSUKI:** Teela Juusei, Tenka, _Kumo Chishio, Nobu Chishio, Tasuki Kihako_

**KANE:** _Naginata_, Reiji Ono, _Futatsu, Hogosha_

**Fight 1:** Haisha Kai (1) vs. Takai (2)

**Fight 2:** Ono Reiji (3) vs. Wanabi Hizoku (4)

**Fight 3:** Abura Tetsu (5) vs. Tanken Funbo (6)

**Fight 4:** Honemaru (7) vs. Gekido Takaru (8)

**Fight 5:** Benda Kokoro (9)vs. Horamaru (10)

**Fight 6:** Furikuzu Tsuino (11) vs. Tarakudo (12)

**Fight 7:** Manako Akira (13) vs. Dekai (14)

**Fight 8:** Hyuuga Hitomi (15) vs. Tenka (16)

**Fight 9:** Hokku Tobane (17) vs. Sabaku no Sabure (18)

**Fight 10:** Murasakki Kumiko (19) vs. Debano Kitsune (20)

**Fight 11:** Junsei Teela (21) vs. Kanraku Nezumi (22)

**Fight 12:** Horohoro (23) vs. Hagane Kusari (24)

**Fight 13:** Aoru (25) vs. Hamano Taki (26)

**Fight 14:** Torune (27) vs. Hari (28)

**Fight 15:** Amagasa Toku (29) vs. Kyohaku Tokame (30)

**Fight 16:** Kobushi Galu (31) vs. Karame (32)

And that's it for the time being, but hold on to your seats, coz the next chapter is already on the way!


	121. Final Outcome

Well, just as promised, here's another chapter of the multiple update. I must admit that it turned out a bit more informative than I have first imagined it'll be, but oh well. I'm still quite satisfied in how this one turned out.

Just like with the previous chapter, I wish to ask you guys to leave a comment, saying what you think of this installment. Your opinion really means a lot.

And with that said, let's move on to the next chapter of NNG:

**Chapter #121: Final Outcome**

_**Title Page:**_ Kai and Takai standing back to back with their arms crossed

"This is Rasengan," announced Naruto, holding out a sphere of wildly spinning chakra in his palm. "You saw me use it once or twice during all the time we spent together," he added, receiving an approving nod from Kai.

The jounin nodded back and canceled the technique. He lowered his hand before he continued. "It's believed to be one of the most powerful tricks in the shinobi world. Whether it deserves it or not, I do not know. The fact is that its destructive power is to be respected…"

"So, are you gonna teach me that skill for the Final Exam, sensei?" the younger blond asked with hope, making puppy eyes towards his teacher. A single drop of sweat ran down the back of Leaf's Golden Fox's head (_A/N: for the record, following DHO's proposal, I'll sometimes refer to Naruto as 'Kingitsune' which, as I checked, is a translation of 'Golden Fox'_).

"While it'd surely give you a great advantage, I'm afraid it's impossible," the whisker-marks replied after a moment of silence, but seeing as his student dropped his head, he added quickly, once more gaining his attention. "It's very difficult to master it in such a short amount of time, mostly because it requires very good chakra control. Out of all you guys, I suppose Kumiko or Kusari might've been able to learn it by the time of the Final Exam, but taking their fighting styles into account, this technique wouldn't be very beneficial for them anyway, so for the time being it's pointless to train them in that area…"

"So why the hell did you raise my hopes up in the first place, dammit!?"

"One of the most important aspects of a shinobi and chuunin especially, is to know your own limits," Naruto responded simply, making the young genin calm down a bit. "You're a close-range fighter, so certainly out of all my students, Rasengan would prove most useful to you; however, you lack the precious chakra control needed to perform the technique correctly.

"To put it as simple as I can: while there is a slight chance that you could master it before the Exam, in order to achieve it, we'd have to concentrate entirely on that training. Let me tell you this, in addition: with having that sand-nin as your first opponent, there's no way you can beat him with just your Kage Bunshin. In other words, teaching you Rasengan now would put you at high risk that not only will you won't master it, but should that occur, you'd be left completely helpless against Takai…"

"So what do you propose Sensei?" Kai asked hesitantly, yet a note of excitement could be felt in his voice.

Naruto smirked at the sensation, memories of his old days echoing in his mind. With a wide smile on his face, he spoke up again with a friendly voice.

"Remember that exercise with paper I had you guys do yesterday?" Upon spotting a nod from the younger blond, he continued explaining, taking on a bit more serious tone. "Good. As you recall, thanks to it, I've learned you have talent for the wind element. This is actually to your advantage, since it's the same affinity I possess. Skipping the fact that I'm capable to passing on some of the skills I've made up over the years, it also gives me a chance to show you a little trick that can be used only by wind users. Now, it's not performing Rasengan per se; however if you'll manage to master it, I'd say you'll get your trump card for your upcoming match. Now, watch closely," he asked, once more holding out his hand.

In a flash, the air around the palm began spinning wildly with a loud whistle. Right before the young genin's eyes a transparent orb started circling at the top of his teacher's arm with single whips of wind blasting themselves from it every once in a while. Kai also noted that the Kyuubi vessel's hand began shaking for some reason, but he remained quiet, patiently waiting for the jounin to continue.

"Regardless to what you might think judging from the look, this is not Rasengan," Naruto stated immediately, settling his eyes on the newly formed sphere. "It's a little shortcut I've invented a few years ago that can be helpful to mastering the real thing. In the meantime being a useful attack, it can only be performed by those with talent for the wind element. To start off: the orb you're seeing now is not made of chakra, but is just a collection of wind currents I've gathered by attracting them with the energy in my hand. When releasing a little bit of chakra into the air, I made it work like a magnet of sorts, making it summon the wind around into one spot. That is how the sphere got formed…"

Kai merely nodded with understanding, completely mesmerized by the sight, so the whisker-marks decided to go on, pain starting to appear throughout his arm. "Because I only control that small piece of chakra within the sphere, the orb itself is pretty unstable, so naturally, from time to time, the wind escapes in forms of whips that you probably noticed by now. Yet, by keeping my chakra in the air and holding it in my hand, I'm able to maintain the technique, at least to an extent. I call this Taifuugan."

Finally, he canceled the jutsu, letting out a sigh of relief before regaining his posture and speaking up again. "Since its basis is wind, and not chakra, it's considerably weaker than Rasengan itself and, as you should've realized from my earlier explanation, is also harder to control, but performing it presents much less of a problem than in the case of its predecessor."

"But if it's harder to control, how come you say it's easier to learn than the actual thing?"

"You misunderstand, Kai," Naruto replied, glancing at the sky as if he was looking for the right words to put what he was about to say. "In this case, there's no way anyone can fully control it, because wind in itself is not exactly a thing that can be considered 'stable.' Taifuugan is not like wind-based techniques when you take control over the wind by mixing it with your chakra. It only allows you to gather the air and use it to your own advantage. Naturally, you might ask, 'Why not add chakra into the wind then?' Let me tell you this: performing a stunt like that could be considered of equal difficulty as mixing Rasengan with your element alignment and that is something only a select few are capable of doing…"

"I understand," the younger blond pledged, nodding his head.

"Okay then, let's move on," the jounin proposed, lifting his finger up in a know-it-all manner. "Remember that while this technique is not as strong as the Rasengan, if performed correctly, it can still do considerable damage. Since the wind pressure in it is high, by hitting the victim with it, you can suck the air out of him and if the speed of the wind will be good enough, you may even cause a disturbance in the blood circulation system upon impact. Basically, you can inflict serious internal injuries to whomever you'll use this against. But you must keep in mind that this skill should be considered as a 'last resort'. Aside from the fact that it puts a great strain on your arm and can cause permanent damage to it, should you lose control over the technique, you might end up receiving the full blow. Is that understood?"

"Yes, sensei" responded Kai, saluting in the process.

"Great, let us begin your training then…"

--End flashback--

Bones extended from Takai's body, going straight at the young blond as he came closer to the artificial shinobi. Calcium spikes cut his skin, creating slashes all over the leaf-nin's body, but he kept on charging forward with the sphere of wind spinning wildly in his hand. Finally one of the blades sunk into his left shoulder, while the other found its way into his right leg, but even that did not stop Kai.

Completely ignoring the pain that exploded with every step from both his shoulder and leg, he ran, his mind settled on one thing and on thing only: to hit his opponent. A violent, whistling sound scourged through the air as the Leaf genin pushed the orb forward, beating the distance between the two fighters. With the last breath he could mutter, he cried out at the moment his attack connected with the sand-nin's chest, a yell so loud that it reached the furthest corner of the stadium: "Taifuugan!"

And then everything went still. Both youngsters froze in spot as the crowd grew silent, awaiting the outcome. In a blink of an eye, Takai suddenly got thrown back, sliding on the ground meter after meter with a rumbling sound following his trip. But as his figure began being more distant, more bones erupted out of his body, ripping the blond even further and forcing him to drop to his knee in order to keep straight.

The sand-nin slowly struggled back to his feet, an expression of pure rage now twisting his face. Again, the bones sticking out from his body grew in length as he readied himself to charge at the blonde once more, but just when he was about to do that, intense pain shook his body as a feeling of his heart exploding brought him to his knees, while the calcium spikes shattered.

"_Materialized chakra got destroyed?_" Tarakudo's eyes widened in surprise by the sudden turn of events. "_How the hell is that possible? This isn't like Honemaru's bones! That blonde kid… what was that technique just now?_"

Blood began escaping Takai's mouth as the boy's breath suddenly quickened, almost like he was missing air in his lungs. For the first time in his life, the artificial shinobi found himself incapable of standing up, his body disobeying his every command. His eyes once more shifted to Kai, opened as wide as ever.

"What have you done to me?" he demanded, barely hiding exhaustion.

"Eye of the Typhoon," the blond began explaining, huffing madly. "That was my trump card. Sadly, it'd appear it was still not enough to knock you out. Staying alive after a blow like that and even holding onto your consciousness… you must really be a monster to perform that." He settled his gaze at the scythe user, yet there was no change in the other boy's expression.

"You're not gonna deny what I just said?" the leaf-nin asked surprised, along with a lifted eyebrow.

"Have I not told you already? I've long accepted what I am…"

At hearing this, Kai's eyes narrowed with annoyance. "That just makes me wish I had enough strength to get up, so I could punch you in the face. What the hell is wrong with you!?" he roared. "Because I said it doesn't make it so! What do you care if I called you a monster? We only just met, dumbass! With that attitude, it's not a surprise that everyone takes you as a monster. The first step to being a monster is allowing yourself to become one!"

That forced Takai's eyes to snap wide open. Touba's words from years back were sounding in his head anew, almost causing a headache.

Silence fell between the two, which allowed the blond to gather his breath, at least enough to continue. "I do not know what took place between you and that friend of yours nor why you've killed him, but one thing I'm sure of: if you really had no human feelings inside, then why go through such lengths to keep that skull safe? It's clear that above everything, you still care about that guy, even if you don't realize it yourself. You may choose to ignore it, but the fact is there's still a human part of you in there…

"But just because you've proven to be much more human than I've given you, that doesn't change the fact that you annoy the hell outta me!" the Leaf gennin declared after a short moment, now looking with anger in his eyes at his adversary. "'Cause if there's one thing that I can't stand are wimps like you who just allow what others say get to them. What does it matter if they call you a monster? Even by what I saw myself, I can tell there are those who see a lot more in you than that!"

And as his words rang in Takai's ears, the artificial shinobi rose his sight to the platform, settling it upon his teammates: Aoru was hiding her mouth in her palms, Tarakudo observed the battle intensively, Torune seemed to be cheering him on to stand up, while Honemaru, noting his gaze, nodded towards the boy.

"You're just like me, as much as I hate to admit it," Kai added, once more breaking the silence. "I too am branded, being called a loser just for the sake of my name. But, unlike you, I do not plan on accepting the way things are and I'm sure as hell that I will not allow people to call me that for a reason as petty as my name. Naturally, it's not easy to change the way people think, once they set their minds on something, but answer me this: what good is giving up gonna do?"

Takai did not respond. He just kept on staring at the blond, panting heavily, an expression of complete confusion plastered upon his face. This brought a smile to Kai's face as he gathered enough strength to speak up for the last time. "As for this match… you win…" And with those words, he collapsed to the ground, losing consciousness.

"_Even though he knew nothing of this boy, he went through all that to help him realize the essence of living your own life,_" Lee thought to himself as he slowly walked over to Kai's fallen form, a smile appearing on his face: "_Being able to care about your enemies and creating a bond with a single battle, just because they share similar pain… Naruto-san, this kid…_" With that his smile widened as his eyes took a quick look at the Kyuubi vessel in the stands.

Without any rush, the Leaf's Green Beast then glanced at the artificial shinobi, who was still on his knees, barely managing to catch air into his lungs. A warm smile was still present on his face, as his mouth opened, announcing what by now was obvious: "Winner: Takai!"

_**--A long battle has finally ended… but the Final Exam has just began and Takai's story… has yet to be fully told--**_

And this concludes this chapter, but not the multiple update. Stay tuned as the next installment is on the way. In the meantime, I wish to encourage you to hit the 'review' button and write me a few words concerning what you thought of this chapter and possible questions.

_Taifuugan_ (Eye of a Typhoon… in loose translation) – I believe I made Naruto explain it in detail in the chapter itself, so repeating it would most likely be pointless. As a shortcut, you can just think it's a weaker version of Rasengan. Also, I should point out that the name was proposed by our awesome beta Dark Hero Orion. I had my own name for the technique, but decided to go with his suggestion, because it's easier to remember and pronounce.

**KONOHA:** Kumiko Murasakki, _Ibuki Tanken_, Takaru Gekido, Kusari Hagane, Kai Haisha

**KONOHA:** _Mikka Igaku, Tsume Inuzuka_, Kokoro Benda, _Senkou Hatake_, Galu Kobushi

**KONOHA:** _Rei Konpaku, Kogane Rikoteki_, Toku Amagasa, Kitsune Debano, _Hanamaru Gusoku_

**KONOHA:** Taki Hamano, Hitomi Hyuuga, Akira Manako, Funbo Tanken, Horohoro

**SUNA:** Aoru, Torune, Honemaru, Takai, Tarakudo

**SUNA:** Hari, Sabaku no Sabure, Dekai, Horamaru, Karame

**KUSA:** Tobane Hokku, Nezumi Kanraku, _Taka Kuchibashi_, Tokame Kyohaku, Hizoku Wanabi

**AME:** _Youji Kasano, Karei Nokogiri, Ryo Eshaku_, Tsuino Furikuzu, _Nazaa Hebereke_

**BAKUFU****/TAKI:** _Kawa Azarashi, Miaka Tora_, Tetsu Abura, _Shita Makko_, Kasui Rein (dead)

**TSUKI:** Teela Juusei, Tenka, _Kumo Chishio, Nobu Chishio, Tasuki Kihako_

**KANE:** _Naginata_, Reiji Ono, _Futatsu, Hogosha_, Sentou (absent, went back to Kane for recovery)

**Fight 1:** Haisha Kai (1) vs. Takai (2)

**Fight 2:** Ono Reiji (3) vs. Wanabi Hizoku (4)

**Fight 3:** Abura Tetsu (5) vs. Tanken Funbo (6)

**Fight 4:** Honemaru (7) vs. Gekido Takaru (8)

**Fight 5:** Benda Kokoro (9)vs. Horamaru (10)

**Fight 6:** Furikuzu Tsuino (11) vs. Tarakudo (12)

**Fight 7:** Manako Akira (13) vs. Dekai (14)

**Fight 8:** Hyuuga Hitomi (15) vs. Tenka (16)

**Fight 9:** Hokku Tobane (17) vs. Sabaku no Sabure (18)

**Fight 10:** Murasakki Kumiko (19) vs. Debano Kitsune (20)

**Fight 11:** Junsei Teela (21) vs. Kanraku Nezumi (22)

**Fight 12:** Horohoro (23) vs. Hagane Kusari (24)

**Fight 13:** Aoru (25) vs. Hamano Taki (26)

**Fight 14:** Torune (27) vs. Hari (28)

**Fight 15:** Amagasa Toku (29) vs. Kyohaku Tokame (30)

**Fight 16:** Kobushi Galu (31) vs. Karame (32)

And now let us move on to the final chappie of the multiple update.


	122. Aftermath

Well, this is the last chapter of the multiple update. Hope you'll enjoy it and that you'll review it (like you did the two previous ones, hopefully). And, if after reading this, you still won't have enough, I wish to invite you to my original tales on FictionPress. My penname there is the same as here and those who like my action scenes and plot will most likely enjoy those stories as well. And, I'll be grateful for a review, if you do give them a try.

And with that said, let's get to the newest chapter of NNG:

**Chapter #122: Aftermath**

_**Title Page:**_ Kusari is hanging from the wall, chained, while before him stands Kumiko in a black, tight, revealing outfit with a whip in her hand with a signboard in the corner, saying "candidates for punishment, vacancy XD"

"Winner: Takai!" Lee called out, instantly making the entire arena cheer loudly, clapping echoing throughout the stands. In a flash the medics appeared on the field, picking Kai up on the stretcher and taking him for treatment. The artificial shinobi only glanced at his opponent's fallen form, stopping the medics that came to him with a hand gesture.

He said nothing, gathering his strength to get back up on his feet. The words spoken by the blond rang in his mind once again, while his gaze shifted back to the platform, where Aoru kept on yelling 'great job, Takai-kun' from the bottom of her lungs. He also noted an approving nod from Honemaru, who he believed smiled for a split second there, just to return to his usual, emotionless expression a moment later.

"Calm down, already!" Tarakudo finally snapped, placing his hand on his redhead teammate's shoulder. "You're acting just like Takai could actually have lost. Lets face it: that blond was done from the instant he was picked to go against our grim reaper…"

He looked down to the arena, managing to catch the last glimpse of the defeated leaf-nin before the medics carried him out: "_But, all things considered, that was the first time I actually saw Takai having so much trouble with a single opponent. Haisha Kai… you're an interesting guy, indeed…_"

"Kai-kun…" Mikka whispered as her hands shaking before her mouth as a worried expression found its way to her face. Ibuki only glanced at the young medic with a sad look, but decided to say nothing.

Senkou, on the other hand, could not restrain himself. "Dammit, how could that idiot lose!? If it comes up I've lost to him during eliminations, then everyone will think I've become some sort of wimp!"

"Did anyone ever tell you that you have an ego problem?" Tsume asked her teammate, sweat dropping at his behavior, but the weapons mistress sitting beside her only giggled lightly at the whole situation, making the dog kunoichi glance at her confused.

"Regardless, Kai sure put up a good show," stated Kogane, still clapping her hands, but as a snoring sound overcome her claps, she turned to look at Rei who apparently returned to sleeping, making the blonde's eye twitch from annoyance. And certain munching that came out of Hanamaru's mouth didn't help her calm down. "Can't you at least pretend you're not morons!?"

Meanwhile, back at the platform, Dekai was closely observing Sabure, whose body shook a few times uncontrollably, worrying the Sand swordsman: "_Is this because she saw her brother again or did she just get even madder at Takai for using her sibling like that? Damn, there's just no way to guess what's in her head, but after all this…_"

"Leave it," he suddenly heard Karame's voice, noticing the mummy standing right behind him. "Be it anger, sadness, nostalgia, depression or excitement, she must deal with it on her own. At least at this time, there is nothing that you can do for her. Realizing her brother's fate has most likely made her even less stable than she usually is…"

"But we can't…" Dekai began, yet he never got to finish, as Hari instantly cut him off:

"And what can you offer her that'd remedy the pain?" the blonde kunoichi asked calmly with her arms crossed. "There's no way for you to even imagine how she feels right now. Comfort her and you might end up making it worse than it is…"

The swordsman stared at his companions for a short moment, unsure as to what he should do, but in the end calmed down, settling his gaze on the floor. Seeing this, Horamaru only smirked and then shifted his eyes at Sabure as well.

"_Say what you will, but just then she had tears in her eyes. Even I could tell as much. Is it possible that with just what happened… she regained a piece of her humanity? But if so, would that…" _he broke his trail of thoughts, while his eyes went to Honemaru and Tarakudo right before narrowing.

"Dammit, that dope actually lost," Takaru complained, making Kumiko raise her eyebrow at the statement. "This is really troublesome. Now I'll have to win all my matches until I get to that scythe guy, so that I can avenge the idiot…"

"Yeah, Kai was really selfish by losing his match," Kusari nodded sarcastically, but then his face grew serious as his eyes shifted back to the battlefield below. "But speaking of that Sand guy, where is he? He hasn't returned to the platform and I can't see him on the arena."

Torune narrowed her eyes at the mentioning of the fact.

"_Could he have…?_" she wondered, but never dared to finish that thought.

"Excuse me," Gaara suddenly said, performing a quick seal, making his body disappear in the whirl of sand, leaving his seat empty. Satsuki only glanced at the place the redhead Kazekage was sitting a moment ago and let out something of a frown, turning back to the arena.

"How rude… The second match is about to begin. Being one of the judges, it's inappropriate for Gaara-chan to just leave like that. But then, considering the next participant is a Wanabi, I'd figure you'll be very interested in the upcoming fight, eh Kakashi-kun?" she asked with a teasing voice, making the Cyclopean Kage glance at her but said nothing.

"_Next is Reiji's match,_" the grey-haired leader thought to himself, propping his cheek on the hand with the 'root' beneath the skin: "_Certainly he's not one to ignore, as he's one of Kane's strongest genin. But his opponent is a Wanabi… to think Nakamoru had a son… I truly had no idea… I'm anxious to see how this one grew…_"

"Was that a smile?" Hitomi asked her teammate, without even turning to face him. "Because if so, wouldn't that be an emotion? It's not like you to show one, Funbo. Could it be that this blonde kid intrigues you so much? Back in the Forest of Death, you practically destroyed him and yet here he is, just a month later, being on par with the enemy we couldn't bring down either…"

"Skip it," the young assassin responded with his usual, emotionless voice. "I can fight that brat any time and beat the crap outta him. He merely amuses me, that's all. The one person I really wanted to fight is not among the contestants, so I have little interest in this event." He then glanced over to Naruto's team. "_But it's truly entertaining to see how much you've improved… what will the other three show?_"

Tenka only gazed at her female companion, as always not managing to spot any change in her expression. Teela's face remained still as she kept her arms crossed; now staring off into the distance, while a single thought raced through her mind.

"_So this is the strength of your team, Kusari-kun? Surely I'll be awaiting you in round two…_"

Tetsu limited himself to smirk at the result of the match, while Tsuino stood motionless, his eyes set on the exit behind which medics took Kai.

"_That blonde was one of those who defeated Mushi in the Forest of Death, it seems… and that redhead grass-nin who's about to fight was there, too… So this is the power of those who brought down my brother…_"

"The more I see of this Takai guy, the more scary he gets," whined Kitsune with a monotone, making Toku sweat drop at his comrade's lack of emotion in his speech. "Makes me really happy I'm not in the same block as him. But then, we'll have to fight each other soon," he added, gazing at the umbrella user and only now his face became slightly pale. "_Still, this is nothing compared to that headgear guy from the forest… If he'd taken part, then I could just as well give up right on the spot…_"

"_Headgear guy?_" Kokoro instantly got interested, turning towards the blacksmith. "_Do they know something about him?_" he wondered, settling his gaze at the other genin. Galu, who stood beside him, only glanced at the blond for a split second, but decided to ignore his behavior and returned to watching the arena, patiently awaiting the start of the second match.

"That scythe guy really creeped me out," announced Taki quietly, shivering slightly, as she glanced at Akira, who stood propped against a pillar right behind her.

The blind genin kept his eyes closed and his head lowered. "Relax and don't worry about it," he stated with a warm smile. "In a worst case scenario, you'll have to face him in the finals, should you both make it that far. Before then, he'll have to get past me, so I'll soften him up for you…"

Those words managed to make his teammate release a sigh of relief.

Horohoro remained silent, but still smiled slightly under his nose at the scene.

Meanwhile, in the stands, Temari threw the Leaf's Golden Fox a compassionate gaze as she spoke up softly. "Sorry, Naruto-san, but Takai simply cannot be beaten… that's just how it is. But your student truly did an excellent job. Never before have I seen Takai pushed this far in a single fight. You can be proud…"

"I am," the blonde reassured the kunoichi with a smile. "Something, no matter how hard you try, you just can't succeed. In actuality, this may turn out to be a valuable lesson for Kai, showing him there's always someone stronger out there. But even from here I can tell that you're mistaken, Temari-san… the match we all have just witnessed proves that your student is just like the rest of us and he has his weakness… one that's fatal, even to him…"

"What do you mean?" asked Kankuro curiously, but the Leaf jounin didn't reply, merely putting a grin on his face as he looked at the puppeteer.

"You're next, Hizoku-kun!" announced Tobane cheerfully, throwing her hands to the sky. "Do your best!"

The redhead only nodded at her pled, noting Reiji already jumped off the platform.

Slowly, he too went for the rail, but before he flipped over it, Tokame's voice made him freeze, as the other boy spoke up quietly. "There's more to this guy than we've seen during eliminations… Stay on your guard…"

Again Hizoku only bowed his head and, getting a pat on the back from Nezumi, he jumped down to the awaiting duo. The second match of the Final Exam was about to get under way…

--That time, medical wing--

Kai slowly opened his eyes, his body almost completely wrapped in bandages. He made an effort to sit up on the bed, but his strength failed him, forcing the boy to lay flat against his will. He glanced at the clear blue sky outside the window, almost like the view hypnotized him. His gaze instantly shifted to the other side the moment a creaking sound filled the room as the door opened.

The blond's eyes widened at the sight of Takai slowly walking towards him. The Sand genin didn't say a word. He just raised his hand, making another spike grow from his palm, its tip aimed at the leaf-nin. Surprisingly enough, Naruto's pupil didn't yell or anything. He just waited. And then, it happened…

--Back to the Arena--

"_Certainly, fighting that Takai fellow is a pain,_" Taka summed up in his mind as a smirk appeared behind his mask, while the next battle was on the way. "_Hizoku, once you advance to the second round, how are you gonna play that match?_"

"Second match: Ono Reiji from Kane against Wanabi Hizoku from Kusa!" Lee announced as the two boys stood in the center of arena, ready to reach for their weapons the moment the signal would be given. A soft breeze blew through the battlefield, putting leaves into the dance and carrying the Green Beast's words throughout the whole stadium:

"BEGIN!"

_**--The Final Exam proceeds… and what about Kai? --**_

And so this chapter ends and with it this multiple update. Hope you had fun reading it and that I'll see you with the next installment. I'd also wish to encourage you to review. The more reviews I get, the greater the motivation for me to work on the next chappie and update sooner, so I don't really have to explain that your comments have an impact on my update speed.

**KONOHA:** Kumiko Murasakki, _Ibuki Tanken_, Takaru Gekido, Kusari Hagane, _Kai Haisha_

**KONOHA:** _Mikka Igaku, Tsume Inuzuka_, Kokoro Benda, _Senkou Hatake_, Galu Kobushi

**KONOHA:** _Rei Konpaku, Kogane Rikoteki_, Toku Amagasa, Kitsune Debano, _Hanamaru Gusoku_

**KONOHA:** Taki Hamano, Hitomi Hyuuga, Akira Manako, Funbo Tanken, Horohoro

**SUNA:** Aoru, Torune, Honemaru, Takai, Tarakudo

**SUNA:** Hari, Sabaku no Sabure, Dekai, Horamaru, Karame

**KUSA:** Tobane Hokku, Nezumi Kanraku, _Taka Kuchibashi_, Tokame Kyohaku, Hizoku Wanabi

**AME:** _Youji Kasano, Karei Nokogiri, Ryo Eshaku_, Tsuino Furikuzu, _Nazaa Hebereke_

**BAKUFU:** _Kawa Azarashi, Miaka Tora_, Tetsu Abura, _Shita Makko_

**TSUKI:** Teela Juusei, Tenka, _Kumo Chishio, Nobu Chishio, Tasuki Kihako_

**KANE:** _Naginata_, Reiji Ono, _Futatsu, Hogosha_

_**Fight 1:**__ Haisha Kai vs. Takai_

**Fight 2:** Ono Reiji (3) vs. Wanabi Hizoku (4)

**Fight 3:** Abura Tetsu (5) vs. Tanken Funbo (6)

**Fight 4:** Honemaru (7) vs. Gekido Takaru (8)

**Fight 5:** Benda Kokoro (9)vs. Horamaru (10)

**Fight 6:** Furikuzu Tsuino (11) vs. Tarakudo (12)

**Fight 7:** Manako Akira (13) vs. Dekai (14)

**Fight 8:** Hyuuga Hitomi (15) vs. Tenka (16)

**Fight 9:** Hokku Tobane (17) vs. Sabaku no Sabure (18)

**Fight 10:** Murasakki Kumiko (19) vs. Debano Kitsune (20)

**Fight 11:** Junsei Teela (21) vs. Kanraku Nezumi (22)

**Fight 12:** Horohoro (23) vs. Hagane Kusari (24)

**Fight 13:** Aoru (25) vs. Hamano Taki (26)

**Fight 14:** Torune (27) vs. Hari (28)

**Fight 15:** Amagasa Toku (29) vs. Kyohaku Tokame (30)

**Fight 16:** Kobushi Galu (31) vs. Karame (32)

**Fight 17:** Takai vs. ??

Thanks for tuning in and I do hope to see you all next time! And do not hesitate to check out my FictionPress stories and review! Take care!


	123. For the Sake of

Yay, I'm back! Sorry for the very long wait. As some of you might know (from my review replies) my PC broke down quite recently, taking everything I've written for this chapter with it, thus forcing me to start over, which I was not too pleased about to say the least, coz in the first version, I really liked the way this chappie turned out and now… well, it's not bad but there's always this feeling "I could've done better".

I, at the very least, hope that you'll find this installment worth waiting for. It's best that I not write more, you'll read and you'll find out what awaits within this update. Also, I'm still sacrificing quite much of my time for the original works on FictionPress (check them out, if you feel like it and I won't mind a review either XD), so I'm trying to separate the time somewhat evenly (granted, on FP I have five tales, soon six, and here it's basically only NNG).

_A word from DHO:__ Greetings, once again, to one and all. I don't have anything else to say for the current moment. Update speed for Birth of a Legend: The Fox Druid will be slowing down a bit due to college (quite obviously). With that said, I'll now turn it over to Shang._

In the words of some band that I don't recall the name of: "Let's get it started in here."

**Chapter #123: For the Sake of…**

_**Title Page:**_ team 7 is gathered at the campfire: Kumiko is telling a scary story, making Kai and Kusari embrace each other, shivering, Ibuki is preparing herself a marshmallow, while Takaru sharpens a stick to put his on it

A sharp bone grew out of Takai's palm as he slowly walked towards the blond. Kai laid still without a sound, his eyes settling on the spike the sand-nin just created. The two suddenly froze for a moment and then the calcium weapon shot out from the artificial shinobi's hand, while the crimson-eyed boy grabbed it.

In a flash the bone vanished into thin air, like it was never there. The Leaf genin remained silent even now, still carefully observing the scythe user, who spoke up in a calm voice, yet there was a note of something more in it.

"In actuality, am I not fragile? I do not have a skeleton… well, not a real one at least. My bones are only real as long as they're connected with my body. I never thought about it much before, but now I find it quite ironic, really. Many times I have been told that I'm a monster… a perfect weapon… someone who cannot be beaten, regardless to the opponent. I believed that. But looking objectively, aren't I just a person devoured by illness? Having your own skeleton shatter due to weak bones… isn't that a sickness named somehow in the world? And I cannot be cured from it. Not anymore at least, since there are no bones in my body left to save. Isn't being sick an equivalent for being weakened?"

Kai said nothing and only watched as the speaker went to the window, gazing out through it. "What is strength, really? At one time I must admit I agreed with Tarakudo; that it's all about the power one possesses. I once talked to Touba about it and I must say that his answer surprised me to no end. You wanna know what his reply to that question was? He literally said that strength was nothing more than illusion. He stated that, in actuality, we're all equally strong; the only difference is that some learned to use their strength more effectively than others. Back then I had no idea what he meant by that, but now I think I understand it a bit better… thanks to you…" and at this point he glanced over at the blond, for the first time smiling, making the other boy's eyes widen in surprise.

"Now I know that strength isn't just physical or the amount of chakra," the sand-nin continued, once more settling his gaze on the outside world. "The stronger isn't always the one who knocked the other out. What really decides the difference is the reason. Why one took the fight in the first place. If it was to protect something precious to him, then his strength can become countless times greater than it normally is. Because when you're fighting for something important, you're much more determinate than when you have no reason to fight at all. And the very thought of losing that 'something' pushes you over any limits you thought you had, just for the sake to protect it…"

"Naruto-sensei once said that people can become truly strong only protecting what's important to them," Kai suddenly announced, gaining Takai's attention. "Some boy told him that. Whether it's someone, something or just a goal one finds as valuable, it's possible to dig out power the user had no idea existed within him. But even so, what's the use of such strength? It's easy to fight for oneself or some selfish reasons. But, if you battle for someone else… I think that's real strength…"

"I think you made that quite clear," the scythe user announced with a smirk.

"I still can't decide if Touba was right or not, but if we're not equal in strength, then I have no doubt about it: you exceed me," he added, his face turning serious.

The two stared at each other for a while longer and then the blonde smiled widely, before speaking up again. "You're giving me way too much credit. All I had was a better reason to fight. Once you'll find one for yourself… you'll wipe the floor with me. Well, more than you did this time around, that is…"

"Should I take it you're willing for a rematch?"

"Just choose the date and place!" And with that they exchanged smiles. Silence fell between them again and finally, Takai spun on his foot, heading towards the door. As he opened them, his body froze, while he allowed himself to speak over his shoulder:

"I should go… one of my teammates is fighting soon and it'd be quite inappropriate for me to not watch it. He's going against your companion, if I recall right. I'll let you know how that ended, so try to recover fast."

He exited the room, shutting the door. He stopped again, gathering his attention on the closed entrance. Not moving an inch, he stayed like that for a few more moments.

"You were listening, Kazekage-sama?" he asked with a calm voice, eyeing the Suna leader a little suspiciously, who was standing close by. The redhead only nodded, remaining still.

"You thought… I wanted to kill him, didn't you, Gaara-sama? I have considered it, to be perfectly honest," he added, gazing at the ceiling. "But once I've walked into the room, I found myself incapable of doing that. Not in terms of abilities… it was something else, like…"

"I know," the Wind Shadow assured him with a tiny smirk appearing on his face. "And I'm incredibly pleased to hear it. That really makes it easier for me to decide. I haven't told you this before, Takai, simply because I saw no point in doing that at the time, but I believe now you're ready to hear me out… that now it may really matter. Takai, I wish to tell you the full story of that day," he announced, now turning towards the young genin with a serious tone. "The truth about the day Touba died…"

--Back to the Arena--

"BEGIN!" Lee called out, instantly getting out of the way as both genin went for their weapons while charging at one another. As the distance between them disappeared, Reiji cut horizontally in an attempt to chop his opponent's head off. Hizoku managed to see that maneuver and ducked under, putting his body in a spin with a sweeping motion, going for the metal-nin's legs.

Acting on instinct, the bald shinobi jumped into the air, bringing his axe down. In a flash the redhead struck his weapon into the ground and lifting himself on it, avoided the assault, which left a cut on the surface, again initiating a spin. Unable to dodge in mid-air, Reiji took a kick to his chest head-on, thus getting sent back a few meters, coming to a sliding stop.

Without a second to waste, the metal-nin swung parallel to the ground once more, forcing Hizoku to jump up, somersaulting over the chakra bullet that ripped the air. As his back turned towards the axeman, the redhead reached for his shuriken, tossing them at his adversary the instant his body made a full spin.

Reiji managed to deflect all the shinobi stars that came at him with ease, however a moment later the Grass genin was already inches before him, his spear put into action. As the blade came from the bald ninja's lower left, he dropped his axe, pinning Hizoku's weapon to the ground, while his knee launched at his adversary's face.

Acting on instinct, the redhead blocked the assault with his palm and used the momentum to bounce off the knee, somersaulting again over his opponent, throwing a kick back, aimed at the back of Reiji's head. Sensing danger, the bald genin ducked, making the attack go over its target.

In a fraction of a second, Reiji threw his hand back, again unleashing the chakra cut at Hizoku, who was still in mid-air, with his back turned to his opponent. Noticing the metal-nin's maneuver, the redhead instantly reached for his kunai in an attempt to block the assault, yet the knife did not stop the attack, leaving a slash on the boy's back, making him collapse to the ground.

Seeing this as his chance, Reiji spun on his foot, swinging his axe, but Hizoku was quick to react and rolled out of the slash's way, allowing it to scourge the surface. With his eyes set on retrieving his weapon, the grass-nin reached for his holster, a moment later creating a cloud of smoke that covered the area.

"_A smoke bomb?_" Reiji asked in his mind with a smirk. "_That is some idea, but a pointless one, if your enemy knows what you're after…_"

He turned over his shoulder, once more putting his axe into action.

A yell could be heard echoing through the stadium, making Tobane shiver: "Just now… that was Hizoku-kun's voice!" she noted, while Tokame narrowed his eyes. And as the smoke cleared, it revealed the panting redhead, standing few meters away from the bald genin, his grip on the spear tight and a large slash going across his chest.

"_What the hell are you doing, you asshole?_" Taka cursed in his mind at the sight, his eye twitching from annoyance. "_To fall for such a simple tactic, this isn't like you at all! At this rate, you're gonna lose. Unless… no, this can't be right. Regardless as to what you do, the body still can't take the strain. Don't even think about using that…_"

"I must admit I'm rather disappointed," Reiji announced with a smirk, seeing his opponent huff. "I was really expecting something more from you, based on what you've shown during eliminations. Is that really your limit? Because, if 'yes', then you're not amusing anymore…"

"That baldy monster," Ibuki twisted her face with anger, tightening her fists. Hanamaru noticed that and only gave the young assassin a worried look as he recalled his skirmish with the metal-nin. Even Rei had one of her eyes open now.

"He can't beat Reiji," Futatsu stated, speaking to no one in particular. "This fight will be over in less than a moment." None of his teammates reacted to his prediction. Hogosha merely ignored it, while Naginata narrowed her eyes, settling them on the grass-nin who seemed to be barely standing on his feet.

In a flash the bald genin charged forward, swinging his axe in an attempt to rid his adversary of his head. Immediately Hizoku bent back, making the assault go right before his face, as he launched a kick to Reiji's chin with his left leg. The metal-nin managed to dodge the attack and grabbed the redhead's leg, stopping him in place.

With a smirk appearing on his face again, the Kane shinobi brought his weapon down, aiming to smash the spearman's chest, yet to his surprise, Hizoku used his other leg to bounce off the ground and threw a kick to his cheek. As the attack connected, Reiji's head went to the side, dragging the rest of the body soon after.

Seeing an opening, the redhead pushed his blade forward in a piercing maneuver, however the metal-nin managed to block the assault, placing the flat side of his axe in its way, purely on instinct. The two jumped away from each other, extending the distance, the bald genin now somewhat annoyed as his gaze rested on his adversary.

"I'm fighting that scythe guy in the next match. I cannot waste my energy and chakra on you, because otherwise I won't have enough in stock for him," Hizoku suddenly announced, sticking his thumb onto the newly inflicted wound and writing a familiar symbol on his weapon with the blood. "You have until I finish the seals to surrender," he added, quickly performing the right hand gestures.

"That weird thing you beat the gorilla with, eh?" Reiji responded with a confident smirk, tightening his grip on the axe. "Can't wait to see what all the fuss is about."

The redhead only narrowed his eyes at this as the last seal was done and then he prepared his spear, a wild battle cry escaping his mouth, reaching the furthest corner of the arena…

"Ekibyougami no Mai!"

_**--The battle heats up--**_

And this concludes this chapter. Hope you had fun reading it and that you'll leave a review before leaving. It'd mean a lot. In case you've forgotten, Ekibyougami no Mai is the technique Hizoku used on Yamazaru, translated (roughly) as "Angel of Death Dance".

**KONOHA:** Kumiko Murasakki, _Ibuki Tanken_, Takaru Gekido, Kusari Hagane

**KONOHA:** _Mikka Igaku, Tsume Inuzuka_, Kokoro Benda, _Senkou Hatake_, Galu Kobushi

**KONOHA:** _Rei Konpaku, Kogane Rikoteki_, Toku Amagasa, Kitsune Debano, _Hanamaru Gusoku_

**KONOHA:** Taki Hamano, Hitomi Hyuuga, Akira Manako, Funbo Tanken, Horohoro

**SUNA:** Aoru, Torune, Honemaru, Takai, Tarakudo

**SUNA:** Hari, Sabaku no Sabure, Dekai, Horamaru, Karame

**KUSA:** Tobane Hokku, Nezumi Kanraku, _Taka Kuchibashi_, Tokame Kyohaku, Hizoku Wanabi (in progress)

**AME:** _Youji Kasano, Karei Nokogiri, Ryo Eshaku_, Tsuino Furikuzu, _Nazaa Hebereke_

**BAKUFU/TAKI:** _Kawa Azarashi, Miaka Tora_, Tetsu Abura, _Shita Makko_

**TSUKI:** Teela Juusei, Tenka, _Kumo Chishio, Nobu Chishio, Tasuki Kihako_

**KANE:** _Naginata_, Reiji Ono (in progress), _Futatsu, Hogosha_

**Fight 2:** Ono Reiji (3) vs. Wanabi Hizoku (4)

**Fight 3:** Abura Tetsu (5) vs. Tanken Funbo (6)

**Fight 4:** Honemaru (7) vs. Gekido Takaru (8)

**Fight 5:** Benda Kokoro (9)vs. Horamaru (10)

**Fight 6:** Furikuzu Tsuino (11) vs. Tarakudo (12)

**Fight 7:** Manako Akira (13) vs. Dekai (14)

**Fight 8:** Hyuuga Hitomi (15) vs. Tenka (16)

**Fight 9:** Hokku Tobane (17) vs. Sabaku no Sabure (18)

**Fight 10:** Murasakki Kumiko (19) vs. Debano Kitsune (20)

**Fight 11:** Junsei Teela (21) vs. Kanraku Nezumi (22)

**Fight 12:** Horohoro (23) vs. Hagane Kusari (24)

**Fight 13:** Aoru (25) vs. Hamano Taki (26)

**Fight 14:** Torune (27) vs. Hari (28)

**Fight 15:** Amagasa Toku (29) vs. Kyohaku Tokame (30)

**Fight 16:** Kobushi Galu (31) vs. Karame (32)

**Fight 17:** Takai vs.??

And that's that for the time being. Thanks for reading and until next time. May the Kage Bunshin be with you!


	124. The Truth Behind

Hey! It's been quite a while since the last update, has it not? Almost a year. I'm not gonna make excuses, coz quite frankly there aren't any. I just got so fed up with the recent "Naruto", I lost pretty much all drive for stories based on its world, sadly this tale included. Heck, I reached the point where I stopped reading the manga altogether, too annoyed to continue.

For a long time I've been battling with the thought of returning to this tale, coz I really liked it, but every time I got around to actually writing the chapter, I quickly lost the drive I had a moment ago. This is what disappointment can put you into. It was a shame though, coz as I stated several times over the years, I truly enjoyed this tale and while in comparison to most of my works it's rather simple, I grew to like it.

So what pushed me to try and revive it? Well, probably the fact that even though it's been a year since the last update, I kept getting quite a bit of PMs asking me to continue… so many of you kept asking to return to this tale… I gotta be honest, at times I replied that I was hoping to get back to it, but all attempts ended as the paragraph above reads.

What's different now? Not much, I suppose… frankly, with some many stories on FictionPress (ones I feel at least as much attachment to as NNG, often more), I didn't thought that I'll be returning to this. With that many tales to manage at once, I find my time to write some 'real' stories (which I quietly hope to publish for real one day) greatly limited. Basically, reviving NNG can be considered suicidal move.

So why the hell? I'm not sure, but the fact it I guess I realized that, everything aside, this story means (or at least meant) a lot to many people. The number of PMs I got proved that much to me (btw, it's nice to receive congrats that way, but a review every once in a while wouldn't hurt either… I'm talking to those who limited themselves to PMs only, once the story got put on hiatus).

How should I put this… this story is back by 'popular demand'. But with everything I wrote above, I wish to make one thing clear: don't think of me as bad or anything, but I'm doing this mostly for you guys. My love for "Naruto" really seems to bite the dust, but I also wouldn't want to leave you hanging, so I'll make you a deal (dead-serious deal): **above my issues, I'll keep on updating this fic (maybe not once a week like earlier, but at least once every two weeks), but **_**ONLY**_** if you'll keep on reviewing.** The moment reviews are gone, so is this story.

With that said (to get on a more positive note), I really appreciate all the 'fan mail' (PMs). It is flattering to know this many people actually care about your work. I wish to thank all of you who kept on reviewing this fic over the years and after the hiatus kept fighting for it to be brought back. This chapter is dedicated to you all! (and sorry if I missed to reply to your review for some reason).

And with that looooooong A/N out of the way, I wish to invite you for the newest NNG ride:

**Chapter #124: The Truth Behind…**

_**Title Page:**_ Hizoku and Tobane are in the ballroom, dancing, while in the background Kusari is also dancing with Kumiko (who sweat drops) and on the other side of the room, Kogane is leading Takaru, who also doesn't seem to enjoy the situation

A loud 'clang' echoed through the stadium as Hizoku's spear clashed against Reiji's axe due to the baldy genin blocking an attack from behind. The redhead merely narrowed his eyes, instantly jumping back and sprinting to the side, this time charging from the metal-nin's right, before anyone could do as much as blink, yet this next assault was also in vial as the Kane shinobi's weapon easily threw the opposing blade off course.

"_That Hizoku kid is fast,_" Lee analyzed quickly as the redhead jumped back once more, extending the distance between himself and his adversary. "_Close to what it should've been upon opening few of the Gates, though in his case it seems he just pumps up chakra to joints in his legs and hands to accelerate their movement, so the body as a whole pretty much remains as fast as it was. Quite clever really, though without a doubt, it puts a great strain on the body, having to keep the energy in these, precise spots. I imagine all fours are currently burning. This is not a technique one can use for a long span of time…_"

"_Reiji's left eye was specially modified by Kane's best metal-workers,_" Hogosha thought to himself with a playful smirk appearing on his face, his eyes settled on his battling teammate. "_It has a build-in scanner that analyzes his opponent movements, allowing him to predict the adversary's route with much accuracy. Basically, what the Leaf's Uchiha were so proud of, we managed to achieve by technology. That redhead guy may be fast, but in these circumstances it won't give him much: Reiji knows from where the attack will come and as long as he stays in place and doesn't try to counter, he has to deal with much less body coordination that that Grass kid, making his reactions a point of a second faster then his adversary's… but that proves to be enough to block all assaults. It's as simple as that…_"

"That's it?" the axe user asked teasingly, resting his weapon on the shoulder. "Talk about overrated. I suppose there's no point in letting this continue any longer, coz you won't be able to amuse me anymore. Guess now… it's my turn," and with that he bite his thumb, quickly writing a seal on his blade, using his own blood.

"_It's the same as the one he used against me!_" Hanamaru instantly realized, his eyes widen. Immediately the metal-nin swung his blade, releasing another chakra blast, only this time the energy swirled like a snake as it came at Hizoku, who quickly ducked under the incoming attack, charging forward with his upper body lowered: "_No… this time I need to get up close!_"

Reiji merely smirked, pulling his axe back, which in turns made the 'snake' turn, going after its target again, aimed right at the Kusa gennin's back. The redhead didn't even looked over his shoulder and the moment the assault was inches away, he strafed to the left, pushing himself to the side with the help of his hand.

The attack dug into the ground, instantly getting dispelled, which made the bald ninja narrow his eyes, while his adversary kept coming at incredible speed. With a quick thrust, Hizoku aimed at his opponent's heart, yet Reiji easily dodged the assault by spinning on his foot and as the grass-nin passed him by, he swung back, right at the back of the spearman's head.

In a flash the redhead bended forward, making the attack whistle over its target, while Hizoku threw a kick back, going for the Kane shinobi's face, only to have the attempt blocked by his adversary's free hand. This did not stop the Grass gennin, who instantly using his other leg to twist his body and with his back facing the axeman, he cut from above, bringing his spear at the top of Reiji's head.

With no, other option, the metal-nin quickly blocked the attack with his weapon and threw a knee to the side, smashing it against Hizoku's back. This threw the redhead off balance, pushing him forward, yet he managed to save himself by breaking the fall with his hand and using it to flip, landing safely on his feet.

Reiji immediately unleashed another snake slash, but it didn't even came close to hitting its target as the Grass gennin sprinted left, leaving only a trail of dust. The bald shinobi's eye managed to keep up however, allowing him to spin on his foot and block the attack that came his left, once more making the two weapons collide.

With a quick swing, the metal-nin blasted both blades to the sky, leaving the two gennin wide open. In a blink of an eye he charged forward, ramming Hizoku with his elbow and as the redhead let out a yelp, he brought his axe down, right at his opponent's chest.

The slash ripped the skin, spraying the air with crimson and staining Reiji's blade. The spearman jumped back a few time, extending the distance and panting heavily, while blood dripped from his chest, leaving his adversary smiling confidentially. Hizoku remained unfazed, albeit the wound, his eyes set on the liquid gathered on the axe: "_This outta do it…_"

"_What the hell?_" Funbo asked himself, narrowing his eyes. "_That slash just now was aimed at his heart and yet the redhead dodged by leaning back just a little, avoiding a fatal blow… but with his speed he should've been able to dodge completely. Could it be… he took the blow purposely? If so, back then in the smokescreen he must've allowed himself get hit too… but why?_"

"_The First Dance is useless against that bald guy,_" Taka concluded simply, his hands wrapped before his mask. "_Hizoku certainly realized that up till now and yet he's still… dammit, that asshole is really going to go for it!_"he added, narrowing his eyes as he got up, heading towards the exit that lead to the village. "_Stupid bastard…_"

---Two months earlier---

Hizoku and his team were resting on a meadow after training, Tobane and Nezumi panting heavily. The boys seemed to be perfectly fine though, a fact that annoyed the hook user to no-end: "This is so unfair! How come you people don't get tired? I feel like I'm about to faint and you three were going at it even before Nezumi and I came. What the hell are you?"

"Don't let it get to you" Tokame asked a calm voice. "These two are just monsters…"

"She's talking about you too!" Taka snapped, yelling at his companion. But just as a new argument was about to explode, Hizoku collapsed to the ground, laying flat on his back. The other gennin gazed at him dumb fooled, while the redhead's breath quickened. The chain master only narrowed his eyes behind the mask as he spoke up, not really looking at the other boy: "Even the First Dance is still too much for you. If you ask me, you should skip using them for the time being. Even without those tricks you're one of the better ninja Kusa has to offer. The very fact Fugo-sama allows us to partake in the Chuunin Exam should be enough proof of that. After all, with what happened, he…" but he never managed to finish that thought as the spearman interrupted him, his speech surprisingly calm despite exhaustion just a second ago: "This is preciously the reason I can't ignore the dances…"

"What the hell are you talking about, Hizoku?" Nezumi asked curiously.

"Because of the whole issue with my father and Fugo-san, this might be my only chance at going to Konoha" the redhead replied simply, staring at the sky. "My only chance to fulfill that promise. I may be strong, above gennin level… maybe even chuunin level if you wish to go that far, but even so, it's still not enough to complete the mission. As I am now… I cannot dream of facing the Hokage…"

"Please, stop talking nonsense" Taka sid in an ordering tone. "Regardless to what you do, you can't catch up to the level of a Kage in such a short amount of time. You're bound to fail, I've been telling you this for weeks! In stead of worrying about that freaking promise, you should just forget it and concentrate on becoming chuunin for the time being. Once You rise up in ranks, you can think of challenging that Hatake guy…"

"If you made such a promise… could you just let it go?" Hizoku asked, making the chain master's eyes shift to the side, although none of the gathered managed to see that due to his mask. "I know the chances I have at my level… if I go against a Kage, I'll most likely die, but even so… I need to try. For the sake of my father… for the sake of Chitose-san… and for the sake of this world…"

"And this is why we're here to help you" announced Tobane with a warm smile. She extended her hand to help her friend get up, which he took voluntarily and gaze at Taka, who was now looking away: "_Well, most of you are_" the redhead noted, lowering his head.

---Flashback end---

The redhead held his palm below his bleeding chest, letting the crimson liquid fall freely onto it. His face has become still and calm as he observed the dripping waterfall for a few moments before turning to look at his adversary again. Noticing a confident smirk plaster on Reiji's face, he spoke up in a matter-of-factly manner: "You're a rather simple-minded fellow, ain't ya? Seems to me that you're basing your entire fight style on brute strength alone. I mean, axe isn't a typical, shinobi tool because most weapons of that sort are rather heavy… and heavy objects limit ones movements to a certain extend. That is why light katana, kunai and shuriken are preferable for our profession. Even spears are acceptable, since they extend the range of an attack, allowing the user to swing from a greater distance… but even putting your choice of weapon aside, it's easy to tell you rely mostly on doing damage by sheer impact. There's not much strategy there…"

"Oh?" the metal-nin asked, his face indifferent. "How's so?"

"Your attack patterns are rather straight-forward," Hizoku explained simply, still letting his blood drip freely onto his palm. "Basically you aim to beat the distance between yourself and your opponent, so that you can overcome their defenses with force of your axe. If the enemy tried to stay away, you have those chakra slashes, but they seem to be going in a straight line… nothing one can't dodge after seeing it a couple of times. You can read my movements perfectly, even when I sped up with the First Dance, but that's probably because the basis of my movements remain typical, body physics. Up till now, I've let you believe that I'm the same as you: a simple brute who relies on his weapon… but that's only partly true. While I am a weapon master first, what I've shown you so far is only a glimpse of my full power. I figured that weird eye of yours had some purpose, so I assumed Ekibyougami wouldn't be enough to defeat you. With that assumption in mind, I planned out our entire battle. Let me tell you one thing: you thought you had the upper hand all this while, but the truth is everything that transpired… every, single blow you landed upon me… was preciously calculated by me!"

"What kind of bullshit is that supposed to be?" the axe user asked annoyed, pointing the tip of his weapon at the Grass gennin. "Are you actually telling me all the three times I slashed you… you let me do that? Don't take me for a fool, asshole!"

"Believe what you want" was the redhead's only reply as he quickly rose his hand to write a symbol on the blade of his spear. "But this match ends now!" he yelled, going through a set of hand seals at blinding speed.

Reiji instantly charged forward seeing this, swinging his axe in the process, releasing another chakra bullet, but before the attack could reach its target, Hizoku finished preparations, his battlecry echoing in metal-nin's head like a premonition: "Akuchitenshi no Mai!"

_**---the second dance is unleashed… and then?---**_

And this concludes this chapter. Hope you found it worth waiting for and do remember to leave a comment before finishing up. For the record: no, I didn't forget about Takai, his issue will return with the next installment. This one had way too little space to implement it, that's all.

As usual, here's the translation of the jutsu used in the chapter and below a quick list of characters in hope that it'll help you remember who's who:

_Akuchitenshi no Mai_ (rough translation would be Angel of Blood Dance; 'tenshi' stands for 'angel', while 'akuchi' is 'impure blood')

**KONOHA #3 (Shikamaru Nara):** Rei Konpaku (lazy girl with the ability to merge with dead souls); Kogane Rikoteki (a girl from the clan of alchemists, who has a crush on Takaru); Toku Amagasa (a boy with a wooden umbrella); Kitsune Debano (a boy from a clan of blacksmiths, he has a lot of iron in his body); Hanamaru Gusoku (a chubby boy from the family of non-ninja);

**KONOHA #4 (Hinata Hyuuga):** Mikka Igaku (a young, medic-nin, capable of opening three Gates, she has a crush on Kai); Tsume Inuzuka (Kiba's daughter, whose dream is to save crimson wolves from extinction, her dog is named Uramaru); Senkou Hatake (son of Kakashi, the current Hokage, he's very fast, can use Body Flipper and Chidori); Kokoro Benda (a blond boy with a bloodline limit that makes him a telepath); Galu Kobushi (a green-haired boy, who excels in taijutsu);

**KONOHA #7 (Naruto Uzumaki):** Ibuki Tanken (a young prodigy of Konoha's assassin clan, a weapon mistress with ninjutsu based on wind); Kumiko Murasakki (a smart girl, who specializes in genjutsu); Kai Haisha (somewhat the protagonist of the story, he resembles Naruto in many ways, can use Kage Bunshin and as of late several, wind-based ninjutsu techniques); Kusari Hagane (a boy who used a chain controlled by chakra, he's a pervert, who has a crush on Kumiko); Takaru Gekido (the son of Tsunade, who sworn revenge, it's not revealed who his father is, the rookie in his year, he specializes in fire-based ninjutsu);

**KONOHA (Shino Aburame):** Hitomi Hyuuga (daughter of Neji and Tenten), Taki Hamano (a girl with a boomerang, very cheerful, uses water); Funbo Tanken (Ibuki's brother, a weapon expert who uses a stick and apparently has no emotions or attachment to his teammates); Akira Manako (a blind, genjutsu expert); Horohoro (a boy not born in the Leaf, he seems to share Hidden Mist techniques);

**SUNA (Temari):** Torune (Temari's daughter, she uses wind); Aoru (a redhead girl with a battle fan, she has a crush on Takai); Takai (second of the special, genetic experiment, apparently he cannot be killed and is capable of a skill similar to necromancy); Tarakudo (first in the genetic experiment, he's ability allows him to release bones from their joints, he always has his face covered by bandages with the exception of one eye); Honemaru (the third and only 'successful' genetic experiment, he seems like a perfect clone of Kimimaro);

**SUNA (Kankuro):** Hari (Kankuro's daughter, she uses senbon); Sabaku no Sabure (Gaara's daughter, twin of Touba, she uses sand and seems to have split-personality); Dekai (a swordsman who can wrapped his blade in wind); Horamaru (a boy, who uses metal strings, he enjoys bloodlust and hates Takai, Honemaru and Tarakudo, that last one in particular); Karame (a mummy-like boy, who has the control of paper);

**KUSA:** Tobane Hokku (a girl who uses hook-like weapons); Nezumi Kanraku (a girl who fights alongside her rat, Hamaru); Hizoku Wanabi (a redhead boy, armed in a spear, who apparently has some connections to the Leaf and meet Kai's mother); Taka Kuchibashi (a masked boy, who uses a chain, he seems to dislike Hizoku, but for some reason still aids him when needed); Tokame Kyohaku (a boy who controls light);

**AME:** Youji Kasano (a girl armed in three umbrellas); Karei Nokogiri (a girl who uses a saw on a chain and controls magnetism in a way); Tsuino Furikuzu (one of the sons of current Ame leader, his face is filled with scars); Nazaa Hebereke (a redhead, familiar with Drunken Fist); Ryo Eshaku (a boy who's special ability allows him to materialize chakra);

**BAKUFU/TAKI:** Kawa Azarashi (a girl who uses water, which she carries in bottles); Miaka Tora (a girl who teams up with her white tiger); Tetsu Abura (a chubby gennin, who swings a hammer and has two, firework launchers on his back); Shit Makko (Tetsu's good friend, who uses genjutsu); Kasui Rein (deceased, killed by Saiken);

**TSUKI (Hinami Hoshiru):** Teela Junsei (unofficial leader of the team, who has some relation to Kusari); Tenka (a mysterious, redhead girl); Tasuki Kihako (a swordsman, who has the same bloodline limit as Rei and uses a soul of the Shinobi Swordsman that killed his father); Nobu Chishio (the blond twin, with his brother he possess the ability to transfer the chakra of his sibling into his own body); Kumo Chishio (the green-haired twin);

**KANE:** Naginata (a girl with the stick); Reiji Ono (the bald axeman with artificial eye); Futatsu (a boy, who uses two katana and has a grudge against Kusari… more specifically Kusari's brother); Hogosha (a boy who uses water); Sentou (boy with metal arms, already returned to his home village);

**KUMORI (Tategamaru):** Raine (a girl with steel claws); Saiken Tenma (a mysterious boy with a headgear); Bakara (a boy who specializes in genjutsu); Kyuu (a boy who uses sound, supposedly second strongest in the team); Fuma (Tategamaru's son, he could transform into a wolf-hybrid, deceased);

**OTHER:** Naruto Uzumaki, Hinata Hyuuga, Shikamaru Nara, Shino Aburame, Sasuke Uchiha (currently Konoha ANBU); Kakashi Hatake (Sixth Hokage); Iruka Umino (Academy teacher in Konoha); Tenten Hyuuga, Ino Yamanaka, Kiba Inuzuka & Akamaru, Lee Rock, Chouji Akimichi; Sakura Uchiha, Neji Hyuuga (current ANBU), Sabaku no Gaara (current Kazekage), Hinami Hoshiru (jounin instructor of Teela's cell), Tategamaru (mysterious leader of Kumori's cell), Kumoshi (Tategamaru's partner), Sabaku no Touba (Sabure's twin, killed by Takai, currently his skull is part of Takai's collection), Chitose Haisha (Kai' mother, status unknown), Hideki Haisha (Kai's father, haven't made an appearance in the story); Satsuki (Hidden Moon leader), Genmei (Hidden Rain leader); Hidden Metal leader (name not revealed yet);

There… well, if it's still confusing, then naturally you may turn to reading the story up till now, it should help a lot, since I don't mention characters that are already gone or won't be playing a part in the nearest future (like Satsu, Ibuki and Funbo's father). If the story will prove popular still, then it'd be even recommended, as I won't be going back to remind of what happened earlier 9and there were hints throughout the tale) and the Character Popularity Polls will keep on appearing. But that's just an advice.

Thanks for tuning in and until next time, hopefully.


	125. The One Who Dances With the Elements

Wow, I must admit writing this chapter felt somewhat weird. I kinda feel it very hard to implement even half of the main characters into being mentioned in the chapter. Well, I guess I just need to wait for the exams to finish, when their number will grew smaller. Until then I'll just have to manage.

I must admit that I didn't expect such a quick response to the previous update. Especially after a one-year hiatus. True, I was kinda hoping that overall the number of reviews will be a bit higher (perhaps I'm just dreaming of this fic's "glory days"), but all things considers I'm quite satisfied. And, as you guys are most likely aware, I always do my best to keep my end of the deal, so it's only fair I submit another chapter.

Before I go any further though, I'd just like to say one, more thing, to avoid possible confusion later on: now, as you're probably aware, this fic began like 4 years ago and from that point on the whole story was pretty much planned out with only some room for changes. Now, I stopped reading "Naruto" several chapters back, so I'm not familiar with its latest 'revelations', however because of the manga this little tale became somewhat of a slight AU. Basically, everything that in the manga took place after Naruto's meeting with Sasuke in Part II should not be considered cannon, unless stated otherwise (heck, the fact that Kakashi is the Rokudaime proves as much :D).

Also I'd like to thank everyone who sacrificed their time to review. It's good to know this story still have fans. Remember, as long as you'll keep your end of the deal, I'll do the same with mine.

**Announcement:** just as a bonus info, I wanted to let you know NNG Side Stories are returning as well. With this update I'm giving you another inside, a very specific one actually. It's not Rei's, which some of you asked for, but I assure you her inside is also on the way, so unless the popularity of this fic drops, I'll get to her soon. And keep in mind that for spotlights in NNG Side Stories I'm taking requests, so should you like some, specific character to have his profile shown there, let me know.

And now, lets get to it:

**Chapter #125: The One Who Dances With the Elements**

_**Title Page:**_ Hizoku and Funbo standing back to back, each holding his weapon, which they cross with one another behind their backs

"Akuchitenshi no Mai!" Hizoku called out, instantly charging at his opponent. With a horizontal swing, he aimed at Reiji's chest, yet the metal-nin easily jumped back, dodging the assault. Or so he thought, for within the next moment blood suddenly shoot out from the redhead's chest, flipping at him like a whip.

Surprised by this, the axe wielder only managed to duck under the flap, yet another wave of crimson liquid blasted at him from the Kusa gennin's torso, smacking him on the left shoulder and ripping the skin, in turns spraying the bald ninja's own blood. With pain advancing from the wound, Reiji put his own blade into use, releasing another chakra bullet that went for Hizoku's head.

Alas the 'dancer' jumped over the assault and somersaulting in mid air, unleashed a few more whips, each scourging the Kane shinobi's body, while he could do no more then cover his face from injury. The redhead landed safely behind his adversary, who turned around, seriously pissed: "What the hell?"

"You don't like that trick?" the grass-nin asked with a somewhat forced smile, sweat already covering his face, while pants escaped his mouth. "This is Angel of Blood Dance. I recall you complained the former technique was still too predictable, so how is this on for size?" he teased, but strangely enough, Reiji smirked as well.

"Most interesting… you really caught me off guard there. Care to try that again?" he taunted, making Hizoku's eyes narrow before he resumed his assault, this time swinging down from the Kane gennin's right. The bald ninja managed to block the spear with his axe, releasing a loud 'clang' throughout the arena, but at that very instant blood shoot out from his opponent's chest again, coming at him from below and above like spikes.

Seeing this Reiji only widen his smirk and suddenly blasting the spear away, he put his body into a spin, the blade of his axe filled with chakra. In a flash the metal-nin got surrounded by strands of chakra, each ripping the crimson whip into pieces the moment they came in contact. Hizoku could only jump back to gain distance as all of his blood attacks got whipped out.

"Hey, Hitomi, that maneuver just now" Horohoro began, pointing at the axeman, but a death glare from the white-eyed girl instantly made him stop and turn away from his teammate. Meanwhile Reiji stopped spinning, gazing at his opponent with a superior look: "Too bad, but that's still not enough…" he concluded, though Hizoku's face remained indifferent. "What now?"

"Using the Second Dance really warns me out" the redhead announced calmly, his breath still quickened. "I suppose dragging this any further will be pointless… so I'll finish you off" and with that he performed an instant seal.

In a blink of an eye blood that covered Reiji's blade shoot to the side, smacking him hard to the face. The bald gennin was too surprised to react no time and received the full power of the blow, which tilted his head to the side. This was all the opening the grass-nin needed: "Ekibyougami no Mai!" he called out, his speed once more that of a flash.

Within a fraction of a second he reached his opponent and before he could recovered from the previous attack, he slashed at his chest, cutting deep. The sudden pain and blood loss proven too much, even for Reiji, as he collapsed to the ground, his body slowly getting numb. Before he hit the surface, he could no longer even hold his axe.

"Damn" was all he could say as he laid flat with the redhead towering over him. "To think I'd get this careless…" he cursed, while his adversary stood above him, gazing at the defeated weapon master.

"Each of the Dances is said to be the representation of one of the five elements" Hizoku announced calmly, holding his chest. "Their primary role is to turn the user's body into a deadly weapon. The first one, increasing speed, is the manifestation of wind, while the second deals with water… in this case the user's blood. By combining chakra with it and executing the technique, I'm capable of changing the properties of my own blood in a similar way that Suna mummy did paper. Naturally just that would be pretty pointless, unless I could get that blood to get in the open. That is why I let you cut me, to have places the blood could escape my body. This also allowed me to make you think you had the upper hand. However I figured that even with that you'll be able to dodge, since you knew from where the attack was coming from…"

"You mean…?" Reiji began, widening his eyes at realization.

"It's preciously how you picture it" the redhead nodded slightly. "Those first, two cuts were mostly meant as a diversion, making you think that's all there was to my technique. But the fact is Akuchitenshi allows me to control my blood whichever way I desire. That's the reason the third slash you land on me was from close range… I wanted to get my blood on your axe. Even with your reflex and that eye, there was no way you could avoid an attack from point-blank range. Everything I did, since the beginning of our fight, was meant only to lead you into staining your weapon and creating an opening to take you by surprise…"

"_It's not just that_" Lee thought to himself, looking the Grass gennin up and down. "_What's really scary is that he was willing to go this far just to win this fight. Putting aside the fact that he planned out his entire battle, he was not above injuring himself, heck risking getting killed, just to make sure that once the time comes, he would land the finishing blow. On one hand it's quite admirable… on the other it makes you wonder just how far would this kid be willing to go_" he concluded, rising his hand towards the spearman: "Winner: Wanabi Hizoku!"

The spectators started cheering, even as the redhead disappeared from the arena and joined his teammates. Returning to the platform, he collapsed to one knee, the fatigue and blood lost finally catching up to him: "_Damn, even the second dance is this straining… it'd seem going for the Third is out of the question…_" and just as that thought crossed his mind, several blocks of dark chocolate suddenly got dropped beneath his feet.

Confused, Hizoku gazed in he direction they were tossed from, only to see Taka standing on the rail of the platform, his face hidden behind the mask, as always: "Eat this. It's not much, but at the very least it'll reduce your blood pressure, lowering the loss of blood. If you get some medic-nin to heal you, perhaps you'll regain enough strength for the next match…"

"Taka-kun, how…?" Tobane began, but the chain master interrupted her, shifting his gaze at the young kunoichi: "It was obvious what this pinhead was planning to do and naturally he did not think of the consequences. Someone has to bail him out…"

"And you're the one to do it?" Nezumi asked confused, only this time the masked gennin didn't answer. He just jumped of the rail and returned to the stands, disappearing in the crowd. Tokame followed him with his gaze, narrowing his eyes and then turned back to Hizoku, who already began his feast with a straight face. The whole commotion prevented them from realizing the next fight was about to start.

"Funbo-kun, make us proud!" Taki yelled from the platform, thrusting her fists to the sky. The rest of her cell didn't seemed to be that much interested in the upcoming match, yet all three observed the arena carefully: "_That Waterfall guy's chakra…_" Akira thought to himself as his senses scanned the young Tanken's opponent. "_It seems like he's gathering it all… he plans to end this quickly…_"

"Tetsu's next" Miaka stated the obvious as she sat on the stands with her team. "_I just hope he won't go overboard due to what happened in the eliminations_" she added in her head, glancing over at Shita, who had his eyes set of the hammer user. Kawa on the other hand merely took a sip of water, almost as if she already knew he outcome.

"_Funbo…_" Ibuki thought to herself as she settled her gaze on her brother. A worried expression crossed her face. Senkou, who was stitting right next to her, noted the look, yet decided to let it be as he concentrated on the match.

"It's that guy from the forest" Kumiko noted with a note of anger in her voice. "The same one who tormented Ibuki" she recalled, more calmly, although Kusari was far from being as subtle as her: "Yo, Taki guy, kick his ass! He must pay for what he did to Ibuki-chan!"

Takaru remained still, He just stood there with his arms crossed and narrowed his eyes: "_Should we both win… I'll be fighting him in the next round…_"

"Third match: Abura Tetsu from Taki against Tanken Funbo from Konoha!" Lee announced loudly, while the chubby gennin prepared himself to charge at his opponent immediately. "BEGIN!" he called out and in a flash the waterfall-nin sprinted forward, his hammer instantly in his grip.

With a quick, horizontal swing, the young assassin jumped back to avoid his ribs getting crushed, yet Tetsu was not finished and in a blink of an eye twisted his wrist, retreating the hammer and now bringing it down on the Leaf gennin, forcing the weapon master to roll to the side, while the massive weight dug into the ground, forming a small crater around.

"What insane power" Funbo noticed calmly, gazing at the aftermath with a bored sight. "Should I get hit, I suppose it's pretty much game over. It might be a tad troublesome, granted I don't recall it having this much power in the eliminations. What's different?"

"You went too far in your fight" the chubby gennin replied simply, barely holding back his anger. "You didn't had to do all that to beat Shita and yet you were even willing to kill him due to some stupid rules your clan made up! I won't forgive a bastard, that hurts my friends just because he feels like it! I couldn't be more thrilled about running into you in this tournament, coz I won't be satisfied unless it's me that crushes every bone in your body!"

"I see" the young assassin nodded, unfazed, as he reached for his stick and spun it in his hand. "So you're also the type that gets upset when your 'friends' are getting hurt. You people are really strange, losing your calm over something so trivial. It's just like those brats that attacked our household. I just don't understand, but it is quite intriguing. If all goes well, I'll be fighting one of those shrimps in the next match, but until then… perhaps you'll be able to provide me with an answer. Lets find out…"

---Back to the medical wing---

"The truth about the day Touba died?" Takai repeated, looking at Gaara somewhat suspicious. "I'm not sure I understand what you're talking about, Kazekage-sama" he added, a little confused, but the Sand leader only nodded slightly at that statement: "I figured as much. In all honesty, if you did, me being here wouldn't matter all that much…"

The scythe user remained silent carefully watching the redhead and patiently waited for him to continue: "And the truth is not everything was as it seemed. I must admit that after you killed Touba, I had the urge to end your life, regardless to what I said back then. The only reason I stopped Sabure back then, because… that was Touba's wish…"

"What?"

"I'll tell you all about it" Gaara assured him calmly, rising his hand. "As disgusting as this may sound, if someone could be considered a bad guy at that time… Touba was it. But I ask that you don't judge until I reveal everything. And the truth is, that on some level… Touba used you…"

---Six years ago in Hidden Sand Village---

"I did what I could, Gaara-dono," announced a young-looking woman with long, blonde hair clipped in a ponytail and huge breasts. "I made every examination known to me and tried the most effective treatments, but…" she paused, glancing once more at the red-haired, seven-year-old boy standing on the balcony, gazing at the night sky.

"Thank you for your time, Tsunade-dono," was all the Fifth Kazekage said, his face as emotionless as always. He didn't bother to look at the Leaf's leader. The Legendary Sucker only gave the man before her a worried look and then disappeared without a word, leaving the two alone. The Shukaku vessel walked over to the kid, standing beside him and following his gaze to the full moon that hung high above the Sunagakure.

"Hokage-san already went on her way?" the boy asked in a stoic voice, almost as if he didn't acknowledge the appearance of his father. Gaara merely nodded, not paying attention to the younger redhead as well. "She sure took quite a while… I suppose this only proves that Suna and Konoha are in good relations; for a village leader to spend so much time in an allied country…"

"Touba…" the Godaime began, yet the boy never let him finish:

"No need for words. I may be seven, but I'm not stupid. I sensed this coming really… I sensed this for a while. Sabure doesn't know?" he asked, getting a negative shook of the head from his father. "Good… that should be for the best. I know and you know… but I'm still just seven… I guess it's too hard for me to accept this without hearing it from you. Dad, tell me the truth… I'm dying, aren't I?"

_**---finally, the full story is revealed!---**_

And this concludes this chapter. Hope you enjoyed it. Coming up: Tetsu vs. Funbo and more revelations concerning Sand gennin! Prepare yourselves for unexpected! And, just to help you guys out with the characters, here's the list of gennin teams, similar to the ones I've been using during the eliminations. In italics are the names of people who didn't make it to the final exam, but are watching the fights from the stands… names not mentioned are either those who lost and got dragged to the medical wing, are dead (like Kasui from Bakufu) or returned to their village (like Sentou from Kane). Note Kai is not listed below. Takai and Hizoku are underlined, because they already won their first round matches:

**Konoha #7:** Murasakki Kumiko, _Tanken Ibuki_, Gekido Takaru, Hagane Kusari

**Konoha #3:** _Konpaku Rei_, _Rikoteki Kogane_, Amagasa Toku, Debano Kitsune, _Gusoku Hanamaru_

**Konoha #4:** _Igaku Mikka, Inuzuka Tsume_, Benda Kokoro, _Hatake Senkou_, Kobushi Galu

**Konoha:** Hamano Taki, Hyuuga Hitomi, Manako Akira, Tanken Fundo (in progress), Horohoro

**Suna #1:** Aoru, Torune, Honemaru, Tarakudo, Takai

**Suna #2:** Sabaku no Sabure, Hari, Dekai, Horamaru, Karame

**Kusa:** Hokku Tobane, Kanraku Nezumi, _Kuchibashi Taka_, Kyohaku Tokame, Wanabi Hizoku

**Ame:** _Kasano Youji, Nokogiri Karei, Eshaku Ryo_, Furikuzu Tsuino, _Hebereke Nazaa_

**Bakufu****/Taki:** _Azarashi Kawa_,_ Tora Miaka,_ Abura Tetsu, _Makko Shita_

**Tsuki:** Junsei Teela, Tenka, _Chishio Nobu, Chishio Kumo, Kihako Tasuki_

**Kane:** _Naginata,_ Ono Reiji, _Futatsu, Hogosha_

And just a little reminded of the match-up for the finals:

**Fight 3:** Abura Tetsu (5) vs. Tanken Funbo (6)

**Fight 4:** Honemaru (7) vs. Gekido Takaru (8)

**Fight 5:** Benda Kokoro (9)vs. Horamaru (10)

**Fight 6:** Furikuzu Tsuino (11) vs. Tarakudo (12)

**Fight 7:** Manako Akira (13) vs. Dekai (14)

**Fight 8:** Hyuuga Hitomi (15) vs. Tenka (16)

**Fight 9:** Hokku Tobane (17) vs. Sabaku no Sabure (18)

**Fight 10:** Murasakki Kumiko (19) vs. Debano Kitsune (20)

**Fight 11:** Junsei Teela (21) vs. Kanraku Nezumi (22)

**Fight 12:** Horohoro (23) vs. Hagane Kusari (24)

**Fight 13:** Aoru (25) vs. Hamano Taki (26)

**Fight 14:** Torune (27) vs. Hari (28)

**Fight 15:** Amagasa Toku (29) vs. Kyohaku Tokame (30)

**Fight 16:** Kobushi Galu (31) vs. Karame (32)

**Fight 17:** Takai vs. Wanabi Hizoku

Thanks for tuning in and do remember to review. Until next time, hopefully.


	126. The Other One

Hey guys! It sure took me a while to update, I know. Sorry, that was my bad. I promised you guys to update more frequently if you review, but my life sorta got in the way of that plan. There's no point to bore you with details really, I just wanted to apologize for that. On a more positive note, it seems to be over, so hopefully if the popularity wasn't dropped, I'll be able to keep my end of the bargain this time around.

Also sorry to everyone, who I might not have replied. I got so mixed up, I totally lost track. I'll reply you this time though, so if there is a question I have not answered, please ask it again.

Now, since I already kept you waiting this long, lets get straight to the actual chapter:

**Chapter #126: The Other One**

_**Title Page:**_ Funbo is walking through a graveyard where swords replace tombstones

"I'm dying, aren't I?" Touba asked with his head lower. Gaara didn't reply at first, he just stared at his son with a worried expression, but finally spoke up, doing his best to avoid eye-contact: "Yes… Tsunade-dono believes you won't reach the age of twelve" he added sadly, looking to the side.

"So, basically, I won't even get a chance to become gennin" the young redhead summed up with a forced smile, but even that quickly faded away as he continued: "This isn't fair… I had dreams. There's so much I wish to do. I wanted to take the Kazekage title from you, dad! I was gonna make Suna the greatest of all shinobi villages! Why? Why does it turn out like this?" he asked, unable to stop the tears that gathered in his eyes anymore. Gaara could not respond. He just wrapped his arm around the boy and hugged him, while the youth sobbed into his robe…

_---a year later---_

"What are you doing, son?" Gaara asked, walking into Touba's room, while the boy kept writing something on a scroll: "Just… a note. I suppose you could treat it as my last will" he replied without taking his eyes off the paper. The Kazekage was about to push forward, yet the eight-year-old beat him to it, answering the unspoken question: "I know that I still may have few years to live, but then I could also not. This way I'll make sure that my dreams won't die with me."

"How's so?"

"Well… I met someone who I feel that if guided correctly, can fulfill those dreams for me" he announced with a smile, finally turning to his father. "It won't be easy though" he went on, shifting back to the scroll. "This guy is quite complex and despite being good, believing people doesn't come easy for him. This is why I need to prepare everything so that once I'm gone, he won't stray from the right path…"

Gaara nodded, walking closer to his child and placing his hand on the youngster's shoulder: "You really think he can do it?" the Godaime asked curiously, making Touba turn around to answer immediately: "I don't have a doubt in my mind that he will!"

---Flashback end---

"That note… it actually was his last will" the Kazekage announced, looking out the hospital window. "He placed a very unique summoning seal on it, one that'd get activated with a single hand seal, appearing in a very specific place. My guess is that just before death, he performed the technique… but regardless to how that transpired, the very scroll he wrote on that day appeared on my desk with Touba's final words in it…"

"_That seal he performed just before I killed him_" Takai instantly realized, widening his eyes. "_He wasn't preparing to initiate another jutsu… he activated that summoning!_" he thought to himself, staring at the floor.

"The scroll contained three requests" Gaara went on, lifting up two fingers. "The first was to spare your life and to not put any punishment upon you, regardless to have happens. And as cold as it may sound, that was the actual reason for me to stop Sabure on that day. Should that plea not come from Touba, I cannot guarantee I'd have acted the same as I did on that day" he admitted, his face indifferent. "The second one insisted that you become gennin… and that you'll be put on the same team as Aoru" he finished, making the scythe user immediately open his mouth from shock. "But it was the last request that surprised me the most… it was about Touba's remains…"

"He…" Takai managed to begin, but after that could not mutter a single word. The Godaime left out a long sigh, speaking up again: "I do not know what exactly happened between you two… I do not know the reason behind you killing Touba… I never asked you about it, coz I feared once I knew it, it might push me to break my promise to my son. However one thing I do know for sure: up till the very end, he considered you his friend. Possibly his closest friend even, since it is to you that he entrusted the dreams he couldn't fulfill… and regardless to how he knew of your ability, he wanted to accompany on your journey to the very end…"

"I…" the gennin began again, yet Gaara quickly stopped him: "Don't. What I told you, I did because I thought you were ready. It is up to you to do with this information as you please" and with that he turned away, walking down the hall. He stopped suddenly however and glancing over his shoulder, let out one, final phrase: "And I also know one, other thing… even up till now… you too consider him your friend" and with that he performed a seal, making his body got wrapped in sand.

"Wait, Kazekage-sama!" Takai called after the man, making the redhead stop in his tracks and gaze at the teen confused. "All this… it's kinda overwhelming, but… but I feel I understand Touba at least a little better. And this is why I need to ask, as long as you're willing to share such things with me… it's something I've been wondering for a while now…"

"Yes?" the man urged him, seeing the boy hesitate.

"It's about… our creator" the scythe user finally announced, gaining Gaara's full attention. "The very same man who taught me how to use my abilities. He… he was Horamaru's father, wasn't he?" he asked, a question that made Godaime's eyes widen in surprise, if ever so slightly.

"You're quite perceptive for your age" he complimented him, but Takai merely gaze to the side at those words: "There's not much to it… everyone who knew them both should easily spot the resemblance. I merely put two and two together. But that's not really the question I wanted to ask. You see, I once spoken to him about his family, so I know… back then, he said he once had two children. Twins. But if that is so, why Horamaru states he has no family?"

"His father was executed soon after you killed Touba" the redhead explained with a note of sadness in his voice. "I decided that at the time letting you uncover more of your abilities could be dangerous. But Horamaru's mother is a different story. As you know, Tarakudo was the first among you three. He was the beginning of the project and when… creating him that man had a different vision. In stead of cloning Kimimaro's genes into a person, like he did with you and Honemaru, he thought it'd be more effective to implement these genes into an already living being. And being a twisted man that he was, he placed them in one of his yet to be born children…"

"You mean…?" the scythe user asked shocked, already knowing the answer.

"Yes. Tarakudo's embrion was injected with these genes. A little that psychopath did not know was that his wife was baring twins. Horamaru came first, but apparently gene implementation complicated the process of birth. The woman died upon bringing Tarakudo into this world…"

"But…" Takai began, collapsing to his knees. "But that would mean the family Horamaru always wanted… he constantly tried to kill Tarakudo… he hates him the most and yet… Tarakudo is the only family he has! Why… why didn't anyone told him this?"

"Horamaru is blinded by fury" Gaara replied, carefully choosing his words. "I don't think he'd believe it, even if he'd realize it's a possibility. He has no idea he even has a brother. I'm sure Tarakudo on the other hand realized this by now, but he chooses to keep the charade, for whatever reason he may have. But regardless to it all, if you'd make him take off those bandages, without a doubt you'd see a face that's a mirror image of Horamaru's…"

"This is…" the scythe wielder began, but the Kazekage never allowed him to finish: "It's for you to decide what you wish to do with this. You may tell Horamaru, if you like, but keep in mind that, even if you haven't realized it, he's a complex boy, just like you are. Note Sabure's reaction when you used Touba's corpse in your match… I'd imagine Horamaru's reaction to these news being similar at best…" and with that he was gone in a whirlpool of sand, leaving Takai still on his knees, staring at the floor.

---Back to the Arena---

"Ninpou: Hanabi Bakuha!" Tetsu called out as smoke covered the place Funbo was standing a moment ago. Unfazed the chubby gennin followed the young Tanken with his eyes as the assassin jumped to his left, smoke from the explosion trailing him: "_I see…_" the leaf-nin analyzed, unleashing a handful of shuriken: "_He can't fire those things constantly. Even though he uses chakra as both ammunition and ignition, it takes time to fill those pipes after the shot. It's about a thirty second interval until he can perform it again… well, that's a fatal weakness I'll be sure to use…_" he thought to himself, smiling ever so slightly.

Meanwhile Tetsu, after deflecting the barrage of shinobi stars that now laid at his feet, performed a quick set of hand seals, slamming his free hand to the ground: "Doton: Ishirou no Jutsu!" he called out, making walls of stone shoot up from the ground, surrounding Funbo, instantly trapping him within a sealed, rock cube.

"You move around too much" the waterfall-nin stated simply, settling his gaze at the cell. "It makes it harder to actually hit you and I'm getting annoyed. Technically I should now give you a chance to give up, but seeing as how you didn't care about Shita's surrender…" he added as the pipes released another blast.

In a blink of an eye the stone cube went to pieces, smoke covering everyone's view again. Kusari only stared at the explosion, covering his eyes a bit from small pebbles that scattered all over the arena: "_The destructive power of those blasts is incredible… there's no way anyone could survive that!_"

Tetsu however didn't celebrate. In stead he strafed left as a sudden attack came dropping from behind, smashing the ground in the place he stood. He quickly spun on his foot, swinging the hammer horizontally, forcing Funbo to jump over the assault. Somersaulting in mid-air, the young assassin flipped, launching his staff at the chubby gennin's face.

Surprisingly enough, Tetsu didn't dodge, taking the hit heads on. But as the attack connected, the Taki ninja bite on the stick, immobilizing his adversary's weapon. The weapon master froze for a split second at that, but it proven to be enough for the Waterfall gennin; in a flash he landed a punch to the boy's stomach, knocking the air out of his lungs.

The impact forced Funbo to drop to his knees, letting go of his staff, leaving himself wide open. This was all his opponent needed as he quickly retreated his hammer, bringing it down on the young assassin's head. As the massive hammer hit, the leaf-nin's head flattened with a company of a loud, cracking sound that went through the arena.

"Funbo-chan!" Taki managed to call out at the sight, terrified as she attempted to jump down from the platform, but instantly she was stopped by Hitomi, who only placed her arm on her shoulder, giving the boomerang user a stern gaze.

In a fraction of a second weapon master's body broke into pieces, each of them being a burning, explosive tag that surrounded Tetsu before the chubby gennin could do as much as blink: "_Wha…?_" he asked as the notes went off in a cannonade of blows.

"_Wasn't that Kubomikawa?_" Ibuki wondered, shocked by the sight. "_But when did he…?_"

Just barely Tetsu managed to jump back, avoiding fatal damage, yet his body still got burnt all over from the trick, his anger now reaching new heights as he gazed to his right, where Funbo stood with a smirk on his face and a staff spinning in his grip: "I figured I'll see how you'd like to be blown into bits… not very enjoyable, I assume?" he teased with a surprisingly calm voice.

"_First he used those shuriken he tossed for Kawarimi to escape the cube and even then he already had prepared that bobby trap with explosive notes_" Kumiko analyzed quickly as shivers run down her spine. "_He's just as scary as he was when we met him in the Forest of Death… maybe even scarier now…_"

"Stupid Funbo, you made me worried sick!" Taki yelled from the platform at her teammate, yet her rant was cut short by Horohoro, who stood beside her with his arms crossed: "Don't get too worked-up over this, Taki… there's no way that waterfall-nin could win. This much I'm sure of…" he announced coolly, making Takaru narrow his eyes at the statement.

"_Dammit, this guy…_" he thought, settling his gaze on Funbo. "_If I reach second stage… how am I supposed to beat him? He seems even stronger then before and I totally got my ass handed to me back then!_"

"You asshole… I'll kill you!" Tetsu proclaimed, his grip tightening on the hammer.

"Please, stop embarrassing yourself" the young assassin said simply. "Allowing emotions to take the best of you during battle… the result of this match should be as clear as day, even to you. But I'm not keen on letting you go that easily… and it's not like you'll forfeit anyway… no, you wish to avenge your… friend, was it?" he asked coldly, putting his staff onto his back. "All things considered, the only way to win is to either knock you out or kill you… and so… farewell" he announced, going through a set of hand seals.

"_Those aren't the seals for fuuton!_" Ibuki noticed instantly, her eyes widening as she shoot up from her seat, making Senkou glance at her surprised as the weapon mistress yelled from the bottom of her lungs: "Finish the match or that fatass gonna die!"

"Hijutsu:…" Funbo played no mind to his sister's scream as he completed the technique. "Hiradoma no Shitsui!"

_**---a dreadful premonition!---**_

And this completes this chapter, which turned out a bit longer then I have anticipated (and to think I STILL shorted the whole scene with Takai and Gaara). I hope you like it and that you'll review. With all the stuff for collage behind me, I am hoping to update more frequently (finally) then I had over the past year. But that will happen only if I'll know it's worth to continue this tale.

Now, as usual, I give you a quick jutsu encyclopedia and afterwards the list of characters in hope to keep you up to speed with who's who. In the first list is an overall outlook of gennin teams participating in the exam (names in italics mean shinobi present at the arena, but already eliminated and if the name is missing, it means the characters already left the stadium, for whatever reasons they might have)… only Takai's name is underlined as he won his fight, but temporary he was in a medical wing, as you might remember.

_Ninpou: Hanabi Bakuha_ (Ninja Art: Fireworks Blast) – used before, just figured I'll remind you of it.

_Doton: Ishirou no Jutsu_ (Earth Element: Stone Prison Skill) – basically a doton equivalent of the Water Prison Technique Zabuza used. This one requires for the user to keep his hands on the ground in order for the technique to not get dispelled.

_Kubomikawa_ (Hollow Shell) – for the time being I prefer to keep this a secret.

_Hijutsu: Hiradoma no Shitsui_ (Secret Skill: Pit of Despair) – well, you'll read, you'll find out… it'd be a major spoiler if I were to actual explain what the technique does, now wouldn't it?

**Konoha #7:** Murasakki Kumiko, _Tanken Ibuki_, Gekido Takaru, Hagane Kusari

**Konoha #3:** _Konpaku Rei_, _Rikoteki Kogane_, Amagasa Toku, Debano Kitsune, _Gusoku Hanamaru_

**Konoha #4:** _Igaku Mikka, Inuzuka Tsume_, Benda Kokoro, _Hatake Senkou_, Kobushi Galu

**Konoha:** Hamano Taki, Hyuuga Hitomi, Manako Akira, Tanken Fundo (in progress), Horohoro

**Suna #1:** Aoru, Torune, Honemaru, Tarakudo, Takai

**Suna #2:** Sabaku no Sabure, Hari, Dekai, Horamaru, Karame

**Kusa:** Hokku Tobane, Kanraku Nezumi, _Kuchibashi Taka_, Kyohaku Tokame, Wanabi Hizoku

**Ame:** _Kasano Youji, Nokogiri Karei, Eshaku Ryo_, Furikuzu Tsuino, _Hebereke Nazaa_

**Bakufu/Taki:** _Azarashi Kawa_,_ Tora Miaka,_ Abura Tetsu, _Makko Shita_

**Tsuki:** Junsei Teela, Tenka, _Chishio Nobu, Chishio Kumo, Kihako Tasuki_

**Kane:** _Futatsu_

**KONOHA #3 (Shikamaru Nara):** Rei Konpaku (lazy girl with the ability to merge with dead souls); Kogane Rikoteki (a girl from the clan of alchemists, who has a crush on Takaru); Toku Amagasa (a boy with a wooden umbrella); Kitsune Debano (a boy from a clan of blacksmiths, he has a lot of iron in his body); Hanamaru Gusoku (a chubby boy from the family of non-ninja);

**KONOHA #4 (Hinata Hyuuga):** Mikka Igaku (a young, medic-nin, capable of opening three Gates, she has a crush on Kai); Tsume Inuzuka (Kiba's daughter, whose dream is to save crimson wolves from extinction, her dog is named Uramaru); Senkou Hatake (son of Kakashi, the current Hokage, he's very fast, can use Body Flipper and Chidori); Kokoro Benda (a blond boy with a bloodline limit that makes him a telepath); Galu Kobushi (a green-haired boy, who excels in taijutsu);

**KONOHA #7 (Naruto Uzumaki):** Ibuki Tanken (a young prodigy of Konoha's assassin clan, a weapon mistress with ninjutsu based on wind); Kumiko Murasakki (a smart girl, who specializes in genjutsu); Kai Haisha (somewhat the protagonist of the story, he resembles Naruto in many ways, can use Kage Bunshin and as of late several, wind-based ninjutsu techniques); Kusari Hagane (a boy who used a chain controlled by chakra, he's a pervert, who has a crush on Kumiko); Takaru Gekido (the son of Tsunade, who sworn revenge, it's not revealed who his father is, the rookie in his year, he specializes in fire-based ninjutsu);

**KONOHA (Shino Aburame):** Hitomi Hyuuga (daughter of Neji and Tenten), Taki Hamano (a girl with a boomerang, very cheerful, uses water); Funbo Tanken (Ibuki's brother, a weapon expert who uses a stick and apparently has no emotions or attachment to his teammates); Akira Manako (a blind, genjutsu expert); Horohoro (a boy not born in the Leaf, he seems to share Hidden Mist techniques);

**SUNA (Temari):** Torune (Temari's daughter, she uses wind); Aoru (a redhead girl with a battle fan, she has a crush on Takai); Takai (second of the special, genetic experiment, apparently he cannot be killed and is capable of a skill similar to necromancy); Tarakudo (first in the genetic experiment, he's ability allows him to release bones from their joints, he always has his face covered by bandages with the exception of one eye); Honemaru (the third and only 'successful' genetic experiment, he seems like a perfect clone of Kimimaro);

**SUNA (Kankuro):** Hari (Kankuro's daughter, she uses senbon); Sabaku no Sabure (Gaara's daughter, twin of Touba, she uses sand and seems to have split-personality); Dekai (a swordsman who can wrap his blade in wind); Horamaru (a boy, who uses metal strings, he enjoys bloodlust and hates Takai, Honemaru and Tarakudo, that last one in particular); Karame (a mummy-like boy, who has the control of paper);

**KUSA:** Tobane Hokku (a girl who uses hook-like weapons); Nezumi Kanraku (a girl who fights alongside her rat, Hamaru); Hizoku Wanabi (a redhead boy, armed in a spear, who apparently has some connections to the Leaf and meet Kai's mother); Taka Kuchibashi (a masked boy, who uses a chain, he seems to dislike Hizoku, but for some reason still aids him when needed); Tokame Kyohaku (a boy who controls light);

**AME:** Youji Kasano (a girl armed in three umbrellas); Karei Nokogiri (a girl who uses a saw on a chain and controls magnetism in a way); Tsuino Furikuzu (one of the sons of current Ame leader, his face is filled with scars); Nazaa Hebereke (a redhead, familiar with Drunken Fist); Ryo Eshaku (a boy who's special ability allows him to materialize chakra);

**BAKUFU/TAKI:** Kawa Azarashi (a girl who uses water, which she carries in bottles); Miaka Tora (a girl who teams up with her white tiger); Tetsu Abura (a chubby gennin, who swings a hammer and has two, firework launchers on his back); Shit Makko (Tetsu's good friend, who uses genjutsu); Kasui Rein (deceased, killed by Saiken);

**TSUKI (Hinami Hoshiru):** Teela Junsei (unofficial leader of the team, who has some relation to Kusari); Tenka (a mysterious, redhead girl); Tasuki Kihako (a swordsman, who has the same bloodline limit as Rei and uses a soul of the Shinobi Swordsman that killed his father); Nobu Chishio (the blond twin, with his brother he possess the ability to transfer the chakra of his sibling into his own body); Kumo Chishio (the green-haired twin);

**KANE:** Naginata (a girl with the stick); Reiji Ono (the bald axeman with artificial eye); Futatsu (a boy, who uses two katana and has a grudge against Kusari… more specifically Kusari's brother); Hogosha (a boy who uses water); Sentou (boy with metal arms, already returned to his home village);

**KUMORI (Tategamaru):** Raine (a girl with steel claws); Saiken Tenma (a mysterious boy with a headgear); Bakara (a boy who specializes in genjutsu); Kyuu (a boy who uses sound, supposedly second strongest in the team); Fuma (Tategamaru's son, he could transform into a wolf-hybrid, deceased);

**OTHER:** Naruto Uzumaki, Hinata Hyuuga, Shikamaru Nara, Shino Aburame, Sasuke Uchiha (currently Konoha ANBU); Kakashi Hatake (Sixth Hokage); Iruka Umino (Academy teacher in Konoha); Tenten Hyuuga, Ino Yamanaka, Kiba Inuzuka & Akamaru, Lee Rock, Chouji Akimichi; Sakura Uchiha, Neji Hyuuga (current ANBU), Sabaku no Gaara (current Kazekage), Hinami Hoshiru (jounin instructor of Teela's cell), Tategamaru (mysterious leader of Kumori's cell), Kumoshi (Tategamaru's partner), Sabaku no Touba (Sabure's twin, killed by Takai, currently his skull is part of Takai's collection), Chitose Haisha (Kai's mother, status unknown), Hideki Haisha (Kai's father, haven't made an appearance in the story); Satsuki (Hidden Moon leader), Genmei (Hidden Rain leader); Hidden Metal leader (name not revealed yet), Satsu Tanken (father of Ibuki and Funbo, head of the clan);

Other, minor characters that appeared up til now are not forgotten, but the ones mentioned above are those that (at least at this point) you should pay most attention to.

**Fight 3:** Abura Tetsu (5) vs. Tanken Funbo (6)

**Fight 4:** Honemaru (7) vs. Gekido Takaru (8)

**Fight 5:** Benda Kokoro (9)vs. Horamaru (10)

**Fight 6:** Furikuzu Tsuino (11) vs. Tarakudo (12)

**Fight 7:** Manako Akira (13) vs. Dekai (14)

**Fight 8:** Hyuuga Hitomi (15) vs. Tenka (16)

**Fight 9:** Hokku Tobane (17) vs. Sabaku no Sabure (18)

**Fight 10:** Murasakki Kumiko (19) vs. Debano Kitsune (20)

**Fight 11:** Junsei Teela (21) vs. Kanraku Nezumi (22)

**Fight 12:** Horohoro (23) vs. Hagane Kusari (24)

**Fight 13:** Aoru (25) vs. Hamano Taki (26)

**Fight 14:** Torune (27) vs. Hari (28)

**Fight 15:** Amagasa Toku (29) vs. Kyohaku Tokame (30)

**Fight 16:** Kobushi Galu (31) vs. Karame (32)

**Fight 17:** Takai vs. Wanabi Hizoku

Well, that's really that for now. Thanks for tuning in. Again, do leave a review with your opinion and until next time, hopefully. Happy New Year everybody!


	127. Open the Gates of Hell

Hey guys. How you've been?

Well, small talk portion out of the way, so lets get a bit more serious and let my apologize for keeping this tale hanging for THIS long. I realize it's basically four months since the last update and I'm really sorry for that. I'm not gonna make excuses and just stick with the belief that starting now I should be able to write more consistently then in the past year or so… naturally, as long as this story will prove popular enough (through reviews). Everything will be resolved with how this chapter will be welcomed I suppose.

Though, I will admit, I'd prefer to have a different one (the next, for example) as the reviving one, as this one doesn't seem as good as most… maybe I'm just paranoid… or freaked that I had you guys waiting for so long and fear you're gonna bail on me, even if you're still interested in this tale. This, upcoming weekend will certainly be interesting for me.

Now, before we start, I wish to thank everyone, who reviewed this story thus far and sorry if I missed your review for any reason. I promise to do better this time around, having more free time on my hands.

And with that, having made you wait long enough already, lets get straight to the chapter:

**Chapter #127: Open the Gates of Hell**

_**Title Page:**_ Naruto's cell picture: Kusari wraps his arm around Kumiko, which makes the kunoichi send him a death glare, while she stops it halfway, on the side Takaru stares at the camera with his arms crossed, while in the back Kai jumps into the air to be visible from behind his teammates, Ibuki waves from behind Kumiko, leaned to her right, while Naruto stands between the young assassin and Kai, sweat dropping as he scratches the back of his head

"Hijutsu: Hiradoma no Shitsui!" Fundo proclaimed, making Tetsu's surroundings instantly get engulf in darkness. The chubby gennin merely watched as kunai began appeared all around, suspended in air, forming a dome around him, blocking any, possible exit. In a flash shadows shoot from below, wrapping around his legs, as to make sure he doesn't move, while his adversary slowly walked from the surrounding night, his face indifferent.

Instantly one of the kunai shoot towards the waterfall-nin, striking his right arm, while another pierced his left leg, but even with the pain Tetsu made nothing of it and merely settled his gaze on the young assassin: "That's it? This is supposed to be that scary-ass technique of yours? A simple genjutsu? After everything I was expecting something more… well, more. You're not gonna freak me out. None of this is real…"

"Oh?" Funbo responded calmly with a note of curiosity in his eyes as another kunai sunk into his opponent's body. "Is that so? Then let me ask you this: what would you define as 'real'? Even if you're not cut by the actual blade, if your nervous system perceives it as pain, does that make it hurt any less? In actuality, it's not physical damage that is responsible for pain… it's your brain that makes you realize the wound hurts. It doesn't matter if it's physically real or not, so long as your brain believes it is…"

"Please, the moment I escape this illusion, the only difference will be that you lost chakra" the chubby gennin replied, while more cuts began appearing on his body. With a single seal he concentrated his energy, breaking out of the trap. In a flash the walls of the arena reappeared before him, while his face got hit by a soft breeze: "Pathetic" he announced, readying his hammer, yet before he could make a move, his eyes widen as his other hand moved on its own, stabbing him in the side with a kunai: "Wha…?"

"Now, does that make it any better for you?" Funbo asked with a wicked smirk as Tetsu realized none of the wounds inflicted by the knives disappeared: "Well, I suppose it shouldn't, since it's technically still a simple genjutsu…"

"What the hell is going on?" Tsume demanded as she glanced over at Ibuki. "Why in the world is that fatass stabbing himself?" she asked the young assassin, who merely narrowed her eyes before replying: "Hiradoma no Shitsui… one of our clans most guarded secrets. It's a very specific genjutsu, used to assassinate targets who are under very strict guard. In most simple of words, it's not an illusion per say… it's a hypnosis…"

"So your brother just charmed that waterfall-nin to cut himself?" Kogane asked somewhat nervously and then sweat dropped as Rei's snoring followed her question. But the heir of the Tanken shook her head in disagreement as she continued: "Not exactly. What makes Hiradoma no Shitsui so creepy is the fact that it takes total control over its target on subconscious level. In the first stage it traps him in what appears to be another dimension, filled with blades. Naturally, that's just an illusion the brain is forced to believe. In actuality, it's purpose is mainly to confuse the victim; each stab that the target receives from the blades is actually the result of his body acting on its own. If he gets stabbed in the right arm, it only means that in reality he stabbed himself in that, very spot. But because of the illusion, the victim believes none of that is real and so he overlooks the truth…"

"And what might that truth be?" Hanamaru urged, stopping his hand halfway to his mouth.

"That breaking out of the illusion is not enough" Ibuki responded, her eyes set on her brother. "One has to release himself from hypnosis as well in order to be saved!"

"You know…" Funbo began, while Tetsu huffed, trying to stop his own arm from attacking. "Out of the three, shinobi skills, genjutsu is considered the least useful by most ninja… all because of the fact it can't actually do physical damage, unlike nin- or taijutsu. But frankly, I believe it should be feared the most. In any, shinobi scroll covering the matter, you'll read that it is the art of illusion, but fact of the matter is, it can be so much more. In order to create an illusion, you must first trick the victim's senses and these can be tricked only by tricking the brain, which is responsible for most, physical functions of the body. Knowing this it's not hard to imagine someone using genjutsu to hypnotize another. Naturally, hypnosis is extremely hard to achieve, since in most cases it skips tricking the senses and goes directly for the brain… but what if that wasn't the case? What if one was supposed to attack the senses first and from there go deeper? The target wouldn't even realize he was affected until its too late…"

"That's what you did?" the Taki gennin demanded as another cut ripped his skin. "You used illusion as a cover up for hypnosis? I've never heard of such a thing!"

"Surely you haven't" the young assassin nodded calmly, biting his thumb as he unwrapped a scroll. "If you have, I doubt the technique would be successful. But luckily for me, you made the very same mistake most shinobi make: conceive genjutsu as JUST illusions" he announced, writing with his blood and in a flash a spectacular katana appeared in his grip. "My sensei likes to say that ultimately, ignorance is the downfall of most ninja. In your cases that proves to be true" he added, pointing the tip of the sword at his opponent, who was still stabbing himself.

"To continue is pointless and so I announce…" Lee began, but before he could finish Funbo slashed at Tetsu, leaving a huge cut on the other boy's chest, making the chubby gennin fall to his back from the lack of strength. Even his hand stopped moving, the loss of blood finally catching up to it. The young assassin was not done though as he simply walked towards his fallen adversary and standing above him, he raised his katana, ready to pierce Tetsu's body.

"Enough already" Lee said in a stern voice, grabbing Funbo in a headlock. "It's getting very tiresome having to restrain you all the time. I realize you're fueled by youth, but learn your boundaries! This match has already been decided!"

"I recall the rules stating one must surrender or be unable to continue for the fight to be finished" the young assassin replied calmly, glancing at the jounin. "This fatass did not forfeit. As such, is this match not in motion? If he refuses to give up, doesn't that give me the right to kill him in order to claim victory? That is, in a matter of speaking, what you said at the very beginning…"

"You don't have to kill him to win" the Green Beast shoot back. "You had the upper hand the whole time. You choose to kill him just because you find some twisted pleasure in such a deed!" he accused the gennin, but that boy made little of it: "Pleasure… or else enjoyment… is an emotion, Lee-san. As such it is forbidden for me to experience it. I am merely doing what I believe needs to be done for me to proceed onwards. It's as simple as that…"

The taijutsu expert narrowed his eyes, letting the boy go. Funbo stared at him for a moment and then began to walk away, while medics appeared next to Tetsu, tending his injuries. "_That's not true_" Lee said to himself, gazing at the victor's back. "_Both you and me know it… you're just not willing to accept the fact that Ibuki and you…_" but before he could finish the thought, he shook his head, speaking out loud again: "May the participants of the next match, please, enter the arena!"

"My turn" Takaru stated, ready to jump down from the platform, but he stopped halfway and turned to his teammates: "Any advice?" he asked, making Kusari rise his eyebrow and leaving Kumiko dumb-fooled. Once she got out of her shock, she leaned over, whispering into his ear: "That Sand guy uses his own bones as weapons… remember what he did during his match with Tsume. In this, particular case, physical attacks are a hazard. The way I see it, your best chance are those fire techniques of yours. Aim to damage his outer body and try to avoid close range…"

"Thanks" the son of Tsunade nodded approvingly and then proceeded to the arena.

"Good luck Honemaru" Aoru cheered, slapping the boy on the back so hard it almost made the white-haired gennin stumble forward. Tarakudo merely let out a snarl with his arms still crossed and eyes set on the leaf-nin bellow: "Luck has nothing to do with it. That Konoha brat just can't win and that's that…"

Honemaru himself only glanced at him and then turned the other way, a note of surprise in his voice: "You came?" he more stated then asked as Takai appeared in a blur next to him with what could be considered a weak smile on his face: "Well, how would it look if I were to miss my teammate's match?" he replied, to which the other boy smirked as well.

Horamaru twisted his mouth with anger as he observed the two, a fact that Takai sadly noted while his companion headed towards the stairs. Aoru on the other hand had very different thoughts going through her head: "_He actually showed up? But normally… what the hell happened in the time he was gone?_" she wondered, yet couldn't help but smile at the change.

"Had your fun?" Hitomi asked with a stoic voice as Funbo returned to the platform. The young assassin didn't reply. He just gazed at the kunoichi for a moment and then looked down onto the arena. This, next match was of special interest to him.

"So, Takaru's next" Senkou announced with a smile appearing behind his mask. "Can't wait to see how he'll deal with that bozo… I mean, that Suna gennin beat Tsume. He gotta have some skills" he added, while his teammate narrowed her eyes at the sight of her, former opponent.

"He'll be fine" Ibuki assured him with a calm face. "Don't forget it's the number one rookie of our class you're talking about" she proclaimed, yet Mikka didn't seem convinced by that statement at all: "_Even if Takaru-kun is the strongest among us, those sand-nins aren't your everyday gennin either. Plus there's no telling what's the exact extend of this one's power. For all we know, he can be even worse then the one who beat Kai-kun…_"

"Before we start, a question" Honemaru began as emotionless as ever, while both fighters stood before each other in the middle of the battlefield. "You're the teammate of that blond boy who fought Takai, right?" he asked and upon receiving a nod from his adversary, he went on with no change in his voice or posture: "Good… there's no point for me to hold back then…"

"Huh?" Aoru asked, totally confused: "What the hell was that all about?" she turned to Torune, yet the blonde kunoichi only smirked without even gazing at her teammate.

"Fourth match: Honemaru from Suna against Gekido Takaru from Konoha!" Lee called out, instantly quieting all the voiced in the stadium. The tension rose as silence lingered in the air, only to be broken by the Green Beast the next moment as he yelled, moving out of the way: "BEGIN!"

_**---Takaru picks up the challenge!---**_

And so this chapter is done. Hope you found it worth waiting for. And please, review if you're still interested in this piece. It'll help me realize whether it's wiorth going back to or just drop it for good.

Also, just a reminder, keep in mind that this tale was planned out around the time Sai first appeared in the original manga and so many of the latest events from the manga should not be considered cannon in this fic. Basically, it's safer to assume that anything after Naruto's return from the Grass Country haven't happened, unless stated otherwise. I did work on implementing some of the events, but since many would force a great change on the plot (and thus create, sometimes huge, plotholes), NNG has officially became an AU. But ideas are still floating in my head and dependable on the response, I may start work on a fic that would imply at least most of the recent 'revelations'. We'll see.

And now, just as a quick helper, here's the list of the more important characters, put in hope you won't have to scan the entire story to understand this chappie… naturally, I won't make the story recap, coz that'd probably take to long and, at this point, it might even be a sort of a spoiler:

**Konoha #7 (Naruto):** Murasakki Kumiko, _Tanken Ibuki_, Gekido Takaru, Hagane Kusari

**Konoha #3 (Shikamaru):** _Konpaku Rei_, _Rikoteki Kogane_, Amagasa Toku, Debano Kitsune, _Gusoku Hanamaru_

**Konoha #4 (Hinata):** _Igaku Mikka, Inuzuka Tsume_, Benda Kokoro, _Hatake Senkou_, Kobushi Galu

**Konoha (Shino):** Hamano Taki, Hyuuga Hitomi, Manako Akira, Tanken Funbo, Horohoro

**Suna #1 (Temari):** Aoru, Torune, Honemaru, Tarakudo, Takai

**Suna #2 (Kankuro):** Sabaku no Sabure, Hari, Dekai, Horamaru, Karame

**Kusa (none):** Hokku Tobane, Kanraku Nezumi, _Kuchibashi Taka_, Kyohaku Tokame, Wanabi Hizoku

**Ame (unknown):** _Kasano Youji, Nokogiri Karei, Eshaku Ryo_, Furikuzu Tsuino, _Hebereke Nazaa_

**Bakufu/Taki (unknown):** _Azarashi Kawa_,_ Tora Miaka,_ Abura Tetsu, _Makko Shita_

**Tsuki (Hinami Hoshiru):** Junsei Teela, Tenka, _Chishio Nobu, Chishio Kumo, Kihako Tasuki_

**Kane**** (unknown):** _Futatsu_

**Fight 4:** Honemaru (7) vs. Gekido Takaru (8) – in progress

**Fight 5:** Benda Kokoro (9)vs. Horamaru (10)

**Fight 6:** Furikuzu Tsuino (11) vs. Tarakudo (12)

**Fight 7:** Manako Akira (13) vs. Dekai (14)

**Fight 8:** Hyuuga Hitomi (15) vs. Tenka (16)

**Fight 9:** Hokku Tobane (17) vs. Sabaku no Sabure (18)

**Fight 10:** Murasakki Kumiko (19) vs. Debano Kitsune (20)

**Fight 11:** Junsei Teela (21) vs. Kanraku Nezumi (22)

**Fight 12:** Horohoro (23) vs. Hagane Kusari (24)

**Fight 13:** Aoru (25) vs. Hamano Taki (26)

**Fight 14:** Torune (27) vs. Hari (28)

**Fight 15:** Amagasa Toku (29) vs. Kyohaku Tokame (30)

**Fight 16:** Kobushi Galu (31) vs. Karame (32)

**Fight 17:** Takai vs. Wanabi Hizoku

**Fight 18:** Tanken Funbo vs. ???

Thanks for tuning in and hope to 'see' you again with the next update. Please, don't forget to review.

Take care!


	128. Takaru vs Honemaru

Finally I've managed to finish this… took me longer then I'd want, but at least it's done… and personally, I'm quite pleased with how this chapter turned out which is more or less a rarity, especially as of late, so…

To answer some of the doubts from reviews: I believe stating whether the final exam will be done in full or get interrupted will be a huge spoiler, so I'd prefer to keep that a secret, but I must say that the tournament is going rather smoothly and faster then I expected, already being on fight #4. Kai vs. Takai, which was undoubtfully the longest skirmish in the bunch is already over and the other fights will be shorter by comparison. That is why I prefer to keep the chapters in the length they are now: for one it puts less strain on me to keep up with the deadlines (although at times I do screw up… I am only human) and secondly, a completely personal reason is that all the chapters up till now (excluding 29 if I recall correctly, the one to present all gennin) were of similar length, which kinda helps me get the feel that is a manga without pictures… and that pretty much keeps me more motivated to go on with it… that and reviews naturally.

As some of you may know, I also updated NNG Side Stories with an inside on Rei this time around. So far I only gotten one request for that fic and I'll be trying to fulfill it, most likely by placing a short arc concerning team 4, like I intended to from the beginning… it's just that writing N:NG and a mission arc for the same characters simultaneously may prove a bit more draining and thus the update on Side Stories may take longer. Naturally, requests are still accepted.

Another thing is that I generally will be trying to bring 'next generation' to life and that means I've began work on the next chapter of "Those Who Inherit the Will of Fire", should any of you be interested… that and I've also began working on ANOTHER fic… I know… but that's just my head and too many ideas for a minute x_x

I believe that generally covers it. Thanks for reviewing and tuning in. Hope you'll leave a comment after reading this one as well, coz it'd help keep me motivated and assure me this fic is still popular enough to continue it.

**Chapter #128: ****Takaru versus Honemaru**

_**Title Page:**_ Kai dressed in a Hokage robe, while a little in the back Kakashi is standing with his nose in another "Icha Icha" book

"Welcome back, Gaara-dono" Genmei said in a calm voice as a whirlpool of sand engulfed the seat next to Kakashi, soon releasing the young Kazekage from within. The redhead merely glanced at him for a split second, before turning his gaze away, noting that the Hidden Rain leader didn't even bother to look at him: "I trust your business is taken care off… especially since you've already missed two matches…"

"I'm apologize for my absence… the matter was rather pressing… what have I missed?"

"Well, both Taki and my own village lost their only representatives" Kane leader responded as emotionless as one can only be. "I must admit I was a bit stunned that Reiji fallen so quickly, but what's done is done. I do not approve your approach however, Gaara-san. You won't be vanishing on us again, will you?"

"I do not intend to do so" was the redhead's stoic reply.

"Good, coz one of your own shinobi is about to fight and he's quite a pretty boy" Satsuki cut in with a flirtatious smile, glancing at the young Wind Shadow. Gaara didn't respond and merely narrowed his eyes at they settled on Honemaru. Meanwhile, among the crowds, Saiken also narrowed his as he leaned against the wall with his arms crossed: "_Seems that I made it just in time… it's that brat Tategamaru-sensei mentioned…_"

"BEGIN!" Lee announced, instantly moving out of the way as Honemaru charged forward, ripping a long, sharp bone from his palm. In a flash he beat the distance between himself and Takaru, swinging horizontally at the leaf-nin's torso. The scar-faced boy however acted immediately and jumping over the assault, he somersaulted, quickly forming seals as his back covered him from his white-haired adversary.

Upon landing he already had a kunai in his grip and spinning on his foot, he blocked the bone that went from his head, trapping the sand-nin in a deadlock. Honemaru's face remains calm as he pressed against the tiny knife, but still his eyes narrowed in surprise as the son of Tsunade smirked towards him.

Instantly Takaru thrust his left hand forward, already wrapped in flames, as he released the technique from point-blank range: "Insei Tooriame!" he called out, making a barrage of small fireballs blast from the tips of his fingers.

Quickly Honemaru flipped back a few times as the meteors came at him. Some exploded upon contact with the ground, yet more managed to reach their target, leaving burnt skin in the place of impact. As another one hit the white-haired boy in the left shoulder, he lost his balance in mid-flip, ungracefully landing on the floor, flat.

Takaru was not about to let him rest as he jumped to the air, a new chain of seals already in motion: "Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu!" he proclaimed, releasing a powerful breath of fire, dropping right at the fallen sand-nin.

In a fraction of a second Honemaru rolled out of the way and as his back pressed against the ground, he thrust his hands backward, flipping back to his feet. The next moment ribs shoot from his chest, coming straight at Takaru with a whistle as the scar-faced boy was about to land himself. Unable to dodge, the leaf-nin formed few more seals, throwing his hands to the ground.

"Katon: Kasai Taihou!" he yelled as thick pillar of flames erupted from his palms, hitting the floor (_A/N: Kamehameha anyone? XD_). The impact send the son of Tsunade to the sky, riding the wave, while the incoming bones dug into the ground in the very spot he would land a moment ago.

Avoiding the assault, Takaru flipped in mid-air, this time landing safely on his feet. Honemaru however was already behind him, swinging his bone horizontally and thus forcing the leaf-nin to duck, standing on the ground on all fours. As the attack went above him, the son of Tsunade threw his leg back, aiming for his opponent's face, yet the white-haired boy easily dodged the assault by bending back.

As his attack missed, Takaru quickly bended his leg at the knee, grabbing the Suna gennin's bone with his leg, much to sand-nin's surprise. With the weapon immobilized, the scar-faced teen bounced off the ground and spinning in mid-air, aimed another kick at his adversary's head, this one going parallel to the surface.

With no alternative, Honemaru ducked under the assault as another bone grew from his elbow with which he rammed the leaf-nin's back, sending Takaru sliding a few meters. With pain circling through his body, the scar-faced teen slowly struggled to stood back up, while his adversary patiently waited with his face rid of emotion.

"_In long range these guys are about equal_" Kumiko analyzed with a worried expression. "_However close encounters are another story. That guys ability makes it impossible to predict his movements, skipping the fact that Takaru wasn't a close-range fighter to begin with. As it is now, he has no advantage he could use!_"

"That's it Hone-chan, kick his ass!" Aoru yelled, throwing her fist to the sky while Torune watched calmly with her chin propped against her palm. Only Tarakudo seemed uninterested in the match as he stood away from the rail, leaning against the wall: "_Pointless… it's not like Honemaru can lose anyway…_"

"_That was a perfect chance for him to attack_" Kusari noted, settling his gaze on the white-haired boy. "_Why isn't he attacking?_" he wondered, completely confused. Takai remained indifferent to it all, knowing the answer: "_Don't tell me he's still concerned over that…_"

"Why get up?" Honemaru asked as Takaru shakingly got back to his feet. "Just now, I missed you spine on purpose, otherwise you'd be paralyzed by now. That alone should help you realize the gap…"

"Yeah, well, thanks for sparing my health, but I'm afraid you may regret that yet" the scar-faced boy replied, huffing slightly. "I can't just get beaten in such a lame way. I'm the son of Tsunade and I made myself a promise that I will not rest until I surpass her! There's no way I'll be failing here that easily!"

"I see" the sand-nin nodded calmly with understanding. "So you too need to prove something" he announced, forcing Takaru to widen his eyes from surprise. He did not had time to ask as Honemaru charged again, ripping out his spinal cord and pointing its tip at his heart.

"_Well, this is new_" Futatsu thought with a smirk.

As the spear came close enough, the scar-faced boy flipped, resting his palm on top of the spine. Using that as his springboard, he bounced forward, throwing both legs at the Suna gennin's chest. The attack connected, however the effect was much less then the son of Tsunade desired as Honemaru merely slide few inches back, generally unharmed.

"_He strengthened his ribs again!_" Galu noticed immediately, while the white-haired boy went into a twist, spinning his weapon above head as well. Propped by the momentum, the spear turned into a blur as it went for Takaru's face, giving the boy too little time to react.

The Leaf shinobi managed to lean back in time to avoid the chop, yet the sharp tip still scratched his face, leaving a long cut from ear to ear. The attack didn't stopped there though and in a blink of an eye Honemaru spun his spear again, thrusting the other end forward, piercing the lower part of Takaru's chest, making the scar-faced boy bend over, gasping for air.

"_Honemaru has the upper hand_" Karame thought to himself while the white-haired teen pulled his spear out of his adversary's gut, readying himself to land another blow. His attention however got diverted to a suspicious, sizzling sound that reached his ears and as he glanced at his spine, he noticed an explosive tag attached to the weapon only a millisecond before the note went off, covering the area with dust.

"_A smokescreen, eh?_" the sand-nin figured between coughs as he jumped back, escaping the cloud that hindered his view. "_Surely he didn't think that would break my weapon, so he used that to buy some time… he's probably hiding somewhere in the trees… I could go and search, but what's the point in that?_"

"Such a cheap trick" Senkou commented with a straight face as he stared at the arena. Kogane on the other hand had very different thoughts running through her head: "_Takaru-kun… is actually losing?_" Ibuki didn't react. She just narrowed her eyes, still focused on the battle.

"Sorry, Naruto-san, but that kid has no chance of winning against Honemaru" Temari stated, shifting her gaze to the blond jounin, who merely smirked at the comment: "Just like Kai had no chance of winning against that scythe fellow? I'm afraid you're giving my gennin too little credit. You two just watch; Kai wasn't the only one to improve during that month's time" he announced, making Kankuro raise his eyebrow in curiosity as he glanced back to the arena.

"_This is not good_" the scar-faced boy analyzed, forming a quick seal as he rested his back against the tree. In a flash green chakra surrounded his palms, which he then used to wipe the newly-inflicted cut from his face, while the other got placed upon his chest, making the new wound close itself slowly. "_In terms of close-range he exceeds me and by quite much so… plus those bones of his are starting to be a real pain… in more ways then one. My only option is to try those techniques Sasuke-san taught me, but last time I used these… I almost ended up getting blown to bits! If I screw up…_"

"Takaru, what the hell do you think you're doing?" a familiar voice rang in his ears, coming from the platform. As he glanced in that direction, he saw Kai standing there, his body covered in bandages and plasters, yet a wide smirk showing on his face: "Do I really need to remind you how pathetic you look every, single time? Finish this already!"

"Screw you, Dead Last!" the son of Tsunade shoot back. "You're not allowed to comment when you lost your fight earlier!" he added and then shifted back to Honemaru, smiling under his nose: "_That guy… I honestly don't know if I want to kill him or thank him_" he said to himself as he began gathering chakra: "Hey, bone boy, this is where it ends! Allow me to show you what I have learned during the past month!" and with that his hands blurred in an array of seals…

_**---the hero ret**__**urns… and Takaru makes a gamble!---**_

Yes, Kai finally returns to the scene, although quite battered. And the fight between Takaru and Honemaru heats up in a very literal sense. Hope that you liked this installment and please, review. It'd mean a lot if you did. Now, as usual, bellow there's a list of gennin teams and the match-up for the tournament, along with the jutsu encyclopedia, although this time around it'll only be translations, coz I'm kinda drained… besides, except Kasai Taihou, all the techniques were used before, so by skimming through NNG you should be able to recall them.

**Konoha #7 (Naruto):** Murasakki Kumiko, _Tanken Ibuki_, Gekido Takaru, Hagane Kusari, _Haisha Kai_

**Konoha #3 ****(Shikamaru):** _Konpaku Rei_, _Rikoteki Kogane_, Amagasa Toku, Debano Kitsune, _Gusoku Hanamaru_

**Konoha #4 (Hinata):** _Igaku Mikka, Inuzuka Tsume_, Benda Kokoro, _Hatake Senkou_, Kobushi Galu

**Konoha (Shino):** Hamano Taki, Hyuuga Hitomi, Manako Akira, Tanken Funbo, Horohoro

**Suna #1 (Temari):** Aoru, Torune, Honemaru, Tarakudo, Takai

**Suna #2 (Kankuro):** Sabaku no Sabure, Hari, Dekai, Horamaru, Karame

**Kusa (none):** Hokku Tobane, Kanraku Nezumi, _Kuchibashi Taka_, Kyohaku Tokame, Wanabi Hizoku

**Ame (unknown):** _Kasano Youji, Nokogiri Karei, Eshaku Ryo_, Furikuzu Tsuino, _Hebereke Nazaa_

**Tsuki (Hinami Hoshiru):** Junsei Teela, Tenka, _Chishio Nobu, Chishio Kumo, Kihako Tasuki_

**Kane (unknown):** _Futatsu_

**Fight 4:** Honemaru (7) vs. Gekido Takaru (8) – in progress

**Fight 5:** Benda Kokoro (9)vs. Horamaru (10)

**Fight 6:** Furikuzu Tsuino (11) vs. Tarakudo (12)

**Fight 7:** Manako Akira (13) vs. Dekai (14)

**Fight 8:** Hyuuga Hitomi (15) vs. Tenka (16)

**Fight 9:** Hokku Tobane (17) vs. Sabaku no Sabure (18)

**Fight 10:** Murasakki Kumiko (19) vs. Debano Kitsune (20)

**Fight 11:** Junsei Teela (21) vs. Kanraku Nezumi (22)

**Fight 12:** Horohoro (23) vs. Hagane Kusari (24)

**Fight 13:** Aoru (25) vs. Hamano Taki (26)

**Fight 14:** Torune (27) vs. Hari (28)

**Fight 15:** Amagasa Toku (29) vs. Kyohaku Tokame (30)

**Fight 16:** Kobushi Galu (31) vs. Karame (32)

**Fight 17:** Takai vs. Wanabi Hizoku

**Fight 18:** Tanken Funbo vs. ?

_Insei Tooriame_ (Meteor Shower)

_Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu_ (Fire Release: Grand Fireball Skill; in some translations known as the Blaze of Glory)

_Katon: Kasai Taihou _(Fire Release: Fire Cannon)

And that's it for this time around, but if you don't have enough, I invite you to try out my newest next generation fic, Legacy of the Leaf, which will be uploaded shortly.

Thanks again for reading and until next time, hopefully!


	129. Expectations

Finally I've managed to finish this chapter. To be honest, judging from how long it took me to write it down, I'd say that if I didn't had all, other things on my head, this one would be actually done in no time at all… oh well, beauty of life, I suppose.

I must admit that this chapter turned out a bit different then I first thought it will… at times I even felt like I was writing my "Dragon Blood" with Ren fighting… I sure hope that, in that regard, I haven't overdone Takaru… but that will be for you guys to judge.

I also noted that around this time, five years ago, this fic was published… I wish to celebrate the 5-year anniversary, but seeing as how I uploaded like 12 chapters over the past, two years, I'm not sure if I can allow myself to… I initially was planning to submit at least 26 chapters a year (one per two weeks) and, ironically, if you do multiply 26 by five you'd actually get 130, meaning I almost made it with quantity XD Kinda saddens me even more that due to different circumstances I got two years in the back

But enough of my rant. Before we start, I just wish to thank everyone who reviewed the previous chapter and ask all of you to leave a comment upon finishing to read this. It'd mean a lot. And now, lets get down to the show:

**Chapter #129: ****Expectations**

_**Title Page:**_ Kumiko is standing with a watering can in the center of a garden with a wide smile on her face

"Allow me to show you what I've learned in the past month!" Takaru yelled, flipping through a new set of hand seals. As the final symbol brought his hands together, flames gathered between his palms, which he quickly thrust at the ground with a call: "Katon: Gojinka!"

In a flash the ground shook, making Honemaru jump back on instinct. In the next moment fire erupted in the place he stood a second earlier, shooting to the sky. The sand-nin had no time to celebrate however as his feet felt another shake, to which he reacted by strafing left, barely avoiding another strike. Before long, the bone user found himself dancing around the arena as more flaming pillars sprung from below ground, each aimed at the exact spot he stood at.

With the last blast the white-haired boy came to a sudden stop as the final pillar shoot up just before him, glazing his face and thus leaving a small, burnt mark on his cheek, to which the artificial shinobi didn't react. Takaru on the other hand stared at his adversary, sweat appearing all over his face: "_He… evaded them all!_"

Suddenly burning pain exploded in his stomach, making the scar-faced teen to clench his teeth while his left eye twitch a bit: "_Damn, it didn't take_" he concluded, huffing slightly. "_Seems I still can't perform these skills correctly… I'll only manage a few, more tries before my body gives in…_" he realized while Honemaru charged at him, ripping bones out of his own arms.

As he beat the distance, the white-haired boy cut horizontally with his right hand, aiming at Takaru's head. The son of Tsunade ducked under the assault but as the calcium blade whistled over him, the leaf-nin's eyes widen as the other was thrust straight at his face.

As the spike was reaching him, the Konoha gennin tilted his head to the left, allowing the bone co scourge his right cheek. But as the blade went next to its target, the scar-faced boy grabbed it, completely ignoring the pain that came immediately through his hand as the skin on his palm got ripped. While the crimson liquid dripped from his arm, Takaru simply extended his other hand, letting the blood to fall upon it. With the first drops his arm flipped, performing a single-handed seal, much to everyone's surprise.

"_He can do that too?_" Horohoro flinched slightly as the younger leaf-nin's hand instantly got wrapped by flames. In a blink of an eye the flaming fist shoot forward, going after Honemaru's stomach. With his weapon still held by his adversary, the white-haired boy quickly let go of it and jumped to the sky, splitting his legs, thus avoiding the punch.

Takaru didn't waste time however and flipping the bone he was now in possession, he thrust it upwards at his opponent, who was still in mid-air. With no way to dodge, the sand-nin used his other, calcium blade to block the attack. To his surprise though, the scar-faced boy's other arm suddenly also burst into flames, which ran up the bone and shoot out, hitting the artificial shinobi death center in the chest.

As Honemaru got blasted back, Takaru readied himself to give chase, only to freeze at the sizzling sound that reached his ears. With a quick glance down he was a burning note that was dropping to the ground right beneath his feet, forcing him to jump back as the explosion engulfed the area.

"_He used Takaru's own fire to initiate the tag_" Toku quickly analyzed. "_To think that even taken off guard, he's capable of counter this easily… what a monster…_"

Takaru soared through the air with smoke lines following him. With a few, burnt wounds, he came to a sliding stop, his hands already flashing through more seals: "Katon: Kasai Tori!" he proclaimed as flames began rising from his body, forming a shape just above the boy, soon revealed to be a bird.

"_Isn't that the same technique Naruto-sensei used against that Kataki guy back in Stone Country?_" Kumiko realized, widening her eyes at the sight while the burning bird shoot straight at Honemaru, going through air with a sizzling sound. The sand-nin easily dodged by somersaulting over the phoenix, only to widen his eyes as the comet turned around, heading for the white-haired boy yet again.

"_A homing attack?_" was his first guess as he went into a dash the instant his feet touched the ground. The flaming form of the soaring predator followed, even as he went up the arena wall, forcing the bird to sky rocket. At this point the bone user found himself getting a tad irritated: "_I can't outrun it…_"

Meanwhile Takaru was finishing another technique, again taking in the air: "Katon: Kasai Hebi!" he exclaimed as a steam of flames blasted from his mouth, wriggling towards Honemaru who just got back to the ground with the phoenix still in hot pursuit. Seeing the new attack coming at him in the form of a vicious snake, the sand-nin came to an abrupt stop, the heat of the atmosphere forcing sweat from his body.

When the flames were no more then centimeters away, he jumped up, thrusting his hand downward as another bone shoot from it. The calcium spike dug into the ground, lifting the white-haired boy up as it kept extending, the two, burning creatures moving to fast to maneuver in time.

They collided in a powerful explosion of flames and heat, covering most of the arena in steam, much to Tarakudo's annoyance. Aoru only tightened her grip on the rail at the development, staring intensely at the aftermath of the action: "_Is Hone-chan okay?_" she wondered worriedly.

Soon the smokescreen cleared, revealing Honemaru standing calmly on the ground, the long bone he just used resting in his hand like a spear. Some of his robe got burned and one could see new, dark spots on various parts of his body, yet the sand-nin seemed generally okay, his face stoic like it usually has been.

Senkou's body shook, be it from excitement, anger or fear Ibuki could not tell, but seeing the masked gennin narrow his eyes was rarely a good sign; she knew this much from the day she meet him: "_To think in just one mouth he improved this much_" the son of Kakashi cursed in his mind. "_Compared to him, I…_"

"Way to go, Takaru-kun!" Kogane kept cheering, much to the silver-haired boy's further annoyance. Naruto, who at this time was standing on the other side of the stands, merely narrowed his eyes as well as he settled them on his student's huffing form: "_I know those techniques… they're from Uchiha Forbidden Scroll, skills so dangerous that even the clansmen themselves were banned from using. It's understandable that with the clan being reduced to just few people Sasuke would try and master them, strengthening Uchiha position in the Leaf, but they're not of the level a gennin can execute! The aftereffects will destroy the kid's internal organs with just a few tries… Sasuke, you asshole, what the hell have you done? I didn't ask you to train Takaru for this!_"

"I must admit, Kusari-kun… your teammate is quite scary" Teela announced, though neither her voice nor expression suggested he spoke the truth, making the chain master sweat drop at her comment: "Y-yeah" he nodded, shifting his eyes away from the kunoichi. "To think he improved this much… I'm actually worried about running into him in the final…"

"Takaru-san may no reach that far" Kokoro cut in matter-of-factly with a stoic voice and as Kitsune questioned what he meant, the mind reader continued, his face indifferent, yet a note of concern could be caught as he spoke: "Just by looking, you should be able to tell these attacks put some sort of strain on his body… he's much more warned out then he should be from a simple, chakra exhaustion… I do not know what those effects might be, however judging from the state he's in, I'd assume two more of these techniques are his limit… if not less…"

At those words, Kai's eyes narrowed as he gazed back at the battlefield bellow, a tad depressed: "_Takaru…_" he worried as his teammate finished another set of seals: "Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu!" he yelled, making flames burst out of his mouth, but at a much lesser scale then his, previous attacks.

Honemaru easily dodged the assault, rolling to his right and instantly picking up the paste, appearing before his opponent's face faster then the latter could react. The artificial shinobi stopped just before the tip of his bone pierced through the scar-faced boy's chest. The white-haired teen stared into the leaf-nin's eyes with an emotionless gaze for a moment, neither of the two moving an inch.

"You're not gonna dodge?" he asked finally as Takaru glanced down, almost as if he just spotted the bone near his gut. "I didn't aim at the vital points, but this'll still hurt, possibly disable you completely… you should move…"

At this, the other boy merely smirked with sweat going down his face: "I would like that… only I'm not fast enough… I saw the attack, I knew it was coming… but what good are quick eyes if the body can't react? My body is reaching its limit… I doubt I can go on…"

"Then give up" Honemaru purposed simply, remaining still.

"I can't do that either" the Leaf gennin responded, his smirk widening. "I already told you: as Tsunade's son I can't go down that easily, especially with most of Konoha watching. And there's also that dope up there… if I just give up, he'll never let me hear the end of it…"

"Yes, that was more or less what you said" the sand-nin nodded, finally retreating his bone, much to Takaru's surprise. "Believe it or not, but I understand that pain… having all eyes turned to you with expectations, just because of your heritage… I know that feeling all too well" he admitted, lowering his head. "I was created as the perfect weapon, my only reason for existence was to fight… to kill… to serve Suna as their faithful soldier. I was different from Takai and Tarakudo, I was a success… I was preciously what the project expected to achieve; the clone of Kaguya… the one destined to greatness" he recalled, making Kakashi glanced at Gaara, who shocked him by avoiding eye-contact.

"I'm not even human" Honemaru went on, putting the bone back into his body. "I'm a tool, in every sense of the word. I live only to serve and to succeed. No-one expects more of me… but the thing is, I no longer strive for that" he announced, glancing at the platform to settle his eyes on Takai and manage a smile of his own, for the first time letting his emotions show. "Not in that way at least. I strive to succeed for Hidden Sand's sake, but not because I'm expected to do so… but because I _want_ to do so! As insignificant as it may be, I wish to have that illusionary freedom that I do have a say in who I become… and what I want, is to become a champion in my own right… not as Kaguya's clone… but as Honemaru…"

At this Takaru smirked, lowering his head a bit: "I see… well then, not much any of us can really do then… truthfully, my body can't take much more of the strain, but I will admit that I respect your resolve… this is why I'm gonna honor you by putting my life on the line… I'll finish this with the attack, the ultimate, fire jutsu, invented by Uchiha Madara himself!"

"_Wha…?_" Kakashi's eyes widen at the info while Naruto prepared himself to step into the arena: "_This is not good!_" he cursed as his student already began the new set of seals. Saiken only smiled under his headgear: "_This should be fun…_"

Honemaru gave a small nod as he charged at his adversary, bones growing from every inch of his body: "Let us prove our worth then!" he called, figure getting engulfed with a calcium armor, filled with spikes, that left only tiny openings for eyes, turning the sand-nin into a white tank.

As he came inches before Takaru, the scar-faced teen finished his technique as well, having flames burst up from his body: "Katon: Kasai Arashi!"

_**-the ultimate attack… and its effect?-**_

And so this chapter is concluded. Hope you enjoyed it. Please tell me what you think of it. As usual, below there's a jutsu list and character list, along with the fight rooster for the final exam:

_Katon: Gojinka_ (Fire Release: Volcanic Eruption)

_Katon: Kasai Tori_ (Fire Release: Fire Bird)

_Katon: Kasai Hebi_ (Fire Release: Fire Snake)

_Katon: Kasai Arashi_ (Fire Release: Firestorm)

**Konoha #7 (Naruto):** Murasakki Kumiko, _Tanken Ibuki_, Gekido Takaru, Hagane Kusari, _Haisha Kai_

**Konoha #3 ****(Shikamaru):** _Konpaku Rei_, _Rikoteki Kogane_, Amagasa Toku, Debano Kitsune, _Gusoku Hanamaru_

**Konoha #4 (Hinata):** _Igaku Mikka, Inuzuka Tsume_, Benda Kokoro, _Hatake Senkou_, Kobushi Galu

**Konoha (Shino):** Hamano Taki, Hyuuga Hitomi, Manako Akira, Tanken Funbo, Horohoro

**Suna #1 (Temari):** Aoru, Torune, Honemaru, Tarakudo, Takai

**Suna #2 (Kankuro):** Sabaku no Sabure, Hari, Dekai, Horamaru, Karame

**Kusa (none):** Hokku Tobane, Kanraku Nezumi, _Kuchibashi Taka_, Kyohaku Tokame, Wanabi Hizoku

**Ame (unknown):** _Kasano Youji, Nokogiri Karei, Eshaku Ryo_, Furikuzu Tsuino, _Hebereke Nazaa_

**Tsuki (Hinami Hoshiru):** Junsei Teela, Tenka, _Chishio Nobu, Chishio Kumo, Kihako Tasuki_

**Kane (unknown):** _Futatsu_

**Fight 4:** Honemaru (7) vs. Gekido Takaru (8) – in progress

**Fight 5:** Benda Kokoro (9)vs. Horamaru (10)

**Fight 6:** Furikuzu Tsuino (11) vs. Tarakudo (12)

**Fight 7:** Manako Akira (13) vs. Dekai (14)

**Fight 8:** Hyuuga Hitomi (15) vs. Tenka (16)

**Fight 9:** Hokku Tobane (17) vs. Sabaku no Sabure (18)

**Fight 10:** Murasakki Kumiko (19) vs. Debano Kitsune (20)

**Fight 11:** Junsei Teela (21) vs. Kanraku Nezumi (22)

**Fight 12:** Horohoro (23) vs. Hagane Kusari (24)

**Fight 13:** Aoru (25) vs. Hamano Taki (26)

**Fight 14:** Torune (27) vs. Hari (28)

**Fight 15:** Amagasa Toku (29) vs. Kyohaku Tokame (30)

**Fight 16:** Kobushi Galu (31) vs. Karame (32)

**Fight 17:** Takai vs. Wanabi Hizoku

**Fight 18:** Tanken Funbo vs. ?

With this, I believe I can close this chapter. Hopefully you'll drop by with the next installment. Until then!


	130. Because I'm Special

Done! I must admit that this chapter turned out to be much more troublesome then I intentionally thought it will, but all things considered I'm quite happy with the final effect. It may not be as spectacular as I hoped, but I sorta feel some sort of edge to it. All besides the title I'd pass as "acceptable" ^^'

Naturally, I wish to thank everyone who reviewed the previous chapter, although the number of reviewers is much smaller then I hoped. Either way I really appreciate you taking time out of your lives to leave a comment. It truly means a lot.

Now, before I start, just on a side note, I wish to inform everyone that my other, next generation fics are updated as well: "Those…" finally gets revived, while LoL is getting continued… we'll see for how long.

And with that, let me invite you to the newest installment in NNG series!

**Chapter #130: Because I'm Special**

_**Title Page:**_ Takaru is holding his hand out with split fingers, each blasting off a steam of flames

Takaru blew smoke out of his mouth as the fire died down before him, leaving black earth. Sasuke nodded towards the boy with approval as he observed the effects of the technique: "Good… you're learning much faster then I have anticipated" he admitted, looking to the side for a split second: "_I guess that's the reason he's so keen on retrieving you_" he added to himself before speaking up again: "I have not heard of anyone being able to perform so many of these attacks in such a short spam of time. Most admirable."

"Thank you, Sasuke-sensei" the scar-faced boy replied respectably with a bow, to which the ANBU merely frown: "No use for honorifics, especially since I'm doing this as a favor… and redemption" he whispered the last part, making the son of Tsunade gaze at him confused, yet the Sharingan master said nothing more in that regard: "I suppose we should move on to something else... but teaching you any more of these techniques of that level would probably be pointless, since what you learned should suffice for the exam itself. This is why I'm gonna show you something different…"

"What?" Takaru urged as his sensei smirked: "It's considered the most devastating of all Uchiha techniques. In general, its range and power makes it perfect to fight large numbers of opponents…"

"But if it's for a massive battle, then wouldn't it be a waste of time right now?" asked the young gennin a bit confused. "The final exam is supposed to consist of one on one battles… it's not like I'll be able to use this skill in these conditions…"

"You never know what might prove useful and when" Sasuke castigated his student. "Especially with the current situation. That is why I'm gonna teach you a very specific jutsu, but before that you must be aware of one thing: you noticed that using these, fire techniques put a strain on your body?" he questioned, making the boy nod. "That's because they burn chakra directly from your body… once you master them, the aftereffects will lessen, but I doubt you'll manage to advance that far within a month… anyway, the skill I'm about to perform is the most chakra-draining of them all… it's a gamble you take when there's no, other way. It doesn't matter how much energy you possess, upon activating this jutsu, it consumed most of it, leaving you, in a very literal sense, dry. However, dodging it is near impossible... once I'm done, you're gonna try it" he announced as he began a new set of seals…

Takaru was kneeling on the ground, smoke escaping his body, desperately catching his breath as the area around the two got burned to ash. The Sharigan user glanced around calmly, his face as stoic as ever: "Well, not bad for your first try, although it's obvious you still have a long way to go before you manage to contain it. Also, your blockade leaves a lot to be desired for, since just now you almost used all you chakra... if I haven't gave you some of my own, you would have died… I suppose, all things considered, it was too early to show you that one…"

"Just you wait, Sasuke-sensei" Takaru responded with a smirk, huffing heavily, gaining the man's attention. "I'll master this technique before the exam" he proclaimed and as the ANBU asked 'how so', the boy answered with confidence beaming from his voice: "Because I'm special…"

-End Flashback-

Flames burst out of Takaru's body as he completed the technique: "Katon: Kasai Arashi!" In a flash a pillar of fire shoot to the air, breaking into tens of sparkles at the top of its flight while steams of flames blasted in every direction from the boy's feet, scourging the ground.

Immediately Lee jumped away, running up the wall to the honorary lounge, apologizing to people gathered there: "Forgive my intrusion, but I'm afraid it's not safe for me to remain below for the time being…" he explained, receiving a nod from Kakashi and a tiny smirk from Gaara. Genmei and Shinkou remained indifferent, but Satsuki couldn't help herself to comment: "Hunks are always welcome…"

Saiken narrowed his eyes at the sight, feeling a single drop of sweat running down his face: "_What the hell is that technique?_" he asked himself, for the first time getting a bit scared. Worry also struck Torune's face as she stared at the happening down on the arena, flames obsrucing her view: "_Honemaru…_"

The bone user automatically jumped back as fire engulfed his target, heat itself making his body produce sweat beneath his calcium armor. His eyes traveled to the sky from where burning meteorites fell, ready to finish the job the wriggling steams of flames began. The white-haired boy instantly realized he was surrounded by a ring of fire, blocking any of his escape routes.

He quickly started moving around the little space he was left, doing his best to avoid the deadly rain, but with every drop, the ground was set on fire, riding him of precious inches of his maneuver area. Finally he was incapable of dodging all the sparkles, receiving a blow to his back, at which he allowed himself to grimace from pain, even though the armor took most of the damage.

"_I won't hold out long like this_" he realized, feeling his shell cracking as another meteor hit his left arm. In a desperate attempt he flipped, making his spine shoot from the back of his neck and striking the ground. The bone kept extending, pushing his body away, over the flames that were trapping him as he readied himself to land on his feet.

Before he managed to do that another fireball came from above, hitting him dead-center in the chest, making the spine break and smashing the sand-nin to the ground. Honemaru had no time to even grown as a fiery steam came at him, forcing the boy to roll out of the way, barely avoiding another hit.

By now smoke wrapped around the area, making things even harder for the white-haired teen's sight. His armor was already gone from the left arm and his lower back. The plates on the chest were about to follow. At this rate, his downfall was immanent: "_I need to stop this jutsu_" he concluded, his face still stoic as he dodged a few more meteorites.

"Dammit, when did Takaru learned that sort of technique?" Kai demanded, tightening his grip on the rail. The one to answer was, surprisingly, Takai: "My guess is during that month-time between eliminations and now" he announced calmly, earning a confused glance from Aoru: "_Wait… was he actually trying… to make a joke?_"

"To quote a popular, Konoha phrase" Kusari cut in, his body shivering from both fear and excitement. "Duh… question is how did he managed to make this much progress in such a short amount of time! I mean, he's still a gennin!"

"_True_" Hizoku admitted in his mind as his eyes traveled to the honorary lounge. "_Makes one wonder; since a gennin has this much power, then what of the Hokage? Now I'm really starting to doubt I have a chance at completing my own mission…_"

"You're really getting worked up over flashy tricks" Horamaru stated with an evil smirk plastered on his face. "It doesn't matter how powerful the technique, this still won't do… that Leaf brat can't win…"

Honemaru ripped another bone from his body as he charged through the smoke, strafing left and right when the sparkles came from above. Finally locating his adversary, he sped up, his eyes set on Takaru's body that was wrapped in flames. While he came closer, airborne scourges began shooting from the scar-faced boy's body in random directions. As one went for the white-haired boy horizontally to the ground, the sand-nin ducked under the assault without slowing down.

But as soon as his head lowered, a steam traveling on the ground came his way with a sizzling sound. Left optionless, Honemaru jumped up, blasting through the steam he just dodged, ignoring the pain that hit his back as well as the fact his back armor cracked further. His grip still tight on the bone, he prepared a swing, aiming for the Leaf gennin's head.

Yet as he was still in mid-air, another meteor struck, smashing his right shoulder and putting his body into an involuntary spin. Thrown off course, the bone user thrust his weapon down, making the 'spear' dig into the ground, stopping his momentum. This gave him a chance to stretch his other arm and blast another bone from his palm, once more going for his opponent's head.

Takaru managed to avoid the attack however be tilting his head to the left, making the bone go inches away from its target. The Suna teen was not done though and using his immobile weapon, he put himself into a spin, delivering a kick to the son of Tsunade's face, riding his leg of the armor as the hit connected with the flame-wrapped body of his adversary.

As the scar-faced boy's body was sent flying, another scourge got released, smashing Honemaru's face, forcing a flip. As his head came towards the ground, the white-haired gennin rolled, avoiding a concussion and coming to a stop, he threw his hands to the sides, unleashing a barrage of small bones that hit Takaru, making the leaf-nin fall to his back, the flames around his figure finally extinguished.

The storm soon followed, clearing the surrounding area, thus allowing the spectators to see what was going on. The whole arena remained silent as both combatants slowly rose back to their feet, their bodies shaking from fatigue and pain.

The two stood before one another, huffing. All that was left of the bone user's armor was the cracked cover of his head, while his opponent had to deal with blood that now dripped from all his limbs and chest. He vision was getting blurry as he felt his legs shake.

"That's quite a technique" Honemaru admitted as his skull helmet broke into pieces, leaving the rest of his bone armor laying on the ground. Countless burns ached on his body as he stood, his face calm as usual. Takaru on the other hand dropped to his knees, doing his best to gathered at least some air in his lungs. At this the white-haired boy merely gave him a sad look before speaking up again: "But I'm afraid I win…"

_**-**__**another of Naruto's students fall?-**_

Phew, it's done. Hope you enjoyed the chapter. And please, write a review before leaving. It'd certainly help me get motivated to continue writing. Next up this match is officially finished and the eliminations move forward And, as usual, below you find the list of gennin along with the finals match-up:

**Konoha #7 (Naruto):** Murasakki Kumiko, _Tanken Ibuki_, Gekido Takaru, Hagane Kusari, _Haisha Kai_

**Konoha #3 ****(Shikamaru):** _Konpaku Rei_, _Rikoteki Kogane_, Amagasa Toku, Debano Kitsune, _Gusoku Hanamaru_

**Konoha #4 (Hinata):** _Igaku Mikka, Inuzuka Tsume_, Benda Kokoro, _Hatake Senkou_, Kobushi Galu

**Konoha (Shino):** Hamano Taki, Hyuuga Hitomi, Manako Akira, Tanken Funbo, Horohoro

**Suna #1 (Temari):** Aoru, Torune, Honemaru, Tarakudo, Takai

**Suna #2 (Kankuro):** Sabaku no Sabure, Hari, Dekai, Horamaru, Karame

**Kusa (none):** Hokku Tobane, Kanraku Nezumi, _Kuchibashi Taka_, Kyohaku Tokame, Wanabi Hizoku

**Ame (unknown):** _Kasano Youji, Nokogiri Karei, Eshaku Ryo_, Furikuzu Tsuino, _Hebereke Nazaa_

**Tsuki (Hinami Hoshiru):** Junsei Teela, Tenka, _Chishio Nobu, Chishio Kumo, Kihako Tasuki_

**Kane (unknown):** _Futatsu_

**Fight 4:** Honemaru (7) vs. Gekido Takaru (8) – in progress

**Fight 5:** Benda Kokoro (9)vs. Horamaru (10)

**Fight 6:** Furikuzu Tsuino (11) vs. Tarakudo (12)

**Fight 7:** Manako Akira (13) vs. Dekai (14)

**Fight 8:** Hyuuga Hitomi (15) vs. Tenka (16)

**Fight 9:** Hokku Tobane (17) vs. Sabaku no Sabure (18)

**Fight 10:** Murasakki Kumiko (19) vs. Debano Kitsune (20)

**Fight 11:** Junsei Teela (21) vs. Kanraku Nezumi (22)

**Fight 12:** Horohoro (23) vs. Hagane Kusari (24)

**Fight 13:** Aoru (25) vs. Hamano Taki (26)

**Fight 14:** Torune (27) vs. Hari (28)

**Fight 15:** Amagasa Toku (29) vs. Kyohaku Tokame (30)

**Fight 16:** Kobushi Galu (31) vs. Karame (32)

**Fight 17:** Takai vs. Wanabi Hizoku

**Fight 18:** Tanken Funbo vs. ?

That it for now. Thanks for reading and especially for reviewing. Until next time!


	131. True Shinobi

Yep, another update. This one came fast, since much of it was done even before chapter 130 was finished. And good thing too, coz the past week I had virtually almost no free time, especially to write. Pays up to plan ahead, I suppose

As usual I wanna thank everyone who reviewed (granted I'm a bit worried with the number of reviews for the past two chapters or so in general). It really means a lot and it was the main drive I got to finish up this installment that fast. With what's coming in the next week, I doubt I'll have much more, free time then this week, so certainly so encouragement to keep writing will be nice and helpful to get chapter 132 done sooner, so do review *makes puppy eyes*

And now, on with the "show":

**Chapter #131: True Shinobi**

_**Title Page:**_ Ibuki is trapped in a high tower in a princess-like dress is gazing at a fantasy birds that flies around her prison

"Looks like I win" Honemaru stated simply as Takaru gasped for air. The white-haired boy walked slowly towards his adversary, ripping another bone from his body: "It was quite admirable and that last technique was surely scary. I appreciate you going that far, but it also appears it left you dry… now you really won't be able to fight back, so this is the end…"

"Yes" the scar-faced boy nodded weakly. "This is the end" he repeated, slamming his hands to the ground with a yell: "Katon: Gojinka!" and in a blink of an eye fire blasted from below the sand-nin, hitting him death-center in the chest, throwing the surprised bone user to the sky, while the son of Tsunade helped himself up, his legs shaking from the fatigue.

As Honemaru dropped to the ground, unable to land on his feet, Takaru stared at him, still huffing heavily: "I was surprised to see you dodge Volcanic Eruption previously, but I also noted you got grazed by the final blast. That got me thinking why that was so. Gojinka is a complex technique, activating several… lets call them hot spots… bellow the ground, but it is impossible to shoot them all at once, because the strain on the body would be too great. This is why the jutsu itself only prepares these hot spots, which lay dormant until the user sends his chakra into them. It's kinda like chain reaction: the energy first activates one hot spot then jumps to the next. That last one managed to hit you, because it remained dormant up until the very end; chakra was collected in it and all it took was my command for it to explode. The effect was instantaneous, giving you less time to react… at least that's what I thought…"

"I see" the white-haired boy cut in as he still laid on the ground. "You used that firestorm to obscure my view and use Gojinka again to prepare another hot spot with chakra already in it. From there, all it took was to get me in the right place…"

"That's the gist of it" the scar-faced boy replied with a nod. "But, to be honest, I never thought I'll manage to pull that off, since my chakra was nearly gone…"

"So how did you manage to execute the jutsu?"

"I don't know" Takaru admitted simply as Lee appeared next to the two. "Most likely in a similar way you survived my firestorm… in simple terms I didn't want to lose… scratch that: I couldn't lose. That, very thought brought out new reserves of power from me. Normally, there's no way I could remain standing after all that, but I am. That is why I need to thank you… because of you, I'm even stronger…"

"Heh" the bone user smirked, once more allowing his face to show emotions. "You're not the only one of the two. That was a good fight… good luck in the tournament" he responded, receiving a nod from his adversary as Lee announced the result and medics appeared, putting the sand-nin on the stretcher: "_I wanted to be Suna's champion in my own right… for that reason I forbid myself to lose and yet… why does this feel that I got closer to what I've been chasing all this time?_" he wondered, widening his smile as he was taken to the infantry.

"_Shinobi value is measured by their ability to win battles_" Lee thought to himself as he gave each boy a quick glance. "_This is the sad truth of our world. That is why people is little skills are looked down upon. If one possesses potential for greatness, others expect nothing less from him. I can only imagine it must've been tough for these two, but during this match they threw away the desire to prove themselves to others. In stead, they wanted to prove their strength to themselves. To go over the edge for the sake of what you believe in… even being ready to lose or die for that very reason… in all honesty, that is what true shinobi should be like…_"

"Man, you suck" Kai announced once his teammate returned to the platform. "Look at you, you can barely stand! It's not like you'll be able to fight your next match. Pathetic" he teased while an urge to kill appeared on Takaru's face, having his arm get wrapped with flames: "Die!" was all he said, but even if he wanted to do anything more, he was stopped as a hand holding a small vial appeared before his face.

Glancing to the left, he noted Kumiko was the one to hold the mixture, handing it to the son of Tsunade: "Senkou dropped it off a moment ago. Kogane asked him to do so. This supposedly will restore your chakra faster, possibly allowing you to regain enough to at least walk out for the next match…"

The boy stared at the vial for a moment in silence and then grabbed the substance with a simple 'thanks' escaping his mouth. Kusari merely smirked at the sight, but then his face fallen at realization: "_Dammit, that guy is stealing my babes!_"

"I would have never expected Honemaru to lose" admitted Torune to no-one in particular. "It'd appear that Takaru fellow is quite an opponent" but before she could continue, Tarakudo interrupted her, still standing in the same position he was when the battle began: "You give the brat too much credit. If Honemaru were to get up after that last attack, there's no way he could do anything. If that firestorm wouldn't destroy Hone's bone armor, the final result would be entirely different."

"But it's not" Horamaru cut in with a smirk. "Honemaru proven to be an idiot, losing on his own accord. He could've ended the match earlier, but gave that scar-face a chance to perform another technique. That, in itself, was his downfall. How disappointing…"

"Horamaru" Takai spoke up calmly, gaining the blond boy's attention. "Being you I don't suppose you would understand his reasons to do what he did, however" and at this point he send the string user a death glare, making the teen's body twitch for a split second. "I will not allow you to bad mouth Honemaru in my presence. Is that understood?"

The sand-nin didn't reply immediately, still taken aback slightly, yet soon he regained his composure, walking towards the rail: "Whatever… I don't have time to argue anyway, since my match is coming up…"

"Takaru-kun won!" Kogane yelled, hugging Hanamaru in a spur of a moment, forcing the boy to blush at the revelation. The sudden commotion even made Rei to crack open one eye as she stared at her teammate with a bored expression: "Hey, quite down, some of us are trying to sleep" and in a flash she was back to snoring, making everyone sweat drop at the scene.

"Well, it's Kokoro's turn now" noted Tsume calmly. "I don't suppose that match will take long" she proclaimed, yet Mikka didn't seem so sure of that: "I-I d-don't know, T-Tsume-chan… t-those sand-n-nins… there's j-just something a-about them…"

"Come on, you can't be seriously worrying about Kokoro" the dog kunoichi responded, giving her companion a gaze like she was stupid. "With his bloodline, how could he lose? Right, Senkou?" she asked, turning towards her other teammate, yet the masked gennin didn't reply, keeping his eyes on the arena bellow.

"To think Honemaru would lose… so unexpected" Temari admitted, turning towards the Leaf's jounin. "Seems as though I owe you an apology, Naruto-san" she announced, but the blond waved it off: "Don't bother, your student did amazingly also and, in a way, they both won" he added, yet still narrowed his eyes: "_However, using this many of Uchiha forbidden techniques, his body should be at its limit… to still be able not only to stand but even walk around… that boy is growing to be a real monster…_"

"Hey, settle down" Kankuro joined the conversation with a stern glance. "Your students may have fought well, but now it's Horamaru's turn. I wish to know how he'll do" he stated, making the whisker-marks nod and gaze back to the arena.

"Well, the fight is over, but the battlefield is pretty much wiped" noted Satsuki with a frown. "That might be a problem" she stated, but Kakashi merely glanced at her and then turned over his shoulder when an ANBU appeared a moment later: "Neji-san, call for Yamato… his nature reconstructing skills should prove useful" he announced, to which the masked ninja only nodded and disappeared again.

"_To be able to pull out this much chakra, especially in these conditions_" Saiken analyzed calmly, yet sweat still managed to find its way onto his face. "_I guess the reason why HE is so interested in this boy just got so much clearer… was this why he was born in the first place?_"

-That time, medical wing-

Reiji slowly opened his eyes, pain shooting through his body as he attempted to get up. Naturally, his muscles resisted, but the bald gennin ignored their screamed and sat, his mind still in a slight daze. He didn't even realize he was not alone in the room until a feminine voice reached his ears: "Oh, you're finally awake… certainly you took you time doing so…"

He gazed to his left, giving Naginata a tired glance. Hogosha, who stood beside her, merely nodded towards the axe wielder with his arms crossed, not saying a word. Finally the Kane team's leader spoke, a bit too slowly for his taste: "Why are you guys here?"

"What do you mean?" the kunoichi asked, obviously insulted. "You got badly injured fighting that redhead! It's only natural we were worried and decided to come and visit! It's not like other matches are of any, real concern to us anyway…" she added, to which Reiji didn't respond at first. But as her words sunk in, he allowed a weak smile as he turned away from the two.

"So… what do we do now?" the blue-haired boy wondered as the bald gennin stared at the wall. Without facing his teammates, the axe wielder replied, seemingly ignoring the question: "Where's Futatsu?"

"He wanted to stay at the stadium" Naginata answered simply.

"I see" Reiji nodded, getting off his bed to stand on his feet. This made him lose balance, but the Kane ninja quickly propped himself against the bed frame, avoiding the fall. In a flash he regained his posture, standing up straight, even though his body ached and shivered: "Lets go home" he said in a slightly ordering tone, answering Hogosha question.

"Should I get Futatsu then?" the girl asked, looking at him quizzically.

"No" the bald boy responded immediately, picking up his axe. "We came here to become chuunin, but failed… Futatsu however still has his battle to fight… one that we are not allowed to partake in. Perhaps we'll see him again yet, but until then… I'm tired and I wish to go home" he added with a warm smile as he gazed at his companions, making the two exchange shocked glances at his behavior.

-Back to the arena-

"Fifth match: Benda Kokoro from Konoha against Horamaru from Suna!" Lee announced as the two fighter stood before each other in the middle of the arena. "BEGIN!" he ordered, jumping away, which proven unnecessary, as neither of the gennin moved.

"You're that telepath, right?" the string user asked out of the blue, taking the other blond off guard. The mind reader only nodded, quickly regaining his stoic face as his opponent smirked: "This might be fun then…"

"Really?" Kokoro responded with a somewhat weak smile as he felt enormous pressure drop upon him. "That's a first… normally when one learns they have to fight a telepath they freak out, knowing their adversary will be reading their minds, perfectly capable of countering anything they throw at him. Basically, for me to beat you, it shouldn't take more then a few minutes…"

"You think so, huh?" Horamaru replied, still smiling as his hand suddenly flipped. The young Benda only managed to widen his eyes in surprise as his left cheek began aching, its skin split and crimson liquid starting to run down his face. Seeing this, Tsume reacted immediately: "What the…? Someone wounded Kokoro? That's not possible! How did he…?" she asked, turning to her companions, yet none responded; Mikka kept a shocked expression upon her while Senkou allowed a single drop of sweat to run down his face. Ibuki narrowed her eyes, her body shivering slightly: "_Could that sand-nin…?_"

Kokoro on the other hand had no trouble determining what has transpired: "_This guy… I couldn't read his mind!_" he said to himself as his breath became faster. The Suna gennin widen his smile at the predicament, speaking up in a teasing tone: "Surprised? Personally I don't think that's such a big deal, you just suck at using your own bloodline limit. Let me tell you that any, experienced shinobi is capable of blocking his mind from outside attack. This is our primary defense against genjutsu. In order to break it, you must exceed your target in the usage of your own technique. I've trained all my life in order to kill the trio of monsters that took away my family… you're hundred years too early to fight me… if you thought a simple trick like mind-reading is gonna defeat me, then for that insolence… I'll give you death!" and with that his hands flipped again, making the strings close in on the leaf-nin from all sides…

_**-the worst, possibl**__**e opponent… is this Kokoro's downfall?-**_

And this concludes this chapter. Hope you enjoyed it and that you'll leave a comment before finishing up. Now it's Kokoro's turn to fight. Will he manage to defeat Horamaru, even with his thumb card taken away? I'd imagine most of you hope so, since the telepath was that much popular then the string user back in the day (heck, Kokoro was near top 10 with each poll, while Horamaru failed to get a single vote still).

As usual, here is the list of gennin, the finals match-up and a little 'extra' at the bottom:

**Konoha #7 (Naruto):** Murasakki Kumiko, _Tanken Ibuki_, Gekido Takaru, Hagane Kusari, _Haisha Kai_

**Konoha #3 ****(Shikamaru):** _Konpaku Rei_, _Rikoteki Kogane_, Amagasa Toku, Debano Kitsune, _Gusoku Hanamaru_

**Konoha #4 (Hinata):** _Igaku Mikka, Inuzuka Tsume_, Benda Kokoro, _Hatake Senkou_, Kobushi Galu

**Konoha (Shino):** Hamano Taki, Hyuuga Hitomi, Manako Akira, Tanken Funbo, Horohoro

**Suna #1 (Temari):** Aoru, Torune, Tarakudo, Takai

**Suna #2 (Kankuro):** Sabaku no Sabure, Hari, Dekai, Horamaru, Karame

**Kusa (none):** Hokku Tobane, Kanraku Nezumi, _Kuchibashi Taka_, Kyohaku Tokame, Wanabi Hizoku

**Ame (unknown):** _Kasano Youji, Nokogiri Karei, Eshaku Ryo_, Furikuzu Tsuino, _Hebereke Nazaa_

**Tsuki (Hinami Hoshiru):** Junsei Teela, Tenka, _Chishio Nobu, Chishio Kumo, Kihako Tasuki_

**Kane (unknown):** _Futatsu_

**Fight 5:** Benda Kokoro (9)vs. Horamaru (10) – in progress

**Fight 6:** Furikuzu Tsuino (11) vs. Tarakudo (12)

**Fight 7:** Manako Akira (13) vs. Dekai (14)

**Fight 8:** Hyuuga Hitomi (15) vs. Tenka (16)

**Fight 9:** Hokku Tobane (17) vs. Sabaku no Sabure (18)

**Fight 10:** Murasakki Kumiko (19) vs. Debano Kitsune (20)

**Fight 11:** Junsei Teela (21) vs. Kanraku Nezumi (22)

**Fight 12:** Horohoro (23) vs. Hagane Kusari (24)

**Fight 13:** Aoru (25) vs. Hamano Taki (26)

**Fight 14:** Torune (27) vs. Hari (28)

**Fight 15:** Amagasa Toku (29) vs. Kyohaku Tokame (30)

**Fight 16:** Kobushi Galu (31) vs. Karame (32)

**Fight 17:** Takai vs. Wanabi Hizoku

**Fight 18:** Tanken Funbo vs. Gekido Takaru

**Shang's mindless babbling:** you know, being in the middle of editing the first chapters of this story (to make them more 'user-friendly') I noticed something way back in chapter 14 and that is hinting Tasuki's (one of the moon-nins) clan, where I compared it to Hyuuga and Uchiha. To be frank I totally forgot all about that and I suppose none of you, dear readers, took much note of the little hint, but it kinda made me wonder how many of the hints dropped throughout the story I forgot about. I recall hinting Kokoro's abilities way back in chapter 29, when he was first introduced (or rather Tsume being ready to spill it out, just before Senkou stopped her) or Senkou using Body Flicker when he met up with Naruto students in the Forest of Death. I must say that even though no-one seems to take any note of these things (or at least you don't show it) it makes me somewhat nostalgic… the whole tournament and eliminations don't leave much room for these sort of 'extra installments', but I certainly will be getting back to them once the Chuunin Exam saga is officially over… especially since the nature of the next arc will most likely give me quite a bit of chances to exploit something like that

And that's really that for the time being. Thanks for stopping by and do review. Pretty please… until next time!


	132. Kokoro vs Horamaru

Phew, made it! I must admit this chapter proven to be a bigger bother then I imagined it'll be. Guess Kokoro's fights are gonna be tough to write (similar in scale to Shino's I presume)… or maybe I should blame Horamaru for this? Anyway, I don't feel like I managed to pull this off the way I'd want, so I do hope you'll bare with it and that you'll still find this chapter enjoyable.

As always I wish to thank everyone who reviewed. It really helped me get motivated to finish this installment, albeit it being a pain. I presume that until I reach fight 7 (Akira vs. Dekai) I'll be having a hard time writing what I intended in the final exam. ARGH!

On a side note, for all title page fans (although I'd assume there's no more then a handful of these… or perhaps I'm wrong? Care to clue me in on that?): sorry that Kusari didn't get his individual shoot in the newest series yet. He will, I just wanted to put this one up in the spirit of the current FIFA World Cup. I'm not gonna say that I follow it, holding my breath (especially since my country didn't make it to the tournament), but it is a great event and I am for anything that unites people (at least to some extend) all over the world, if only for a little while.

Without further ado, lets move on to the chapter itself:

**Chapter #132: Kokoro versus Horamaru**

_**Title Page:**_ the Leaf rookie boys are watching a football match on TV; Hanamaru is stuffing himself with chips, Kai, Kusari and Senkou are making a 'wave', Galu is flipping a tiny flag sweat dropping, Kokoro is standing behind the couch, propping his hands on it seat with a wide smile, Toku is sitting on the floor, staring at the screen, Takaru is sipping drinks from his cap, while Kitsune, on the opposite end of the couch, is sleeping

A fist collided with Horamaru's face, sending the boy to the sandy ground, lifting up dust as he dropped. The blond send his adversary a death glare, yet Tarakudo made nothing of it, staring at him with his left eye: "This is truly pathetic… how do you expect to beat me with that level of skills?" he asked while the other boy struggled back to his feet.

"Shut the hell up! I don't need a lecture from the likes of you! Eventually I'll surpass you and then kill you! Afterwards it'll be time for your so-called brothers! I will not rest until I send all three of you to hell!" he proclaimed, making the bandaged seven-year-old burst out laughing: "Really? Let me tell you then: that'll never happen."

"What do you know?" Horamaru shoot back, his face twitching with anger.

"Quite a bit, actually. Allow me to enlighten you" Tarakudo replied with surprisingly calm voice. "There's a very simple reason why you always lose to me; it's because, despite everything you say, you still lack it… the thirst for blood…"

-Flashback end-

Strings began closing in, forming circles all around frozen Kokoro. With the sunrays deflected by the thin lines, the telepath narrowed his eyes and suddenly charged forward, straight at the spot Horamaru was standing. Taking note of the deadly line that came right at the center of his face, the blond ducked and then jumped up, avoiding another then raced just above the ground towards his legs.

Somersaulting in mid-air, the leaf-nin picked out his kunai and filled the weapon with chakra, blocking the third string and using the instant the two blades collide to bounce back, back to the ground. The moment his feet touched the surface, he jumped forward again, flying parallel to the ground, thus managing to go between two, more strings that came from above and below.

Resting his hands on the ground, he rolled to the front, making the sixth string that fell from the sky scourge the surface on which he landed no more then a second earlier and now he saw inches away from his target.

"_Good_" Dekai complimented him in his mind. "_But not good enough_" and the instant that thought enter his mind, Kokoro torso got cut, spraying his blood before the boy while the telepath jumped back on instinct, his eyes wide as he stared at Horamaru, who still have not moved from the spot he stood.

The sand-nin smirked as the crimson liquid clapped against his face, allowing the boy to lick the drop that ran down near his mouth: "That was close… have you been a bit slower, you'd now be cut in two" he announced playfully as his adversary huffed, holding his bleeding chest.

"Damn, he didn't make it through!" Kai stated the obvious, his grip on the rail tight while Karame spoke up: "Frontal attacks based on physical combat won't do since the strings provide cover for wide areas" he explained, making the blond gaze at him confused. The mummy allowed himself to let out a sigh as he continued: "Think about it: every inch of the string is just as deadly as the other. With their lengths, each string renders the space it occupies blocked. Having one attached to each finger gives a total of ten strings. Even if Horamaru were to flip them randomly, with these strings mixing each others paths, the space through which one could pass becomes extremely thin, assuming there will be such left. Trying to break through something like that might be considered a suicide attempt…"

"So what can be done?" asked Kai with a worried expression. This time however it was Kumiko who answered his question: "Flank it, obviously. That is the only way, but judging from distance where the strings cut the surroundings, it's safe to assume their length covers at least a third of the field. Since that is so, even the space left to go around them is pretty slim…"

"Mind reading doesn't work" added Takaru, narrowing his eyes as a single drop of sweat traveled down his face. "But even if that was not the case, that string guy could just flip his fingers randomly and still have his attacks be just as dangerous… possibly even more then they already are. I hate to say this, but from the way that blond is acting, it's much safer if Kokoro would just surrender… otherwise, he may lose his life!"

"Give up is one thing Kokoro most certainly won't do" Galu announced with a stoic face and his arms crossed. "Since, if he did, that would go against everything he believes in" he said, making Kitsune snap at this: "Are you kidding me? What the hell is so important that he'd be ready to throw his life away for it?"

"Everyone forms their own priorities" Hizoku explained simply with understanding in his voice. "Not always preserving ones life is placed on the very top…"

"So what is it that he's willing to put his life on the line for in such a meaningless battle?" questioned Kusari, to which his green-haired peer responded instantly, lowering his head: "realizing his dream…" at those words Horohoro flinches slightly, but none of the gathered seemed to notice his reaction.

Meanwhile Horamaru swung his arms again, forcing Kokoro to strafe right in order to avoid another hit, yet the leaf-nin came to an abrupt stop and bend forward, making one string drop inches behind his back, while another flew horizontally just above his head. With his body still in that position, he placed his hand on the ground and spun on it, getting out of another string's way, yet the fifth scourged his arm, making the young telepath lose his balance. As the blond fell, another wire left a mark on his left leg while the boy landed very ungracefully.

"_Kokoro_" Hinata thought to herself as she observed her student, worry written all over her face. Simultaneously, Leaf rookies had very similar feelings: "He cannot win" stated Kogane sadly. "That Sand guy is barely leaving him room to dodge, left alone counter. He can't get through…"

"Certainly seems that way" Ibuki agreed with a nod. "Even if he were to use weapons, those strings will just deflect them. Unless Kokoro has something up his sleeve, this match is as good as decided" she added, to which Senkou merely smirked (_A/N: not that anyone could tell due to his mask_): "Well then, good thing he still has his trump card then…" he announced, making everyone gathered, expect for Rei who was still sleeping, to gaze at him curiously.

Horamaru threw his hands to the sides, flipping his fingers while the other blond charged forward, picking out two kunai, one from each palm. He ducked under the first string without slowing down and threw the knife in his left hand at his adversary's face as he himself somersaulted over the second string.

The third wire came at the young mind reader while he was still in mid-air, yet before it reached its target, the sand-nin was forced to bend to the right to avoid the projectile, throwing his own weapons off course. Thanks to that the string switched directions, going just above the spinning form of the Leaf gennin, allowing him to land safely on the ground and resume his sprint, occupying his left hand with a new kunai.

A quick strafe to the right let him dodge the fourth wire that came from above and then he was forced to flip back to the left, avoiding the fifth, all the while he was getting closer and closer to his target. With no more then inches away from his opponent, Kokoro ducked again, making the sixth string miss and just as he was about to thrust his knife at the older blond, ground beneath him suddenly split, uncovering a seventh string that rose up in an attempt to split him in two.

His instincts taking over, the leaf-nin rolled to the right, barely dodging certain death, yet his left foot was still scourged by the wire, making pain shoot through his leg as he landed. The telepath's eye twitch at the agony, while his teeth clenched as he flipped back a few times, escaping a new barrage of strings that came with a new flip of Horamaru's arm.

"_There's no way I can keep up in close range_" Kokoro concluded, a dreadful thought that lingered within from the very beginning of the match. "_What's more, this guy's capable of putting a barrier on his mind. I recall Yume mentioning something like that, but I never imagined someone of a gennin level was capable of such a feat. I basically have no options left, the only one being that secret skill… but if his barrier holds, seeing that he's a psychopath, if it fails… I'm as good as dead!_"

"Seems as though all you can do is run around" the sand-nin spoke with an evil smirk as he stared at his adversary playfully. "And I was actually hoping for some challenge. You're no fun at all… you're barely worth getting ripped to pieces. But, you're still worth it" he added, widening his smirk as his arm flipped again.

Kokoro was quicker and with four hand seals, he thrust his hands forward, catching the string user between his fingers: "Hijutsu: Ishindenshin!" he called out, in a flash making Horamaru's surroundings disappear in the darkness.

The confused, Suna gennin blinked a few times as the shadows that engulfed him began fading, revealing a completely new location. One that he was all too familiar with: a dim space filled with test tubes and boards covered in calculations. Top of the line medical equipment littered both the floor as well as the corners of the room while a small lamp swung back and forth from the ceiling in an annoying dance.

"What the…?" he began, looking around. "_This is my father's lab… a teleportation technique? No, that's no possible. There's no way someone of that level could perform a feat like this, especially through that long of a distance. Even that masked brat shouldn't be capable of doing that. So what is this? A genjutsu?_"

"That's about half right" he heard a voice and turning to the direction it came from, he narrowed his eyes, spotting Kokoro, who too was glancing around the hideout: "Charming place… I suppose it's to be expected of a sociopath such as yourself though…"

"What did you do?" the sand-nin demanded, losing his calm. "_And just now… did he read my mind?_" he suddenly flinched at the realization, but the other blond only smirked: "That's also only half right. In here, both of us can be considered telepaths. I have a full inside of your thoughts… and vice versa. But to answer your question… haven't you figured it out yet?" he asked curiously, immediately answering his own question: "No, of course not… I should be able to tell. I'll give you a hint then" he stated, staring at his adversary.

Horamaru's eyes widen at the news, face twisting in fury: "You gotta be kidding!"

"On the contrary" replied the Leaf gennin with a stoic face. "We're inside your mind…"

_**-enter the new nightmare!-**_

And this concludes this chapter! Hope you enjoyed reading it and do leave a comment before leaving. Not much to say really, so I'm just gonna close this with the jutsu translation as well as character list and the match-up:

_Hijutsu: Ishindenshin_ (Secret Skill: Mind Communication… rough translation)

**Konoha #7 (Naruto):** Murasakki Kumiko, _Tanken Ibuki_, Gekido Takaru, Hagane Kusari, _Haisha Kai_

**Konoha #3 ****(Shikamaru):** _Konpaku Rei_, _Rikoteki Kogane_, Amagasa Toku, Debano Kitsune, _Gusoku Hanamaru_

**Konoha #4 (Hinata):** _Igaku Mikka, Inuzuka Tsume_, Benda Kokoro, _Hatake Senkou_, Kobushi Galu

**Konoha (Shino):** Hamano Taki, Hyuuga Hitomi, Manako Akira, Tanken Funbo, Horohoro

**Suna #1 (Temari):** Aoru, Torune, Tarakudo, Takai

**Suna #2 (Kankuro):** Sabaku no Sabure, Hari, Dekai, Horamaru, Karame

**Kusa (none):** Hokku Tobane, Kanraku Nezumi, _Kuchibashi Taka_, Kyohaku Tokame, Wanabi Hizoku

**Ame (unknown):** _Kasano Youji, Nokogiri Karei, Eshaku Ryo_, Furikuzu Tsuino, _Hebereke Nazaa_

**Tsuki (Hinami Hoshiru):** Junsei Teela, Tenka, _Chishio Nobu, Chishio Kumo, Kihako Tasuki_

**Kane (unknown):** _Futatsu_

**Fight 5:** Benda Kokoro (9) vs. Horamaru (10) – in progress

**Fight 6:** Furikuzu Tsuino (11) vs. Tarakudo (12)

**Fight 7:** Manako Akira (13) vs. Dekai (14)

**Fight 8:** Hyuuga Hitomi (15) vs. Tenka (16)

**Fight 9:** Hokku Tobane (17) vs. Sabaku no Sabure (18)

**Fight 10:** Murasakki Kumiko (19) vs. Debano Kitsune (20)

**Fight 11:** Junsei Teela (21) vs. Kanraku Nezumi (22)

**Fight 12:** Horohoro (23) vs. Hagane Kusari (24)

**Fight 13:** Aoru (25) vs. Hamano Taki (26)

**Fight 14:** Torune (27) vs. Hari (28)

**Fight 15:** Amagasa Toku (29) vs. Kyohaku Tokame (30)

**Fight 16:** Kobushi Galu (31) vs. Karame (32)

**Fight 17:** Takai vs. Wanabi Hizoku

**Fight 18:** Tanken Funbo vs. Gekido Takaru

And that's it for NNG for the time being, but I do hope you'll tune in next time! Until then!


	133. Inside and Beyond

_**DYNAMIC UPDATTO:**_ man, it's been a while since I did those, but finally I'm capable of writing that ridiculous phrase again as I officially update all my "on-going" stories here (meaning the NNG you're reading now, LoL and "Those…"). Have fun!

Well, this certainly took me longer to finish then I'd expect. I can blame it on both lack of time as well as the feel of uniqueness of this chapter (you'll probably know once you read). I must admit that I made changes within as I went on, coz originally the content of this installment was supposed to be divided into two chappies. I shortened some things and squeezed that into one (it still came out a tad longer then usual), so sorry if a feeling of rush appears as you read.

As usual I wish to thank everyone who sacrificed their time to review, though I'll admit I'm a bit disappointed with the amount of comments. More on that in the next paragraph, but I do wish to make sure you guys know I really do appreciate your opinion.

**IMPORTANT:** this is a note to all you, dear readers; somewhat of a favor I'd like to ask. Now, I know a lot of you read the tale and don't review (or normally don't for whatever reason). I can accept that, BUT with as little free time as I'm recently experiencing and quite a load of problems on my head (which I won't bore you with) I REALLY need to know that I'm not writing this story for myself (mostly, coz there are reviewers). So the favor I'm asking you is that, even if you normally don't review, at least THIS ONCE leave a comment so that I'd have the general idea how many people are actually interested in the story, coz if the response will be minimal, it is highly possible this tale will be again put on hold, deemed "not worthy of sacrificing my precious, free time at the moment"!

And with that said, here's the latest, still fresh update of NNG:

**Chapter #133: Inside and Beyond**

_**Title Page:**_Kusari is sitting on a bike in a fitting, black outfit with a lot of chains decorating his body; one going from his nose to his ear, another from one nipple to another behind his back,third is used as a wristband, fourth is tied around his neck etc.

"Thank you for coming so quickly, Yume-san" Iruka greeted a thirteen-year-old girl with long, blonde hair, clipped in a ponytail, who wore a black and white outfit, that suddenly appeared before him. He gazed into her sky-blue eyes as he pointed towards the closet: "He's in there…"

"Yes… I know" responded the kunoichi, making the chuunin hesitated for a moment before nod: "Right… well, I'll just leave the two of you to your own business" he announced, this time making the female nod her head as she walked over to the door, awaiting for the scar-faced man to disappear behind the corner and then knocked softly on the wooden entrance.

"Kokoro-kun?" she asked politely, opening the door and entering the dark space, Immediately she noticed the blond eight-year-old, sitting in the corner, holding tight to his legs and rocking his body back and forth. He didn't even bother to glance at the kunoichi as he spoke like there was no-one there: "I can't make them stop, neesan… the voices just won't stop…" he proclaimed, grabbing his head. "They're everywhere… screaming in my head… and I can't make them stop!" he cried, his body taken over by a shiver.

"I know" she assured her brother, sitting next to him to wrap her arm around him. In an instant the boy clenched to her, burring his face in her chest, to which the kunoichi hesitated for a moment before embracing him. "I know" she repeated, stroking his head. "The awakening of our bloodline is never a pleasant experience. But it'll be alright. I'll protect you. I promise."

"I just want them to stop" Kokoro whispered again, sobbing softly. The girl kept stroking his head gently as she replied: "They will… soon you'll be able to control them. I'll make sure of that. I just want you to make me one, single promise" she asked, making her brother gaze at her eyes a bit confused. "Once you learn to control them, you will also listen…"

The boy froze for a moment, his skin turning a bit pale. Letting those voices in? Definitely not a solution he wanted. He stared at Yume with a plea in his gaze and just as he was about to reply, a warm smile appeared on her face, stopping his words before they even managed to leave his throat. Confused even more, another voice rang in his mind. A soft one. Possibly one that he needed to hear from the start.

And with a weak nod, he spoke, still in a whisper: "I promise…"

-Flashback end-

"In my mind, eh?" Horamaru asked with a smirk as he looked around once more. The other blond merely nodded at the question: "Yup. I would imagine this place is either some distant memory of yours or an image of a place that means something to you… I can't really tell since my abilities in here are a tad limited. I haven't mastered the jutsu yet…"

"Then I don't get it; why use a technique that doesn't provide you with an adventage?"

"Oh, I'm afraid you misunderstand" Kokoro replied, curiously scanning the surroundings. "This is your mind; your dominium. I can't control what's gonna happen… however I do have control over where we can go. Anything you keep in here… memories, hopes, fears… I can unleash them, regardless to how deep they're buried. I'd imagine you understood by now that fighting me is not a duel but a mental struggle. And so I'm gonna give you this one chance to give up and save yourself some very unpleasant experience."

"Go to hell!" Horamaru snapped, swinging his arms, but as the strings went into motion, the telepath performed a quick seal, making the surroundings change with the boy himself disappeared. The sand-nin now found himself on top of a tower in Suna; a small circle engulfed in a rail, while a man clad in black propping against on one end and five kids sitting on the opposite side.

"Now it's your turn to introduce yourselves" announced the man with purple markings, stopping his gaze at the redhead girl with a gourd on her back: "I have nothing to say" she proclaimed, giving her instructor a cold stare, albeit that didn't even made him flinch. Kankuro ignored the kunoichi's behavior for most part, shifting towards the other female.

"I'm Hari and that's all I'll be saying, since most of you know everything there is to know me already anyway" she stated, crossing her arms, to which the puppeeter's eye twitch as his sight moved on to the boy with a giant sword: "My name's Dekai and as for the rest of the questions… I really don't know the answer myself, so lets leave it at that…"

As those words sounded, the man gazed at the boy covered in bandages with a hopefully eye, making the young gennin look around nervously: "Well, my name's Karame. I like origami and art. There's nothing that I'd dislike that comes to my mind at this time, but I guess I feel uneasy whenever people don't get along" with that he quickly glanced to the final member of their cell with a single drop of sweat running down his face behind the bandages. "And as for dreams… I wish to make Suna understand that real worth is always hidden beneath…"

Kankuro nodded to the boy with approval, shifting his attention to the last in the bunch: "Horamaru. What I like and dislike shouldn't concern you, as well as my plans for the future, but know that whoever stands in my way of achieving those will be considered an enemy and dealt accordingly."

"If that is so, wouldn't it be helpful for us to know what those plans are?" the puppeteer pressed, making the blond narrow his eyes from annoyance: "I'd imagine my goals are commonly known in the entire village… I'm gonna kill the three monsters that took away my family!"

At this point Kankuro went on to explaining the upcoming test, but Horamaru stopped listening: "What, you wanna bore me to death? What is this anyway, recalling my graduation day? Either attack or let my rip you to pieces! I have no interest in the past!"

"_And yet it's the past that shaped you_" Kokoro's voice echoed through the area, making the string user's face twist in annoyance as the scenery changed again, this time to a narrow alley near the Academy with a boy whose face was covered in bandages about to walk out of it: "_I remember this_" Horamaru noticed, quickly glancing over his shoulder where he spotted himself, six years of age, landing in the pass between buildings.

"Tarakudo!" the blond called out, making the other boy stop and turn on his foot. He scanned the one that called his name for a moment before responding in a calm, almost bored, voice: "What the hell do you want?"

"I've come to kill you!" the boy snapped, unleashing a barrage of kunai and shuriken at his target. The bandaged kid easily dodged the projectiles though, immediately charging forward upon avoiding the last one. Horamaru took a step back at this, shocked by the development, but quickly recovered, tossing a smoke bomb under his own feet.

As his opponent's figure got covered, Tarakudo slowed down a bit while the air got filled with a whistle. Acting on instinct, he strafed right and giving chakra to his feet, stuck to the wall, running in the direction of the could from which more weapons flew, aimed at every inch of the alley.

But as the blades came, the bandaged boy kept on dodging, having the projectiles zoom pass him, striking the walls and ground. With the next knife going for his head, Tarakudo grabbed the kunai by the handle and jumped straight into the smoke, spinning in the air. With a thrust of his leg, he delivered a kick to the blonde's stomach, sending the future string user to the floor.

In a flash the bandaged boy pinned his adversary's right hand with his foot, while using the left arm to press against his chest. Without as much as a moment of hesitation he brought the knife down, its tip aimed between his victim's eyes, only to stop less then a millimeter away from its target.

"You're… Horamaru, right?" the boy asked suddenly, confusing his opponent. The blond quickly recovered though and took on a tough tone once again: "What's it to you?" he shoot back, making his captor smirk behind bandages.

"You cannot beat me at this, pathetic level" Tarakudo stated simply, retreating the blade and releasing him from his grip. "You have a long way ahead of you. But this could be fun" he announced, tossing the kunai aside and walking away.

"We're not done!" yelled Horamaru, fury completely taken over reason.

"For now we are" the bandaged boy replied without stopping nor turning. "Killing you at this time would be pointless. You don't deserve to die by my hand. Not yet at least. Get stronger and then, perhaps, I'll grace you with that honor…"

"If you let me live, eventually I'll kill you."

"Possibly" came a response. "And that is preciously the reason I'm letting you live" he announced, to which the older Horamaru snapped and swung his arm, unleashing the strings, yet those went right straight through Tarakudo's back, like he was a ghost.

"Get the fuck out here and face me like a man!" the blond roared to the sky as the surroundings began changing again, soon placing him in a dark space, occupied only by a single mirror. "_This is not a memory_" he noted instantly, calming down a bit. Quickly he scanned the area, but finding nothing, he walked over to the single object present.

His eyes widen at the sight of the reflection. Reflection that was not his, but Tarakudo's. Shocked, the string user took a step back as the bandaged teen chuckled, settling his gaze on the blond: "What's wrong, brother? Scared?"

"Don't call me that" Horamaru shoot back, regaining some of his posture.

"Why shouldn't he?" came a new voice from the shadows, one that was all too familiar and as he turned in the direction it came from, Takai walked out of the darkness, standing before his fellow sand-nin. "We are the sons of your father, much like yourself…"

"No!" the blond yelled, pointing his finger at the scythe wielder. "You're monsters! Freaks born from my father's sick obsession! You ain't even human! You're all disgrace to nature and life itself. You're the ones that took away my parents and as I promised, I'll kill you for that!"

"You may say that" another voice rang, coming from his back. Horamaru didn't had to turn to know who this one belonged to. It was Honemaru: "But even so, you cannot dismiss the fact that we're the closest thing to family you have" he announced with a calm, while the blond lowered his head.

"Go to hell!" he exploded, punching the mirror, The glass instantly broke into pieces, the shards cutting his fist. But he didn't care. With rage in his cry he flipped his arms to all sides, making the strings dance, for the first time going out of control. Thin wires ripped both Takai and the bone user, making them fade away, back into the darkness.

Some of the strings whipped their master, leaving long, bloody cuts all over his body, but he didn't care. With his breath quickened, the blond dropped to his knees. Not from pain or exhaustion. At least not from their literal sense.

"You belong with us" Tarakudo announced, his face reflected in tens of shards now filling the ground of the sphere as his laughter echoed through the dome. Horamaru managed a loud 'shut up' before unleashing his strings again, aiming to break the shards even further, adding cuts to his own form.

But regardless to how many he broke, Tarakudo remained, now multiplied, his laughter mocking the blond to the point of driving him crazy… even more then he already was. And then a new voice appeared: "You won't hold on much longer."

"What have you done?" the string user demanded as Kokoro emerged from the shadows. The leaf-nin had a strange, saddened expression on his face, a fact that confused the older blond, yet his opponent's voice was calm when he replied: "I didn't do anything, per say… I merely allowed things you buried deep to surface. Anything else is your own doing. Even us being in this place…"

"You lie."

"I'd think that by now you figured out there's no way for me to trick you in his… place" the rookie gennin responded, carefully choosing the last word. "This is your world. I'm just a guide" he added as Horamaru lowered his head.

"What now?" he finally asked, seemingly calming down.

"We leave… this match is over" Kokoro announced as the scenery began to shattering, leaving blank space behind the darkness. But as the universe was about to crumble, the Suna ninja glared at the telepath again, his voice cold and stoic: "You got in the way of my goal. Make no mistake that it'll cost you your life. I'm not like Karame or those freaks. You've just got yourself an enemy… and your head will be mine" and with those words, light blinded them both…

"Hijutsu: Ishindenshin!" Kokoro called out, thrusting his hands forward, making the form of his opponent get trapped between the fingers. Immediately Horamaru's knees broke beneath him, forcing the sand-nin to collapse to the ground. Silence filled the arena as both fighters remained motionless, the telepath huffing heavily, while the string user laid face-first on the floor.

Lee appeared out of nowhere, quickly examining the fallen combatant and with a somewhat unsure voice, he announced, pointing at the fellow Leaf shinobi with his hand: "Winner: Benda Kokoro!"

"What just happened?" Kai asked confused, glancing at Galu, but the green-haired teen didn't reply. Also Ibuki, who gazed curiously at Senkou, got no answer, yet she could sworn she saw she son of Hokage smirk behind his mask. Mikka only let out a sigh of relief while Tsume placed her hands behind her head: "_Like it could've ended any, other way…_"

"This is so unfair" Tarakudo spat, placing his leg against the rail. "That brat stole my chance of facing Horamaru. I'm gonna rip his skin clean off in the second round" he proclaimed, allowing a hint of anger to sound in his voice.

"Assuming you'll advance yourself" noted Torune with a stoic face, to which her teammate merely send her a stare like she was talking nonsense. Takai on the other hand felt the need to dig a bit deeper: "Are you sure the anger you're feeling is because you lost a chance to fight him… or maybe it's just because he lost?"

"That's one and the same, dumbass" was all the bandaged teen said before somersaulting over the rail and to the arena. But the scythe wielder lowered his head at his behavior, giving his companion a worried look: "_No… they're not…_"

"My turn" Tsuino said to himself, watching after Tarakudo. His eyes then went to the honorary lounge, settling upon Genmei, Hidden Rain's leader. "_I'll make you proud, dad. And I'll win, even if I'll have to use THAT jutsu…_"

_**-one premonition after another… who'll come on top?-**_

And this concluded Kokoro vs. Horamaru. Hope you enjoyed it, especially since I realize the match was different then most fights I presented to you thus far. I do hope that those who appreciate the plot of the tale liked it. Also, I'd like to ask that you review at least this once (in reference to the "**important note**" from the start of the update), as a favor to me if nothing more.

And here are the usual lists:

**Konoha #7 (Naruto):** Murasakki Kumiko, _Tanken Ibuki_, Gekido Takaru, Hagane Kusari, _Haisha Kai_

**Konoha #3 ****(Shikamaru):** _Konpaku Rei_, _Rikoteki Kogane_, Amagasa Toku, Debano Kitsune, _Gusoku Hanamaru_

**Konoha #4 (Hinata):** _Igaku Mikka, Inuzuka Tsume_, Benda Kokoro, _Hatake Senkou_, Kobushi Galu

**Konoha (Shino):** Hamano Taki, Hyuuga Hitomi, Manako Akira, Tanken Funbo, Horohoro

**Suna #1 (Temari):** Aoru, Torune, Tarakudo, Takai

**Suna #2 (Kankuro):** Sabaku no Sabure, Hari, Dekai, _Horamaru_, Karame

**Kusa (none):** Hokku Tobane, Kanraku Nezumi, _Kuchibashi Taka_, Kyohaku Tokame, Wanabi Hizoku

**Ame (unknown):** _Kasano Youji, Nokogiri Karei, Eshaku Ryo_, Furikuzu Tsuino, _Hebereke Nazaa_

**Tsuki (Hinami Hoshiru):** Junsei Teela, Tenka, _Chishio Nobu, Chishio Kumo, Kihako Tasuki_

**Kane (unknown):** _Futatsu_

**Fight 6:** Furikuzu Tsuino (11) vs. Tarakudo (12)

**Fight 7:** Manako Akira (13) vs. Dekai (14)

**Fight 8:** Hyuuga Hitomi (15) vs. Tenka (16)

**Fight 9:** Hokku Tobane (17) vs. Sabaku no Sabure (18)

**Fight 10:** Murasakki Kumiko (19) vs. Debano Kitsune (20)

**Fight 11:** Junsei Teela (21) vs. Kanraku Nezumi (22)

**Fight 12:** Horohoro (23) vs. Hagane Kusari (24)

**Fight 13:** Aoru (25) vs. Hamano Taki (26)

**Fight 14:** Torune (27) vs. Hari (28)

**Fight 15:** Amagasa Toku (29) vs. Kyohaku Tokame (30)

**Fight 16:** Kobushi Galu (31) vs. Karame (32)

**Fight 17:** Takai vs. Wanabi Hizoku

**Fight 18:** Tanken Funbo vs. Gekido Takaru

**Fight 19:** Benda Kokoro vs. ?

Well, for now it's done. My other, next generation fics will be coming shortly as well, so if you're a reader of any, expect a new installment soon. Thanks for tuning in!


	134. Like the Desert Missed the Rain

Heyah. It's been a while since I sat down to this piece the last time... frankly, for a longer while I did not anticipate I'll be returning to it again, but every now and then I still get reviews asking me to continue, despite a huge void after the last update. And, while personally my love for "Naruto" basically died, I came to a realization that I'll never be able to sleep peacefully unless I actually sign this piece of mine off...

It still has a long way to go and I might've became rusty about Naruto fics, so bare with me if this isn't chapter is not as good as the previous ones, but as I go along the muse will return (I recall the first, few chapters before getting edited left things to be desired also :D).

Anyway, after much nagging from... well, pretty much everyone, I sat down to it, finished the next installment and so I present to you another chapter of NNG! First and foremost we'll see if this little tale can still attract as much attention as it did back in its early years. If so, there's a good chance I'll keep going, though naturally that depends on reviews mostly.

There's also one, more reason behind me returning to this, particular piece of mine, but I'll reveal more on that once some things will be certain. At this point I wouldn't wish to 'brag' and then end up stating "no can do".

So, lets get on with it:

_**Side note:**_just a reminder to all of you who are not familiar with NNG beginnings; this story was started when "Naruto" was only launching its Part II and so over time it became slight AU... basically, anything that took place after Naruto and Sasuke meeting for the first time after the gap should be considered non canon for this story, unless stated otherwise.

**Chapter #134: Like the Desert Missed the Rain**

_**Chapter Cover:**_ Hanamaru at the gym is running using a treadmill and sweating greatly

"Are you sure this is wise, Gaara?" Temari asked as the two stared at the twins' cradle. The Kazekage merely gave her a glance of his jade eyes, not saying a word. Kankuro, who stood beside the wall further back, crossed his arms, while his head lowered. He knew his sister would shift to him next and he certainly had no desire to part take in a staring contest.

"This isn't right" she announced, calming down. "They are brothers and with their mother dying at birth, they are also the only family to each other. And certainly Tarakudo could use some support..."

"Tarakudo is not the one I'm worried about" the Godaime responded, his voice as emotionless as usual. "It's Horamaru that I'm concerned with. I can see it in their eyes... you mustn't forget of Honemaru and Takai, they're a factor as well. It should be better this way..."

"What, riding a newborn of his twin?"

"Temari, settle down" the puppeteer finally joined in, gaining the attention of his eldest sibling. "Frankly, I figured you'd understand this the most; what was done... Horamaru will fall, regardless to what we'll do. This way, at the very least, he'll have a chance of redemption. He'll hate them all at first... there's no doubt in my mind that he will... and this is why he mustn't know..."

"But..." the kunoichi began, but Kankuro was not about to let her finish: "Looking back all those years, tell me: did our experience with Gaara makes you believe your solution is better?" he asked, gazing at her sternly. The blonde lowered her head and then shifted her eyes at the redhead, who still stared at the two boys asleep in the cradle.

-Flashback end-

Tarakudo watched as the medics took Horamaru away to the infantry, not bothering to give Kokoro, who now stood beside him, a glance. The young leaf-nin scanned the bandaged boy for a few moments until he decided to speak: "He hates you, you know…"

To this the Suna gennin shifted his gaze at the shorter ninja, his face from what the blond could tell, indifferent: "Your point being?" he asked calmly. The telepath also remained stoic, though a note of worry could be heard as he spoke again: "Well, considering your ties, I figured you'd be unhappy about that."

"That just proves how inexperience of a mind reader you are" the Sand shinobi replied, turning his attention to Tsuino. "It's more fun this way... if Horamaru actually knew we were brothers, I might lose him" he added, smirking beneath his bandages as Kokoro decided to leave.

The rain-nin glanced after the blond for a moment before shifting back to his adversary, Lee walking between the two: "Sixth match: Furikuzu Tsuino from Ame against Tarakudo of Suna... BEGIN!" he announced, jumping out of the way. In a flash the scar-faced gennin reached for his dagger swords and charged forward, appearing before the Sand shinobi in a matter of moments.

Immediately Tsuino swung horizontally, bringing his blades at Tarakudo's chest from both sides. To his slight surprise however, the sand-nin managed to bend his torso back, leaving both the upper body and legs in the same spot. As the weapons zoomed by, he brought his head down, aiming at the bended rain-nin.

Sensing the attack, the scar-faced boy jumped forward and rolling on the ground, went between the bandaged gennin's legs, stopping just behind his opponent. Instantly Tsuino rose to his feet and spun around with another, horizontal swing, this time going for his adversary's head.

The Suna ninja easily ducked however and placing his hands on the ground, he thrust his legs back, straight at his enemy's stomach. The rain-nin saw that coming though and quickly jumped up, grabbing one of them by the ankle. Using that as a turning point, he flipped, throwing a kick of his own at Tarakudo's head.

To this the bandaged boy reacted immediately and flipped forward, launching a drop kick, only in stead of attack his opponent, he dragged him behind his own leg. Going head-first towards the surface, Tsuino twisted the dagger in his free hand and struck at the ground. As his muscles tensed, he broke the fall, making both combatants freeze; him standing upside down on left hand, while Tarakudo's body was now positioned parallel to the ground, propped only by his hands now located behind his head.

As their strength gave in, the Ame gennin quickly somersaulted, jumping away while the sand-nin put his body into a spin, throwing his legs to the side in a helicopter move. The instant the scar-faced boy landed on his feet, the Suna ninja froze and rose to his feet as well, already standing in an awkward, fighting stance.

"That Sand guy's fighting style resembles my Drunken Fist" Nazaa noted from the stands, narrowing his eyes. "With his abilities, there's no telling from where the attack will come" he added worryingly, but as his statement reached his teammates, a new voice joined the quartet: "True... but thanks to years of sparring with you, this Tarakudo fellow can't really surprise him either."

Karei turned around at the familiar figure with a headgear and a body armor. The boy, slightly older then them, watched the match below closely, three umbrellas attached to his back. Youji stared at him, shocked, for a mew seconds, before he managed to speak up: "What are you doing here, Mushi-san? I heard your cell got eliminated during the Third Exam and you returned to the village..."

"I have" the boy, Mushi, replied calmly, without glancing at the kunoichi. "But Tsuino made it to the finals... how would it look if I haven't come to watch my own brother fight? I've decided to join father on his way, tis all" he explained casually.

Meanwhile the two fighters engaged once more with the rain-nin cutting from below. At this Tarakudo strafed right, but that proven to be pointless as the scar-faced ninja simply thrust his other dagger at his chest right there and then. With the blade ripping air as it came, the Suna gennin clapped his palms, grabbing the steel between, stopping the assault inches before his stomach.

Tsuino was not fazed though and flipped his, other hand, bringing the dagger at the bandaged head from the side. Seeing this, the artificial shinobi tilted his head back and while the attack missed, he 'grabbed' his opponents arm by placing it between his chin and torso.

This took his adversary off guard and while the surprise lasted no more then a second, it was all Tarakudo needed; before the Ame ninja could react, his tossed his legs to the sides, bringing his back towards the ground. The momentum had Tsuino follow as he was unable to free himself from the grip and as he bended forward, the sand-nin launched a double kick, making it connect with his opponent's chest.

The sudden impact rid the scar-faced teen of air, forcing the body to stop to take a breath. The bandaged warrior wasted no time and already laying on the ground, he brought his legs together, this time trapping Tsuino's neck in between. With a quick flip, Tarakudo tossed the rain-nin, having him collide with the wall.

"_That scar-faced guy_" Galu thought to himself, narrowing his eyes at the sight. "_He actually took a blow!_"

With a crack of the bones, Tarakudo straightened himself up while the rain-nin rubbed his shoulder from the hit, his eyes set on his adversary. The two engaged in a short, staring contest, before Tsuino finally decided to speak: "Before we go on, there's one thing I'd like to ask you" he announced, making the Sand shinobi raise his eyebrow. "Just a bit earlier, when that blond from Konoha spoke with you... you mentioned something about the string guy being your brother, right?"

"Oh, another one" the bandaged boy shook his head as his voice sounded tired. "Don't tell me you aim to lecture me as well. Frankly, I don't see how this is any of your business. Whatever ties me and Horamaru have is none of your concern... nor that brat, for that matter. How I handle things is my decision and mine's alone!" he proclaimed, somewhat agitated.

"Wait a second" Kai leaned over just before turning to his friends. "Did that guy just said 'brother'? I thought that mummy-like freak hated the string psycho!" the young gennin recalled as his gaze settled on the sand-nins. None of them reacted at first, but finally Dekai decided to reply: "Well, it's not like any of us knew up till now... Tarakudo is not the most sociable person in the world and Horamaru is no better... but I suppose, all things considered, the two could be related. I have a memory of Honemaru once mentioning Hora's father was the one behind... creating Takai, Tarakudo and Honemaru himself..."

"But how is that relevant?" Kumiko asked curiously.

"That's not really something you should concern yourself with" Takai responded with a straight face. "Granted it is the truth: Tarakudo and Horamaru are brothers, as much as it's hard to accept that fact. We were all placed in the dark about this earlier, but as off now I suppose Horamaru is the only one who doesn't know. But, from what I understand and judging from his behavior, it's a safe bet Tarakudo knew all along."

"And he still acted the way he did?" Torune yelled, shocked at the revelation. "Surely, he was never much of a gentle person, but... I mean... he literally provoked Hora on every turn!" she reminded the scythe user, to which the latter merely shifted his eyes to avoid eye contact.

"_It's no wonder Takai knows_" Karame told himself as he observed the conversation. "_The reason behind Tarakudo's action. All things considered, he should understand him the most. But can you really accept that, Takai?_"

"_Brothers, eh_" Kusari wondered, glancing at the bandaged boy below as an image of a certain person popped in his head. Meanwhile Tsuino seemed to be angered by the given reply: "So that is your answer?"

"Why shouldn't it be?"

At this fury rushed through the rain-nin's body as he bite his finger, drawing a quick seal on the ground. A moment later he sprayed the surroundings with the crimson liquid from his thumb, rising Tarakudo's curiousness. Mushi on the other hand widen his eyes, noticing the pattern and let his body shook at the notion: "_He... he's planning to use THAT jutsu?_"

Takaru was shocked as he recalled the events from the Forest of Death a month back: "_I know this technique!_"

At the same time Genmei at the honorary lounge narrowed his eyes at the development: "_Wind's picking up already... don't tell me he's taking it all the way..._"

Tsuino saw nothing of that. In stead he clasped his hands in a single seal as wind currents began circling around his opponent: "Kisei Hazama!"

_**-the match reached its climax... who'll come out on top?-**_

And so this chapter ends... it turned out less spectacular then I imagined it'll be, but I'll classify that as me being rusty when it comes to "Naruto" fics. Hopefully as I write more I'll get the feel of my earlier drafts :D Now, I would appreciate a review to see if this tale still picks up interest overall. And, before signing off, here's the usual content of my A/N at the end, meaning jutsu encyclopedia, the list of gennin and the match up for the final exam. Enjoy:

_**Kisei Hazama**__ (Death Valley)_ – a technique invented by Genmei, the Leader of the Hidden Rain. He passed the technique to his two sons. The jutsu itself has two levels of power; first was shown during the Forest of Death as Taraku recalled by Mushi (yes, that name should sound familiar... go way back to chapters 45-46 and you'll realize how far in advance Tsuino's match with Tarakudo was planned :D)... and now Tsuino is gonna show you its higher version...

**Konoha #7 (Naruto):** Murasakki Kumiko, _Tanken Ibuki_, Gekido Takaru, Hagane Kusari, _Haisha Kai_

**Konoha #3 ****(Shikamaru):** _Konpaku Rei_, _Rikoteki Kogane_, Amagasa Toku, Debano Kitsune, _Gusoku Hanamaru_

**Konoha #4 (Hinata):** _Igaku Mikka, Inuzuka Tsume_, Benda Kokoro, _Hatake Senkou_, Kobushi Galu

**Konoha (Shino):** Hamano Taki, Hyuuga Hitomi, Manako Akira, Tanken Funbo, Horohoro

**Suna #1 (Temari):** Aoru, Torune, Tarakudo, Takai

**Suna #2 (Kankuro):** Sabaku no Sabure, Hari, Dekai, Karame

**Kusa (none):** Hokku Tobane, Kanraku Nezumi, _Kuchibashi Taka_, Kyohaku Tokame, Wanabi Hizoku

**Ame (unknown):** _Kasano Youji, Nokogiri Karei, Eshaku Ryo_, Furikuzu Tsuino, _Hebereke Nazaa_

**Tsuki (Hinami Hoshiru):** Junsei Teela, Tenka, _Chishio Nobu, Chishio Kumo, Kihako Tasuki_

**Kane (unknown):** _Futatsu_

**Fight 6:** Furikuzu Tsuino (11) vs. Tarakudo (12) – in progress

**Fight 7:** Manako Akira (13) vs. Dekai (14)

**Fight 8:** Hyuuga Hitomi (15) vs. Tenka (16)

**Fight 9:** Hokku Tobane (17) vs. Sabaku no Sabure (18)

**Fight 10:** Murasakki Kumiko (19) vs. Debano Kitsune (20)

**Fight 11:** Junsei Teela (21) vs. Kanraku Nezumi (22)

**Fight 12:** Horohoro (23) vs. Hagane Kusari (24)

**Fight 13:** Aoru (25) vs. Hamano Taki (26)

**Fight 14:** Torune (27) vs. Hari (28)

**Fight 15:** Amagasa Toku (29) vs. Kyohaku Tokame (30)

**Fight 16:** Kobushi Galu (31) vs. Karame (32)

**Fight 17:** Takai vs. Wanabi Hizoku

**Fight 18:** Tanken Funbo vs. Gekido Takaru

**Fight 19:** Benda Kokoro vs. ?

And that's that... for now, I hope. Do leave a review and have a nice day!


	135. Brothers!

Wow, this chapter was somewhat a bother to write... luckily I've manage to complete it somehow in time to update alongside LoL :D

Now, before I move forward, I'd like to announce (I did so in LoL as well) that recently I got very upseting news (and upseting is still an understatement): my father, who two years managed to beat cancer now has to struggle with it again. This, for obvious reasons, throws me off my 'game'. And, due to that, I may find it hard to concentrate on these fics of mine, so I apologize if updates may take longer then expected. I do have other things on my mind.

With that said, here's the new chapter of NNG:

**Chapter #135: Brothers!**

_**Title Page:**_ Kogane in the lab is trying to break a difficult equation written on the white board

"Kisei Hazama!" Tsuino called out as wind picked up around Tarakudo. The sand-nin gazed curiously at his adversary as the currents wrapped his body, but it was only when the skin of his left arm ripped did he took his eye off the Ame gennin.

The Suna shinobi stared at the cut blankly for a moment, until a new one appeared, this time releasing blood from his right leg. Not long after his shoulder on the same side got slashed, followed by the left, lower side of his torso. At this his eyes narrowed, albeit he himself still haven't moved: "_Scourging wind?_" he asked himself while his back received a blow.

"What the hell?" Torune snapped, bending over the rail. "Wasn't Kamaitachi Suna's jutsu?"

"Apparently not" Tobane replied matter-of-factly, almost as if she was trying to provoke the Sand's kunoichi. Takai ignored the two as a worried expression crossed his face at the sight of his 'brother' receiving another slash. Meanwhile Ibuki narrowed her eyes, arms wrapped before her mouth: "_Another wind master..._"

"That's it?" Tarakudo asked, oblivious to the cut that scourged his forehead, letting loose few of the bandages. "All that fuss and this is what it comes down to?" he demanded, stretching out his arms only to have the immediately slashed several times. "If that is truly your worst, then there's no point in letting this drag any further" he proclaimed, charging at his opponent.

Ignoring the cuts that followed, the sand-nin jumped forward, his fist ready. As he launched the punch however, Tsuino's body suddenly got wrapped in currents, which literally formed an armor of wind around their master.

The instant Tarakudo's fist touched the suit, skin peeled off it, sending unimaginable pain through the arm. It did not end there though as the Suna gennin descent from his flight, allowing the wind armor to swallow most of his body. The skin burned as microscopic slashes ran through it, barely allowing the bandaged boy to hold in a scream of pain.

Finally the currents blew too strong, blasting the Sand ninja away, his right side nearly entirely painted crimson. The cuts also damaged the bandages, which could not hold anymore and as Tarakudo rose to his feet, they fell to the ground, revealing his face.

With blood staining some parts of it, it was a tad hard to determine, but Kai widen his eyes as there could be no doubt of the facts. Kusari on the other hand narrowed his at the sight of a boy with spiky, blond hair and surprisingly familiar facial lines: "_There's no doubt about it... the eyes are different, but aside from that and the hairdo, they're identical... it really is true... this one and the string freak from before... they're twins!_"

"You still get up?" Tsuino rather stated then asked, giving his enemy a judgmental gaze. "Surely you must realize you cannot break through this armor. This is what Death Valley's final form is; complete mastery of wind currents in the area! They're filled with my own chakra, which allows me to push them any way I desire as well as using the chakra within to slash what I want. The range depends on the user's ability, however I can cover the entity of the arena, so there's no place for you to run. And with my body wrapped in these current, neither taijutsu nor weapons can touch me! You're not a ninjutsu type and I doubt you're capable of genjutsu, so you can't break through my defense. This match is over."

"Over?" Tarakudo repeated with a smirk, this time allowing the whole stadium to see it, due to the lack of bandages. "It just got interested! You think a minor injury like this is gonna stop me?" he asked, making Aoru's eyes widen at the sight of her teammate's wounds closing: "_Wha...?_"

"This can't be!" Hari yelled, totally shocked, yet Takai didn't seem surprised by the predicament: "Why not? Tarakudo, just like myself and Honemaru, was created from Kaguya genes... one of their bloodline limit traits was quicken regeneration of skin in order to prevent wounds inflicted by using the kekkai genkai itself. Although me and Tarakudo mutated, our abilities are affiliated to bones and I myself were granted the healing factor. If that is so, it is not as far-fetched as you may think for Tarakudo to possess the same trait. He just didn't had the need to execute it yet..."

"What are you talking about?" Hari shoot back immediately. "I remember his fight with Horamaru when we were still in the Academy! He lost! Why didn't he use that ability then?"

"Actually, the answer to that question should be quite obvious, to you especially" Karame responded as his eyes traveled to Torune for a split second. The blonde kunoichi glanced at his confused and then lowered her head at the realization.

"Healing factor, eh?" Tsuino noted unimpressed. "You know this changes nothing, right? All I need to do is kill you one blow" he finished, instantly making Tarakudo jumped to the air and split his legs as another, wind slash came at him horizontally in the attempt to slice him in two.

However the second the sand-nin got airborne, the currents picked up again and pushed him downwards, pressing his face against the ground. With all his strength the Suna gennin rolled to the side just before a drilling blow struck from above, digging into the surface at the exact spot he laid a moment later.

"_This much control over such a wide area_" Mushi thought to himself as he observed the match. "_You truly mastered Kasei Nazama, brother_" he noted his a smile while Nazaa tightened his fists: "_So back then, during eliminations... he could've ended our fight whenever he wanted... he's so much stronger then when he first... I... I couldn't keep up in the end..._"

"_Interesting fellow_" Saiken thought to himself as his eyes settled on Tsuino. Meanwhile, down on the arena, Tarakudo got tossed to the side as he wasn't fast enough to dodge the slash coming from his left, The wound healed quickly, granted this time the cut reached the bones.

The Suna gennin kept on smiling as he danced around, avoiding most of the wind blades that came his way from all sides. Those that reached their target, left a gash, yet those didn't last long, vanishing few moments after inflicted. Funbo felt annoyance building up as he watched how the fight was progressing: "_At this rate it'll take forever to finish._"

Finally Tarakudo froze, the currents suddenly calming down around him. He glanced at his adversary, still clad in the wind, curious as to what will come next. He didn't had to wait long as a small tornado blasted towards him with a deafening hum. Strafing to the right, the sand-nin dodged, only to note the cyclone made a u-turn and came at him again, this time from behind.

Instantly the blond rolled near the ground, making the attack go just above him, yet also this time the hurricane turned, dropping from above at its target. Tarakudo jumped back, which made the assault bury into the surface, but the next moment the spinning wind rose from below, once more heading straight for him.

Unable to dodge at point-blank range, the sand-nin merely bended his head backwards, avoiding the full strength of the blast, yet still getting his face scourged by the edge of the tornado. As the wounds healed, he wiped the blood from his eyes, spotting the cyclone which came from his right.

"_This time around that freak can't win_" Futatsu thought to himself with a smirk as he recalled his match from the eliminations.

The Suna gennin quickly bended his middle body back, leaving the part from neck up and waist down in place. This maneuver allowed him to avoid the hit this time as well, granted the hurricane simple changed course again to resume the attack.

Surprisingly the sand-nin charged forward and ducked under the cyclone that caame right at his face. He kept running even as a buzzing sound filled his ears, the moment tornado turned and went after him.

"Before I finish this, there's one thing I'd like to ask you" Tarakudo yelled over the noise of the storm, his gaze set on his opponent. Tsuino glanced at him emotionless, which the sand-nin took as an agreement to listen: "When we engaged in the conversation about Horamaru and how I was umoved by his loss, you seemed to get agitated over the matter... why?"

"Because I'm a brother also" was all the scar-faced gennin said before slamming his tornado right into his adversary's back. The hurricane pushed the Suna ninja forward, breaking his arms and legs in several places, until finally a loud crack echoed through the cyclone, indicating the snap of Tarakudo's neck.

The Ame shinobi widen his eyes in surprise however as his opponent rose his head, grinning evilly just before he launched himself at him with the tornado following. His elbow smashed against the wind armor, immediately losing skin, but the instant cyclone came, the currents surrounding Tsuino died down, allowing the sand-nin to ram his stomach.

In a flash the scar-faced boy gasped for air, but the unsteady current he inhaled only worsen the situation. This gave Tarakudo all the time he needed; in a blink of an eye he unleashed a storm of kicks and punches, hitting all the vital points of the Rain's representative, finishing the barrage with a palm to the lungs, making Tsuino choke.

The rain-nin dropped to the ground motionless, all the noise around the stadium dying down as he did. The winds stopped, the crowd silenced as the Suna gennin stood over the fallen form of his adversary. Mushi's face twisted with anger at the sight as he readied to jump down to the arena... only to be stopped by Ryu who placed his hand on the shoulder and shook his head in negation.

Lee stared at the scene from a distance, his eyes narrowed. The jounin remained in place, even as the Suna ninja lowered himself, moving his face nearer and nearer to Tsuino's: "I'm not gonna kill you, granted most people would expect me to do so" he whispered just before his fallen opponent gasped for air again, life returning to his body. "I'll acknowledge the fact you're a brother, however I want to make myself clear on one thing: you know nothing of me and Horamaru and so I will not allow you to lecture me as to how I should treat him. That is something for me and him to sort out and your reaction was unsuitable. I do not know what relationship you have with your sibling, so in that regard you're free to do as you please... that is all" he finished, rising back to a standing position.

"Winner: Tarakudo!" the Leaf's Green Beast proclaimed as the victor began walking away, flapping his arms and legs. Snaps that accompany the activity indicated he was put his bones back in place. Not once has he turn around to gaze at Tsuino, who was taken away by medics.

"_I see_" Kumiko said to herself as she observed the returning sand-nin. "_During eliminations he prove he could put the bones out of joints, so there really is no way to break his bones... with the wind armor surrounding that Rain guy, he couldn't get close enough to land the blow and so he used the tornado as a clear-path... when that cyclone hit the armor, the two canceled each other out, leaving the scar-face wide open. That guy... he used the technique against the user!_"

"Dammit, I had no idea that Tarakudo fellow is so strong!" Kai whined, turning towards Takaru. The other boy only nodded with a simple 'yeah' escaping his mouth as he glanced at the entrance to the platform, where Tarakudo just appeared.

"Yeah?" the blond gennin snapped at the reaction. "Is that all you got to say in the matter? I'm freaking out here!" he yelled, to which Hizoku reacted with a sweat drop: "Why? You're not taking part in the tournament any more, so why should you care what sort of monsters advance?" he asked curiously, immediately noting that the sand-nin froze for a moment at the word 'monster'.

"Good job, Tarakudo-kun" Aoru greeted her teammate with a warm smile as he reached his cell. "I must say that without those bandages you look much more dashing! Did you ever considered leaving them off?" she asked hopefully, to which the boy merely glanced at her.

Karame quickly unwrapped a part of his own outfit and handed the unmasked boy the material, to which Tarakudo gave a nod before he began to cover his face again. The redhead lowered her head at this, gazing at the floor: "_Well, what did I expect? He's not like Takai-kun..._" she reminded herself with a sigh.

"Would the participants of the next fight, please, come down?" Lee asked, making both combatants jump onto the arena without a word. Calmly they reached the center of the battlefield as the jounin announced: "Seventh match: Manako Akira from Konoha against Dekai of Suna" his voiced echoed throughout the stadium, while spectators hold their breaths. And then the command came: "BEGIN!"

_**-the tournament moves forward...-**_

And this concludes this chapter. I feel as if it's lacking something as I completed it, but I can't place my finger as to what. Oh well, hopefully it wasn't important ^^' Now, with Tsuino dropping out of the tournament, there's only 8 teams left on the battlefield, which consist of the following:

**Konoha #7 (Naruto):** Murasakki Kumiko, _Tanken Ibuki_, Gekido Takaru, Hagane Kusari, _Haisha Kai_

**Konoha #3 ****(Shikamaru):** _Konpaku Rei_, _Rikoteki Kogane_, Amagasa Toku, Debano Kitsune, _Gusoku Hanamaru_

**Konoha #4 (Hinata):** _Igaku Mikka, Inuzuka Tsume_, Benda Kokoro, _Hatake Senkou_, Kobushi Galu

**Konoha (Shino):** Hamano Taki, Hyuuga Hitomi, Manako Akira, Tanken Funbo, Horohoro

**Suna #1 (Temari):** Aoru, Torune, Tarakudo, Takai

**Suna #2 (Kankuro):** Sabaku no Sabure, Hari, Dekai, Karame

**Kusa (none):** Hokku Tobane, Kanraku Nezumi, _Kuchibashi Taka_, Kyohaku Tokame, Wanabi Hizoku

**Tsuki (Hinami Hoshiru):** Junsei Teela, Tenka, _Chishio Nobu, Chishio Kumo, Kihako Tasuki_

**Kane (unknown):** _Futatsu_

And, as usual, here's a reminder of the tournament match-up:

**Fight 7:** Manako Akira (13) vs. Dekai (14)

**Fight 8:** Hyuuga Hitomi (15) vs. Tenka (16)

**Fight 9:** Hokku Tobane (17) vs. Sabaku no Sabure (18)

**Fight 10:** Murasakki Kumiko (19) vs. Debano Kitsune (20)

**Fight 11:** Junsei Teela (21) vs. Kanraku Nezumi (22)

**Fight 12:** Horohoro (23) vs. Hagane Kusari (24)

**Fight 13:** Aoru (25) vs. Hamano Taki (26)

**Fight 14:** Torune (27) vs. Hari (28)

**Fight 15:** Amagasa Toku (29) vs. Kyohaku Tokame (30)

**Fight 16:** Kobushi Galu (31) vs. Karame (32)

**Fight 17:** Takai vs. Wanabi Hizoku

**Fight 18:** Tanken Funbo vs. Gekido Takaru

**Fight 19:** Benda Kokoro vs. Tarakudo

I must admit I'm anxious over the next match. As you may remember, Akira is one of my personal favorite characters (and he's doing quite well in the popularity polls as well) and this next fight will finally give me a chance to elaborate on his character (as well as Dekai) as I didn't get to do so yet. Hope I won't mess up x_x

Thanks for tunning in and keep reading... and reviewing, of course ;)


	136. Akira vs Dekai

TADAM! Wow, I forgot to check how long its been since I updated this piece of mine. Well, there's various reasons why that is so, with which I ain't gonna bore you at this point. Frankly, I was fighting with the idea whether to return to this or not, but a certain someone actually convinced me to do so and I sat down to that, wrote this chappie and... well, we'll see how that goes. Naturally, much of it lies in your hand, coz while I do enjoy NNG (by comparison, it's complex and yet simple... plus, it's rather easy to write, compared to my works on FictionPress), the last several chapters I only wrote because I was asked to do so (usually via Pms by people, who ironically, don't review once the chapters are done x_x).

Well, you know what I'd want you to do in order for me to continue, so with that, here's the newest installment of NNG:

**Chapter #136: Akira versus Dekai**

_**Title Page:**_ Toku is sitting at the table outside the restaurant and is sipping a drink with a tiny umbrella through a straw

"So, you're completely blind, eh?" Funbo asked, waving a 'fuck you' sign before Akira's face, looking closely at the boy. The illusionist merely grabbed his arm as he replied calmly: "Not a thing, I'm afraid. However, I'd like to point out, that this does not mean that I'm unaware of my surroundings..."

"Oh?" the young assassin responded with a smirk, yet before he could say anything more, Hitomi's stern voice made him shift attention towards her: "Funbo, leave him alone. From today onwards we're supposed to be teammates. You should show more respect."

"Yeah, whatever" the stick wielder shoot back as he freed himself from the grip and hiding his hands in his pockets, walked away from the blind gennin. Horohoro, who stood in his usual pose next to him, spoke up calmly in his standard monotone: "Don't mind Funbo that much... for most part he's an ass, but he does have a good side... if you're perceptive enough to see it."

"I do see it" Akira assured him with a smirk, making the blue-haired boy raise an eyebrow at the statement. "Or rather; I can tell" he corrected quickly and at this Taki began starring at him intensively. In the next moment a mysterious man appeared between them, his light green jacket and eyes hidden behind sunglasses made the masked girl flip from fright: "Yikes!"

"My name is Aburame Shino" the figure announced simply as he scanned the group. "I'll be your jounin instructor from now on. Lets get started..."

-Flashback end-

"BEGIN!" came the command as Lee instantly jumped out of the way... unnecessary as neither of the two fighters moved. Dekai stood, observing his blind adversary closely as he reached for his sword, slamming the tip of its blade into the ground. Seeing that even this didn't make Akira react, the sand-nin spoke, his voice as calm as ever: "You're not gonna fight?"

"I intend to" the Leaf ninja replied simply, yet remained stationary, much to his opponent's dismal. In a flash the swordsman charged forward, cutting horizontally, but as the blade went through the blind teenager's body, it turned into purple mist, which quickly began circling around Dekai.

"_Right, he's a genjutsu expert_" the Suna gennin reminded himself, retreating his weapon to a defensive stance. The smoke thickened, covering his vision entirely. A moment later shadows began growing all around him, ready to strike at any time. None of them moved however. The swordsman remained still and as a quiet rustle hit his ears, he instantly spun, swinging his blade horizontally to the side.

Akira ducked under the attack, making the weapon cut merely the tip of his spiky hair and immediately flipped back a few times to extend the distance, yet as he felt soft wind slamming into his face, he strafed left while Dekai thrust his sword at his chest, catching up to the blind gennin.

The two froze, neither moving an inch, the Suna ninja retreating his weapon slowly, while the leaf-nin, just a couple of meters to his right, stood motionless, a tanto still tight in his grip: "_He reacted perfectly to my assault... could it be?_"

"Well, ain't that a twist" announced Funbo with a smirk, to which Horohoro merely send him a stoic gaze before shifting back to the fight below. By then Akira slowly reached to his hostel to pick out several shuriken, holding them between his fingers. With a quick jump back, he swung his arm to unleash the shinobi stars at his adversary, who again reacted instantly.

In a flash Dekai charged to his right, deflecting all the projectiles with his sword and the moment the blind ninja landed on the ground, he changed direction to attack, cutting from below. With no way to dodge, the leaf-nin blocked with his tanto and as the 'clang' echoed through the arena, the Suna gennin spun on his foot and swung horizontally to the back, straight at his opponent's back.

Acting solemnly on instinct, Akira jumped again and somersaulting over the assault, he threw his legs sideways, aiming a kick to Dekai's face, only to have his adversary roll to the right, avoiding the blow.

As the illusionist landed, the sand-nin sprung into action again, this time cutting perpendicularly, making the blind gennin lean to the side and propping his hand on the ground, he used his other arm to thrust the tanto at his adversary, yet the masked shinobi react in time and flipping his wrist, he relocated his weapon, blocking the assault with the flat side of his blade.

When another 'clang' was heard, Dekai pushed his sword away, pushing the Leaf fighter as well, which made Akira loose his balance and fall on his back. Hearing a 'thud', the weapon master jumped to the air and aimed the tip of his blade at the right palce, dropping at top speed.

The illusionist managed to roll out of the way in the last moment, the massive sword sinking into the ground upon impact. But as he rolled on the floor, Akira went for his porch again and coming to a sliding stop, he threw a pair of knives at his opponent, only to have the latter use his sword as a balance point and lifting himself up, had the projectiles fly below him.

The next moment, Dekai jumped off and flipping, landed on the ground safely, ripping the sword from the ground and placing it in a defensive position.

The two froze once more, awaiting the other's move, the blind gennin having no doubt as to what was happening. Kai on the other hand, was clueless, as usual: "What the hell is going on? Why are they just standing there? All things considered, that sword guy should keep on attacking, unless he wants to get trapped in Akira's genjutsu or something!"

"Actually, he already is struggling with an illusion" Hitomi announced simply with her arms crossed. "Judging from the chakra flow, Akira trapped him within his Mist of Shadows, which makes ones sight entirely useless."

"He did?" Kusari asked, rising his eyebrow. "Then how is that sand-nin countering?"

"Even if you take away one sense, the body is still left with four others" Karame explained matter-of-factly, without taking his eyes off the battlefield. "Knowing Dekai, he's using his ears to locate the enemy. That's why he's only reacting; when that blind guy remains still, he makes no sound, making it impossible for Dekai to locate him. However, once he moves, he gives away his position. It's that simple."

"_Simple_" Takaru repeated with a snort. "_Being able to adopt this quickly is not simple... it's freakin scary!_" he thought to himself, while Akira quickly went through a set of hand seals, calling out with the last symbol: "Genjutsu: Garandou!"

The mist surrounding Dekai suddenly thickened and soon became black, covering both the ground and sky. In a flash the sand-nin found himself within a dark void. He looked around carefully, but to no vial; there was nothing. A moment later pain shoot through his shoulder as blood sprayed out of it, his skin burning. But more then the pain, the swordsman widen his eyes at realization: "_I... didn't hear anything!_"

Akira quickly spun around and charged once more; swinging parallel to the ground, the blind gennin slashed his opponent's back shallowly, forcing another wave of pain to wash over the masked teen as he reached for the cut with his free hand: "_Shit... this..._"

"_Seems that whatever that genjutsu is, this Dekai fellow is incapable of dispelling any of it_" Kumiko analyzed quickly, observing the match. "_Since that is the case, that Sand guy can't really win this fight either way..._"

Tokame on the other hand narrowed his eyes, while tilting his head to the side. Noticing this, Tobane lowered her head, realizing what her teammate was thinking: "_Well, it can't be helped, I suppose... for him, this sort of showdown... it's gotta bring back those memories..._"

Dekai swung to the right, yet the attack was a complete miss as Akira now stood to his left, cutting his opponent's arm deeply before he extended the distance between the two once more. The swordsman hissed at the sensation, his eye twitching from the pain, while he mentally cursed the situation.

"_I can't locate him at all, dammit!_" he cursed again, awaiting another blow. "_Heck, he barely used that genjutsu and I already got a cut on the shoulder, back and arm... if this keeps up, I'll lose. But how can I even fight ba...?_" he wondered and then widen his eyes as the idea bloomed in his head.

The blind gennin was not about to let him rest though as he charged again, aiming to pierce his adversary's mid-section. Akira's tanto went into Dekai's side, yet to the leaf-nin's surprise, the swordsman quickly strafed left and spun around, bringing his weapon down at the exact spot the Konoha ninja was. In a flash the illusionist rolled to the side, a shocked expression plastered all over his face as the massive blade hit the ground hard.

"What?" Taki widen her eyes surprised, even Horohoro lost his composure at the sight as his teammate's breath quickened: "_That technique devotes the victim from all of his senses!_" he reminded himself, narrowing his eyes. "_With that, how is it possible for that guy to locate Akira at all?_"

Tarakudo merely smirked beneath the bandages as a single drop of sweat run down his face at the development: "_Scary... truly scary_" he thought while below the blind gennin remained motionless again, unsure what to do.

At this time Dekai retreated his sword and, with confidence in his voice, he teased, his huge blade ready to strike again: "What, that's it? Come on, attack... this has just gotten good!"

_**-helpless?-**_

And that's that. To be honest, back in the day I was anxious of this battle, since Akira is one of my personal favorites of this tale (actually, I like him so much, I'm preparing a character inspired by him for my, other tale :D), but looking at it from the objective point of view, this battle in particular is not as grant as I'd want it... but I do hope it'll be enjoyable.

**Konoha #7 (Naruto):** Murasakki Kumiko, _Tanken Ibuki_, Gekido Takaru, Hagane Kusari, _Haisha Kai_

**Konoha #3 (Shikamaru):** _Konpaku Rei_, _Rikoteki Kogane_, Amagasa Toku, Debano Kitsune, _Gusoku Hanamaru_

**Konoha #4 (Hinata):** _Igaku Mikka, Inuzuka Tsume_, Benda Kokoro, _Hatake Senkou_, Kobushi Galu

**Konoha (Shino):** Hamano Taki, Hyuuga Hitomi, Manako Akira, Tanken Funbo, Horohoro

**Suna #1 (Temari):** Aoru, Torune, Tarakudo, Takai

**Suna #2 (Kankuro):** Sabaku no Sabure, Hari, Dekai, Karame

**Kusa (none):** Hokku Tobane, Kanraku Nezumi, _Kuchibashi Taka_, Kyohaku Tokame, Wanabi Hizoku

**Tsuki (Hinami Hoshiru):** Junsei Teela, Tenka, _Chishio Nobu, Chishio Kumo, Kihako Tasuki_

**Kane (unknown):** _Futatsu_

And, as usual, here's a reminder of the tournament match-up:

**Fight 7:** Manako Akira (13) vs. Dekai (14)

**Fight 8:** Hyuuga Hitomi (15) vs. Tenka (16)

**Fight 9:** Hokku Tobane (17) vs. Sabaku no Sabure (18)

**Fight 10:** Murasakki Kumiko (19) vs. Debano Kitsune (20)

**Fight 11:** Junsei Teela (21) vs. Kanraku Nezumi (22)

**Fight 12:** Horohoro (23) vs. Hagane Kusari (24)

**Fight 13:** Aoru (25) vs. Hamano Taki (26)

**Fight 14:** Torune (27) vs. Hari (28)

**Fight 15:** Amagasa Toku (29) vs. Kyohaku Tokame (30)

**Fight 16:** Kobushi Galu (31) vs. Karame (32)

**Fight 17:** Takai vs. Wanabi Hizoku

**Fight 18:** Tanken Funbo vs. Gekido Takaru

**Fight 19:** Benda Kokoro vs. Tarakudo

_Genjutsu: Garandou _(Genjutsu: Void)

And that's it for now. Thanks for reading and hopefully until next time.


	137. Sensor

Writing these chapters takes longer and longer... then again, I had all 8 of my stories on FictionPress to update in the meantime, since I thought the need to do so before Christmas, so this was greatly delayed. However, in the same spirit, I figured I at least update NNG for Christams too, especially since half of the chapter was done way ahead :)

This is a special, Xmas update really, coz the interest in this tale is lower then I'd want, so without reviews I doubt I'll have a kick to update in 2012. So, being the evil me that I am, if you wish to know what happens next, you know what you need to do ;)

And now, without further ado:

**Chapter #137: Sensor**

_**Title Page:**_ Hishu, Hiashi and Naraku (Rei's spirits) are dancing around the campfire, while Rei herself is laying a bit further, sleeping, as usual

"The point of this exercise is simple" Kankuro stated as he unwrapped several scrolls, summoning five puppets. "Your job will be to destroy one of these. One of you needs to break only one of the dolls, however if you're incapable of doing that before nightfall, the ones who failed will be send back to the Academy. Are these rules clear?" the jounin asked his gennin-to-be, receiving nods from most.

"Lets just get on with it" Horamaru urged with a wave of his hand, not bothering to look at their teacher. The puppeteer ignored his attitude and with a calm voice he yelled 'begin', making all five youngsters scatter.

Many hours later he once more stood in the center of the oasis, his hand holding string to merely one, last doll, his very first; Karasu. Meanwhile a boy from his squad stood a few meters away, huffing heavily as he held his huge sword tightly, eyes settled on the jounin.

"You're running short of breath" Kankuro stated the obvious with a stoic face. "Perhaps it'd be preferable that you rest a while before resuming your attack? You still have about an two, three hours til sundown. If you attack me with full force, it's possible you'll succeed."

"I haven't so far" Dekai responded simply. "Plus all the others already cleared the test... it's demeaning to be the last one" but at this point the puppeteer interrupted: "Wouldn't it be even more demeaning to be the only member of the team to fail the test?"

To that the swordsman lowered his head and looked to the side. Finally, after a moment of hesitation, he sat down, crossing his legs, while he gently propped the blade against his shoulder. Even Kankuro dropped his arm, yet the chakra strings connecting it to Karasu remained in tact. The two stayed silent for a few minutes, until the jounin spoke again, gaining the preteen's attention: "You know, one thing I don't exactly understand... throughout this entire session, you're the one who came at me the most, generally using nothing more then that sword of yours... following a simple logic, both your sword and my puppet are just tools... if you'd calculate that, it becomes quite obvious your chances of succeeding are minimal, especially since, by comparison, the puppet is the more formidable of the two; it allows the user to fight from a distance and grants him access to several, different weapons, while the sword in itself is a close-range weapon. That alone puts you at tremendous disadvantage. I heard you're good with wind element... why don't you use that?"

Dekai didn't reply at first; he merely gazed at his instructor for a short while, before turning around once again: "Coz I can't. It's true that I'm supposed to have talent for 'wind', but the fact is I, quite literally, have no skills in either gen- or ninjutsu. For me, physical combat is the only way to achieve victory."

"That's not good" Kankuro announced calmly. "Most shinobi use chakra in their battles. With kinjutsu alone, you're at a disadvantage the instant the fight begins..."

"I realize this much" the boy responded as he slowly rose back to his feet. "But it can't be helped; even if I were to learn how to actually utilize chakra in battle, I'd still be a swordsman first and foremost; this blade of mine... is more then a tool for me and, if necessary, I'll prove to everyone that a ninja can climb to the top with physical skills alone" he proclaimed, charging forward.

The puppeteer only smirked under his nose as a memory of a certain idiot with enormous eyebrows popped into his head. As the gennin-to-be nearer, he launched his doll into action... only to have it break into piece a moment with his student's first swing. Dekai froze in spot, seeing his handy work, while the jounin spun on his foot and walked away slowly.

"Why?" the boy asked, shifting his gaze at the man, somewhat dumbfooled. To this Kankuro stopped and, without turning around, he replied, his voice calm: "Because you remind me of two people from my past... both of which proven to be great shinobi. I'll be counting on you to follow in their footsteps, so do not disappoint me" he added before resuming his walk, leaving Dekai alone in the oasis...

-Flashback end-

Akira charged again, cutting horizontally from the left, yet the instant his blade struck, Dekai spun and swung his sword, going for the blind gennin's head. The leaf-nin quickly skid back, feeling the massive blade graze his cheek. He wiped the blood from the wound, his face stoic, as he analyzed the situation: "_Well, it's official; he counters every, single time I attack and is getting more accurate with each assault. There's no doubt about it; that guy found the way to beat even the Void._"

Meanwhile Dekai stood motionless, waiting for another strike as he began collecting chakra into his blade: "_Sight, hearing... he even took away my sense of smell... a genjutsu that affects all of the senses. This is troublesome... thanks to my reflex, the moment I feel the blade sinking, I'm able to dodge, avoiding a fatal wound and I can pinpoint the general location of the guy, but this won't do, since that way I can't really land a good blow. Luckily for me, that guy's not stupid and eventually he'll switch to long-range weapons like shuriken or kunai. Once that happens, this battle ends..._"

And just as he predicted, the blind gennin put down his tanto, reaching for the throwing knives. He performed a few, quick, hand seals and then relocated himself, tossed the blades straight at his adversary's back. As the first projectile sunk into the sand-nin's left shoulder, the latter instantly bended forward, spinning around on his foot.

Immediately he swung his massive sword backwards, deflecting the second knife, yet the third struck his right side. His eye twitched at the pain and yet, Dekai couldn't help but smile behind his mask: "_I guess we've finally reached the main event_" he thought to himself .

"_There's no doubt about it_" Akira concluded to himself. "_Despite being rid of all the senses, he's using his pain receptors to locate where the attack is coming from and act accordingly. I rid him of touch, so there's no way he even knows there was a third knife, which he deflected with his sword, but the sensation of pain isn't touch per say... I guess I should get ready, this match is coming to an end..._"

He ran to the side, unleashing another barrage of projectiles, that came at his adversary. The instant first blade touched the latter's skin, the Suna gennin maneuvered as a powerful hurricane suddenly erupted around him, blasting the knives and shuriken in all directions, much to most people's surprise.

One of the wayward blade flew straight at Akira and as a buzzing sound reached the blind ninja's ears, he made an attempt to dodge. Too slow, as the shinobi star hit his arm. In a flash the darkness surrounding Dekai started fading away, releasing the boy from the illusion.

"I got you on my first counter? Didn't expect that to be this easy" the sand-nin announced, finally able to see his opponent, standing few meters away. The Leaf gennin made no indication the last hit had any effect, in stead he readied his tanto, awaiting a charge.

"What the hell was that tornado?" Kai asked, looking at the group of Suna shinobi.

"That's Dekai's ability" Karame replied simply, making the blond's eye twitch from annoyance. Seeing that the mummy made no plans to continue, he pressed further: "Which is?" he urged.

"To put it simply, Dekai has no skills at using chakra" Hari explained. "He can release it, but forming seals is a lost concept on him. He wouldn't be able to form that chakra into an attack to save his life. That's partly the reason he carries that sword around; you see, it's a form of a... container, into which Dekai can store the chakra it releases. Considering his clan consists of blacksmiths, they must've made the blade being able not only to collect chakra, but also convert it into elemental type of the user, in this case: wind..."

"_Blacksmiths, huh?_ Kitsune thought to himself at the revelation, narrowing his eyes, while the blonde kunoichi went on: "Thanks to that, he can release stored chakra at any, given time in the form of a wind burst. He can't exactly control, mind you, but by concentrating that burst into a certain space, he can fill it with air, either making his sword sharper or creating a cyclone at a certain area..."

"This seems kinda far-fetched when you put it like that" Kumiko noted suspiciously.

"Well, does it really matter how it works?" Torune asked with a shrug. "The fact is: it does. In battle, it's not about the mechanics of the attack, but that the attack is executed and finding means to stop it. True, knowing how it works might help, but essentially it's irrelevant..."

Meanwhile Dekai lunged towards Akira, swinging his sword from the upper left. The blind gennin blocked the assault with his tanto, yet the force behind the attack pushed his blade down, making the edge of the massive katana tip his shoulder. As the masked ninja pressed his weapon further, the leaf-nin started to weaken, dropping to his knee from the strain.

Suddenly however, the Suna representative retreated his sword and spinning it in hand, he thrust it backwards, impaling Akira, who appeared behind him with his tanto ready. Dekai narrowed his eyes as the gennin before him started to get blurry, only to fade into the air in the next instant.

"Don't think I'll let you trick me this easily" the sand-nin announced, still holding his sword tightly, even as the blind shinobi behind him began following in the previous' footsteps. In a flash he ripped it out and once more spinning it in his hand, he brought it down, making the tip dig into the ground beneath him.

Momentarily the earth cracked as dirt got tosses aside by the wind circling the blade, revealing a third Akira under the ground, his heart now pierced by Dekai's katana. This time the masked teen didn't wait to see the phantom disintegrate as he pulled the weapon back, carefully glancing around the battlefield: "_Dammit, is he trying to piss me off, using a simple bunshin?_"

His eyes narrowed as figured began forming all around him, each a perfect copy of his blind adversary, holding the tanto. As the phantoms charged, he put his blade into motion, cutting through every, single one of the targets, making them blur upon impact. Yet, this time, they remained in tact, making it hard to determine which were already revealed to be illusions.

"_He's aiming to exhaust him?_" Funbo wondered at his teammate's strategy as he observed Dekai swinging his massive katana left and right.

Instantly the sand-nin lowered his body as another burst of wind exploded from the sword, cutting every, single phantom around the masked teen. While most of the figures merely blurred, like they usually did, one in particular was pushed back due to the sudden breeze.

"_There you are_" Dekai concluded and charged forward, ignoring the bunshin and their attacks. In a flash he beat the distance and stopping just before the Akira he managed to blow back, he thrust the blade, piercing through the blind gennin's chest.

The leaf-nin cough out blood as the weapon went through his gut, but his opponent immediately retreated the katana and spinning on his foot, chopped his head off, delivering the final blow.

"I didn't wish to go this far" he proclaimed as Akira's head dropped to the ground. "I'm sorry..."

_**-a killing blow!-**_

And this concludes chapter 137. Akira gets killed and Dekai advances. Man, that's a downturn way of stopping the tale, so I hope I get reviews to keep me going ;P I have little more to say in the matter (except for one thing, but I'll leave that for the end of this installment), so just as a reminder:

**Konoha #7 (Naruto):** Murasakki Kumiko, _Tanken Ibuki_, Gekido Takaru, Hagane Kusari, _Haisha Kai_

**Konoha #3 (Shikamaru):** _Konpaku Rei_, _Rikoteki Kogane_, Amagasa Toku, Debano Kitsune, _Gusoku Hanamaru_

**Konoha #4 (Hinata):** _Igaku Mikka, Inuzuka Tsume_, Benda Kokoro, _Hatake Senkou_, Kobushi Galu

**Konoha (Shino):** Hamano Taki, Hyuuga Hitomi, Manako Akira, Tanken Funbo, Horohoro

**Suna #1 (Temari):** Aoru, Torune, Tarakudo, Takai

**Suna #2 (Kankuro):** Sabaku no Sabure, Hari, Dekai, Karame

**Kusa (none):** Hokku Tobane, Kanraku Nezumi, _Kuchibashi Taka_, Kyohaku Tokame, Wanabi Hizoku

**Tsuki (Hinami Hoshiru):** Junsei Teela, Tenka, _Chishio Nobu, Chishio Kumo, Kihako Tasuki_

**Kane (unknown):** _Futatsu_

And, as usual, here's a reminder of the tournament match-up:

**Fight 7:** Manako Akira (13) vs. Dekai (14)

**Fight 8:** Hyuuga Hitomi (15) vs. Tenka (16)

**Fight 9:** Hokku Tobane (17) vs. Sabaku no Sabure (18)

**Fight 10:** Murasakki Kumiko (19) vs. Debano Kitsune (20)

**Fight 11:** Junsei Teela (21) vs. Kanraku Nezumi (22)

**Fight 12:** Horohoro (23) vs. Hagane Kusari (24)

**Fight 13:** Aoru (25) vs. Hamano Taki (26)

**Fight 14:** Torune (27) vs. Hari (28)

**Fight 15:** Amagasa Toku (29) vs. Kyohaku Tokame (30)

**Fight 16:** Kobushi Galu (31) vs. Karame (32)

**Fight 17:** Takai vs. Wanabi Hizoku

**Fight 18:** Tanken Funbo vs. Gekido Takaru

**Fight 19:** Benda Kokoro vs. Tarakudo

And now, before I go, I'd like to wish you all _MERRY CHRISTMAS _and a _HAPPY NEW YEAR_! Take care.


	138. On the Edge of a Blade

Yes, an update... frankly, I was not aiming to return to this tale, but as history goes, whenever I do put this story on hold, I get tons of PMs (and some reviews over the course) to "update soon" etc. Ironically, when I do ask for reviews during publishing, I get butt-kiss... sorta x_x

Seriously though, I am currently involved in several, writing projects to which end I have little time to spare on less popular stories, NNG included, so unless I get a clear message that you guys want this tale to continue, I will put it on hold again.

With that said, here's the Easter chapter of NNG:

**Chapter #138: On the Edge of a Blade**

_**Title **_Page: Kitsune is working in the forge with his shirt off and body covered in soot, while he prepares a katana

Akira's head dropped to the ground as the rest of his body followed, tumbling at Dekai's feet. The swordsman gazed at the carnage calmly, closing his eyes a moment later: "I did not wish to go this far, but still... it is over" he proclaimed as a hollow 'thud' reached his ears.

But just as his words echo in the arena, roots suddenly shot out from the ground, wrapping their tentacles around the sand-nin. In a blink of an eye the thick plants circle his legs and bind his arms, immobilizing the young shinobi before he has any time to react.

The masked ninja tightened his grip on the weapon as his gaze shifted to a nearby tree or, more specifically, a branch on top of which an all too familiar, Leaf gennin stood. Dekai had no reason to even look at the body he just chopped up; he knew it already faded into thin air.

"From the time you countered my attacks in the Void I knew you could see through my genjutsu" the blind gennin announced simply, readying his tanto. "That is, unless I had you think you've broken through every illusion I've set up."

"I see" the masked ninja nodded approvingly. "You set up two genjutsu barrier; once I broke through the first, you made the phantom react to my tornado to make me think he was the real body. You even had it bleed upon attack. Clever indeed, but one thing you seem to be forgetting" he proclaimed, making Horohoro narrow his eyes at the comment, sensing something was coming: "I've survived this fight as long as I did due to perfect control of my senses... the instant my sword went through that phantom, I knew there was no resistance... the blade went too easily... and so, I knew it had to be fake" he announced, making another burst of wind explode from his weapon.

In a flash another tornado erupted from the blade, pushing the sand-nin upwards. The binds broke, vanishing in the air, as the swordsman flew at Akira, swinging the massive weapon at the illusionist, forcing the latter to block with his tanto. As the metal collided with a 'clang', the force of the flight pushed the blind shinobi back, making him plummet towards the ground.

Before his back smashed the surface though, his knife suddenly waved, turning into liquid, which quickly wrapped around Dekai's right hand and neck, covering his left eye in the process. Akira's body itself exploded into a cloud of violet smoke upon contact, obscuring his opponent's view entirely, while the latter felt his arm grow heavy.

"_Another illusion_" he cursed, tightening his teeth. "_How much more did he set up, dammit?_"

"This would be the last one" came a response, making the Suna gennin's eyes widen in surprise as his surrounding changed before he even noticed. In an instant he found himself at the bottom of a pit, made of skulls soaked in blood. Thin, metal spikes rose from the walls, allowing the crimson liquid to drip from the tips, right to the puddle that covered the floor.

The masked ninja shivered at the sight, the sight alone making his tremble, if ever so slightly; sure this was a place nightmares are born. Before long Akira also appeared, walking calmly from behind as dark abominations climbed down the walls on all fours, toxic saliva dripping from their fanged mouths.

"This is supposed to scare me?" Dekai asked, managing to make his voice sound strong. "This isn't real. Even the biggest idiot can tell this is nothing more then genjutsu" he added, preparing his sword to attack.

"Yes, I would imagine so" the blind gennin nodded simply. The next instant chains erupted from the ground and metal that covered the masked shinobi, clasping on his wrists and keens as the leaf-nin went on: "But an interesting thing about human body is that it reacts on two levels – conscious and subconscious. These two work independently of each other and often provide colliding urges. You see, at times it doesn't matter whether you're consciously aware of the situation; your subconscious takes over, making your body act the way you wouldn't allow it to. For example, when attack high, your first instinct is to duck and more often then not, you follow that urge. This is preciously what genjutsu aims at: to use subconscious of the enemy to the user's advantage."

"Cut the bull!" the swordsman snapped as he felt his wrists burning. The sensation made him let got of the massive blade, allowing the weapon to sunk into the ground.

"You must understand that, to some extend, it doesn't matter whether you know it's illusion or not" Akira stated as the monsters surrounded its pray. "By inflicting the right message to your subconscious, your nervous system will be no wiser and the pain will be just as real" he concluded, while the demons lunged forward, literally tearing the masked teen apart.

Dekai allowed himself a cry of pain before his body fell to the ground, the dreadful pit already gone as the two fighters returned to the stadium. Rid of consciousness, the Suna shinobi could not hear the blind boy's final words, despite the latter standing no more then few feet away: "And the fact is immense pain can force the mind to shut down or blackout, if you will. That is how the nervous system works – if it overloads, it takes the brain with it" he concluded as sweat began covering his face.

"Winner: Manako Akira!" Lee announced as the crowd burst into cheer. The young illusionist dropped to his knee, the strain of the technique finally catching up to him as he panted heavily.

The next moment Horohoro, Taki and Hitomi appeared beside him, with the other boy helping his teammate to stand up. The medics rushed towards the fallen sand-nin, yet Hitomi stopped them in their tracks, her voice calm: "There's no need for your assistance, he's just knocked out... he didn't even take any, physical damage. Dependable on how strong he is, this Dekai fellow should come to in a while..." and as she spoke those words, Sabure popped next to the swordsman in a blast of sand.

The redhead gazed at Akira without a word, forming a seal in the process. In an instant the duo got wrapped with sand again, teleporting them back to the platform above. The blue-haired teen glanced after the kunoichi and then turned to his own companions: "We should head back too... good luck, Hitomi" he added, taking the blind gennin towards the stairs.

"Yeah, you go girl!" Taki cheered as a goodbye, leaving the young Hyuuga to herself.

"Oooo-kay" Kai began, looking around nervously. "So, anyone wish to clue me in on what the heck happened? A moment ago that sword guy was on the offensive and the next he's down for the count! What the hell?"

"It's genjutsu" Kumiko explained simply, narrowing his eyes. "A style that's beyond your comprehension really. All you need to know is that Akira used illusion to induce a shock powerful enough to knock out that sand-nin on a psychological level. In some ways this can be considered an attack even more devastating then physical damage."

"That's my Kumiko-chan!" Kusari announced, aiming to wrap his arm around the girl. "Smart as usual" he added, while the kunoichi ducked under the embrace. Seeing this, Takaru sweat dropped as he gazed at the chain master: "Can't you ever behave?"

Little the son of Tsunade didn't know was that all the while his teammate was actually paying very close attention to the duo of female shinobi, who stood away from most of the participants. His eyes narrowed at the sight of Teela nodding to her comrade, right before the later jumped over the rail to join Hitomi down bellow.

"I see Shino's subordinates do have skill" Shikamaru stated, playing with his toothpick. "Kinda makes you wonder how far they can get, eh?" he raised an eyebrow, turning to Hinata. The woman didn't reply, in stead carefully watching her cousin await her opponent in the middle of the arena.

"Man, this sucks!" Tsume whined, placing her hands behind her head. "Since it was genjutsu, we couldn't really enjoy the fight! I'm still clueless as to what Akira did to that sand-nin exactly" she admitted, making Uramaru bark loudly with agreement.

"How come this was not the problem when Kokoro used some mind trick to beat his opponent?" Kogane asked suspiciously, eying the dog kunoichi, but as a snore reached her ears, her face fallen, while she spun around, grabbing Rei by the collar: "Wake the hell up!"

"Quick, Senkou-kun, put on your pants!" the sleeping girl cried out, snapped from her dream. Noticing she was back in real life and had all of the rookies gaze at her, most specifically the silver-haired boy, she rubbed her eyes, asking in her normal, stoic voice: "Kitsune's turn already?"

"No, actually, there's still some time to his match" Hanamaru replied, stuffing his face with more chips.

"Oh" the lazy kunoichi nodded, asleep again before her head even returned to the upward position. Kogane's eye twitched at the scene, yet she decided to give up on her teammate. Meanwhile Ibuki felt the need to tease her fellow rookie a bit:

"Someone has a girlfriend" she joked, elbowing Senkou slightly.

"Shut up" the mask gennin shoot back, shrinking in his seat.

The whole ordeal went unseen by most spectators, especially a certain group of moon-nin, sitting merely a few rows away from the young, Konoha ninja. The three boys were anxiously awaiting the upcoming match, granted none choose to show it:

"So, Tenka is actually gonna fight a Hyuuga" Tasuki noted, crossing his arms as he watched the battlefield from the stands. "Life is filled with irony, is it not?" he asked, turning to the Chishio twins, who sat right beside him.

"I suppose that having her advance to this stage, while the three of us failed is an irony too" Nobu replied with a smirk, annoying the boy. His brother however carried a worried expression: "Well, regardless, this match will be tough for her... and with her feelings towards those with a bloodline... that Hyuuga girl may very well end up dead..."

"Will Hitomi be okay?" Taki asked, turning towards her teammates, yet none seemed to take the upcoming battle seriously. Without any trace of emotion, Funbo shrugged, not taking his eyes off the two kunoichi below: "You're actually asking such a question? The whole thing shouldn't take longer then a minute" he added confidently.

"Eight match: Hyuuga Hitomi from Konoha against Tenka of Tsuki!" Lee called out loudly, ignoring the fact that neither of the fighters gave an indication they were ready. As both stood simply before another, he felt a chill run down his spine, making him instinctually jump away as the next word left his lips: "BEGIN!"

_**-a fated showdown?-**_

And that concludes it... yeah, Akira survived. Considering I didn't trick many people with Karame getting killed during eliminations, I doubt you believed I'd actually kill Akira off this early, especially since he is one of my personal favorites. I'm not above killing a major character for the good of the story mind you (heck, there will be deaths of main characters throughout the course of this story, including those you know from the manga itself), but I do not intend to follow in Kishimoto's footsteps in that regard and I will showcase the more important ones before riding the tale of their presence, so rest assured that if you like one of the protagonists, you do get to know him/her well before their final appearance.

As a reminder, I put up the rooster of teams and match-up of the final exam and I'd like to let you know that, in the spirit of upcoming holidays, I also decided to update NNG Side Stories, putting up a chapter many of you asked for before NNG was put on hold, meaning the inside of Kusari!

**Konoha #7 (Naruto):** Murasakki Kumiko, _Tanken Ibuki_, Gekido Takaru, Hagane Kusari, _Haisha Kai_

**Konoha #3 (Shikamaru):** _Konpaku Rei_, _Rikoteki Kogane_, Amagasa Toku, Debano Kitsune, _Gusoku Hanamaru_

**Konoha #4 (Hinata):** _Igaku Mikka, Inuzuka Tsume_, Benda Kokoro, _Hatake Senkou_, Kobushi Galu

**Konoha (Shino):** Hamano Taki, Hyuuga Hitomi, Manako Akira, Tanken Funbo, Horohoro

**Suna #1 (Temari):** Aoru, Torune, Tarakudo, Takai

**Suna #2 (Kankuro):** Sabaku no Sabure, Hari, _Dekai_, Karame

**Kusa (none):** Hokku Tobane, Kanraku Nezumi, _Kuchibashi Taka_, Kyohaku Tokame, Wanabi Hizoku

**Tsuki (Hinami Hoshiru):** Junsei Teela, Tenka, _Chishio Nobu, Chishio Kumo, Kihako Tasuki_

**Kane (unknown):** _Futatsu_

**Fight 8:** Hyuuga Hitomi (15) vs. Tenka (16)

**Fight 9:** Hokku Tobane (17) vs. Sabaku no Sabure (18)

**Fight 10:** Murasakki Kumiko (19) vs. Debano Kitsune (20)

**Fight 11:** Junsei Teela (21) vs. Kanraku Nezumi (22)

**Fight 12:** Horohoro (23) vs. Hagane Kusari (24)

**Fight 13:** Aoru (25) vs. Hamano Taki (26)

**Fight 14:** Torune (27) vs. Hari (28)

**Fight 15:** Amagasa Toku (29) vs. Kyohaku Tokame (30)

**Fight 16:** Kobushi Galu (31) vs. Karame (32)

**Fight 17:** Takai vs. Wanabi Hizoku

**Fight 18:** Tanken Funbo vs. Gekido Takaru

**Fight 19:** Benda Kokoro vs. Tarakudo

**Fight 20:** Manako Akira vs. ?

Well, that would be it. What happens to this story next is totally up to you, so all I want to say is _HAPPY EASTER_ everyone and I'll read you if I read you.


	139. Generation to Generation

Well, I was sorta pumped to finish this chappie, considering it gives an inside to a character that, up till now, was barely shown :) I've been sorta anxious about it, but still this seems a bit rushed. Oh well, can't be helped.

To further the celebration, I'm also updating "Those Who Inherit the Will of Fire", just for the heck of it :D At the end of the chapter you'll find an omake, which some of you might read as it'll provide you with a special heads-up, and a question concerning the final exam in general; an issue that's been raised way back, when eliminations ended :D

With that, lets move on to the chapter itself and do not forget to review:

**Chapter #139: Generation to Generation**

_**Title Page:**_ Kokoro is sitting on a chair with cables attached to his head, while Kumiko is holding a card before him with a symbol of a Leaf on the outer side of the telepath

"Finally we get to see one of your gennin fight, Satsuki-dono" Shinkou, leader of the Hidden Metal, announced with a smirk as his cheek still rested on the hand. "I'm quite curious about her bloodline limit. Care to clue us in before-hand?" he asked, turning to the kunoichi, yet to Kakashi's surprise, the purple-haired woman remained silent, for the first time since her arrival.

"Eight match: Hyuuga Hitomi from Konoha against Tenka from Tsuki!" Lee announced, yet neither of the fighters seemed to prepare for the upcoming battle. "BEGIN!" he yelled, instantly jumping out of the way.

In a flash Hitomi reacted, charging forward with her eyes getting embraced by white veins. Similarly, her opponent clasped her hands together in a seal, quickly going through a short set: "Raiton: Harou!" she called out, making electricity wrap around her body.

In a blink of an eye the current dropped to the ground, spreading through the arena floor as it made a sphere around its master. Seeing this, the young Hyuuga jumped forward, throwing her palm at her adversary's chest, but the moon-nin quickly leaned to the side, making the attack smash her left shoulder instead, all the while letting the electric charge hit the Konoha gennin with full force, blasting her back.

"_See may be a taijutsu expert, but this requires for her to make contact with the enemy_" Galu quickly analyzed the situation, narrowing his eyes. "_With the body covered in electricity, any attack will end up dealing damage to Hitomi as well. This will not do..._"

Rolling on the ground as she landed, the white-eyed girl instantly rose back to her feet, ready to resume, while her opponent completed another set of seals: "Raiton: Raiu no Jutsu!" Tenka cried out, throwing her hand upwards as lighting flew to the sky. In a flash the Leaf kunoichi was forced to jump back, avoiding the assault that came from above, burning the grass at the very spot she stood a moment earlier.

She quickly ducked as an electric whip flew at her, sizzling in the air, but as she bended forward, another charge erupted from the ground, climbing upwards and thus hitting her directly in the stomach, sending a new dose of scourging pain through her body.

Letting out a weak cry, Hitomi dropped to her knee as a cracking symphony neared her, announcing the coming of her adversary. Immediately she strafed right, trying to gain some distance, while Tenka launched an electric-filled punch at her head. The white-eyed ninja dodged at the last moment, flipping a few times to get some room.

"_Seems that Jyuken won't do, unless you're able to land a knockout blow_" Funbo concluded with a smirk at the development. "_So how are you gonna play this, Hitomi?_" he wondered, ignoring the fact that his teammate was on the losing side.

Tenka resumed her attack, charging straight at the other kunoichi with her arms still wrapped in sizzling current, yet this time her opponent didn't made an attempt to move. In stead she pushed her hand back, thrusting it forward with full force, the palm aimed at the redhead's chest again: "Hakke Kuushou!"

An instant later the moon-nin got blasted back as a powerful hit smashed her chest, knocking the air out of her lungs. Tenka dropped to her back with a gasp, allowing Hitomi enough time to take the offensive. With a dash the white-eyed girl charged forward, her palms ready, yet upon noticing the assault, the Tsuki gennin merely slammed her hand to the ground, once more releasing a surge through the surface.

Having no way to dodge, the young Hyuuga froze on the spot and jumped back, getting out of the attack's range. Seeing this, Kumiko narrowed her eyes, the situation being as clear as day: "_Unless you figure out a way to get pass that electric ability of hers, there's no way close-range will be beneficial..._"

"Man, oh man" Kai whined, observing the fight from the platform. "That chick doesn't stand out, but she's insanely strong! How is she even capable of doing all that?" he asked, making Kusari sweat drop at the question.

"Don't you know anything?" the chain master responded, slightly annoyed. "Aside from their amazonian-like society, Tsuki is known for the shinobi heritage. Albeit being a tiny village by comparison to most, their ninja strength is feared throughout the entire land and that's mostly because every clan from the Hidden Moon possess a bloodline limit!"

"Say what?" the blond shoot back, widening his eyes.

"This is bullshit!" Takaru joined in, visibly disturbed. "How is it even possible for such a village to exist?" he demanded, yet to this Hizoku joined the conversation: "Well, in reality, it's not that unbelievable, considering that Tsuki's population is, at best, half the size of any of the smaller villages. On the other hand, Hidden Metal, which specializes in weapon usage, basically have nearly no kekkai genkai within their population. Hidden Mist tended to kill off people with these kind of abilities out of fear back in the day... the management of every village differs and placing great care into their kunoichi, it is possible that Hidden Moon basically selected as their shinobi only those that have a bloodline limit, keeping the... purity of blood, for the lack of a better word. It's quite incredible, but nothing unheard off... for example – doesn't your, Hyuuga clan take great pride in their purity as well? Isn't that why the division to Main and Branch families existed within the clan itself?"

"True, bloodline limits give tremendous advantage in battle" Horohoro nodded with his arms crossed. "And, more often then not, they have roots in element manipulation, such as my mastery of ice and water..."

"So that's how it is?" Toku asked, turning towards the blue-haired teen. "She's using her kekkai genkai to maximize the effect of the technique?"

"That most likely is the case" Kusari replied simply.

"Actually" surprisingly Teela joined the conversation, making the chain master glance at her confused. "In that regard you are mistaken, Kusari-san..."

"Oh, I see Tenka's match had already began" a new voice made Kumo and Tasuki jump in their seats as a tall, blue-haired woman appeared behind them. With a smug smile on her pretty face, she stared at the arena below, while Nobu narrowed his eyes at the newcomer: "Where the heck have you been, Hinami-sensei? We barely got to see you ever since we arrived in Konoha!"

"Jounin business" the kunoichi replied with a shrug, turning to her student. "Can't be helped. Besides, I had confidence you guys could handle yourselves in the meantime. I was, however, surprised to learn neither of you three advanced to the final stage of the exams. Even more shocking is that Tenka actually did" she laughed whole-heartedly. "To think – the only team member without a bloodline limit..." she added, making the blond twin shift his head back, narrowing his eyes as a memory crept into his mind:

-Five years ago, Hidden Moon Village-

"Well, aside from a crude, first impression Tasuki made" Hinami began, sending the swordsman a disappointed look. "I believe we can make this cell work. In order to be more effective on missions, it'd be helpful to know what your abilities are, so do tell me your names, likes, dislikes and bloodline limits you possess..."

"I'm Kumo and this is my brother, Nobu" the green-haired twin began, tilting his head towards his brother. "As you probably know we're of the Chishio clan, which allows us to... borrow the strength and chakra of our siblings, should the need arise. Being the first twins in a couple of generations among our clansmen, I suppose Satsuki-sama decided it'd be most beneficial for us to land in the same squad."

At this the woman nodded and shifted her attention towards Tasuki. Catching her gaze, her looked away, his arms still crossed from annoyance: "Kihako Tasuki. My bloodline limit is Hitokage Tougou" he announced, but as the jounin await more, the boy kept silent.

"Okay, lets move on" she sighed, turning towards the first female in her group: "My name is Junsei Teela, the last wielder of the Seitai no Enkai" the young kunoichi proclaimed, making Hinami widen her eyes.

"_Seitai no Enkai?_" she repeated in her mind, barely hiding her excitement. "_And I thought that the only, living member of the Junsei clan was you... Unabara-san_" she lowered her head at the recollection, but managed to shake off the sadness quickly as she turned to the final member of her cell: "Well, what about you?"

"You may call me Tenka" the redhead girl replied without any trace of emotions. "And I have no kekkai genkai..."

-Flashback end-

"From what I understand, you Hyuuga posses a very desirable bloodline" Tenka stated as electricity wrapped around her arm. She kept her eyes set on Hitomi, who by now was located on a tree branch, safe from the electrified ground. "And I hate people with kekkai genkai" she added, thrusting her arm forward, unleashing a bolt of lighting.

"_That electricity_" Saiken thought to himself, still propping his back against the wall. "_According to Kyuu, that is what brought down Raina..._"

The attack hit the tree, instantly blasting it to bits, which forced the white-eyed girl to jump upwards. With her gaze settled on the enemy bellow, she readied her palms, yet before she even began to descent, another lighting erupted, dropping from the sky. In a fraction of a second it smashed against the young gennin, burning her skin.

A moment later Hitomi dropped to the ground, motionless, as smoke slowly danced over her body. Tenka walked over to her fallen opponent, electricity still circling around her arms. The other kunoichi weakly lifted her head up, unable to do much more then watch the moon-nin closing in for the final blow.

"_Dad..._" she whispered in her mind as her vision started to blur...

_**-a shocking conclusion!-**_

And this concludes the chapter. Hope you enjoyed it and now the question mentioned at the intro – we're halfway through the first round of the final exam... looking back at all the matches that have taken place so far I wanna ask if anyone STILL believes these pairs were choose at random? I recall someone accused me that most of the duels didn't seem meaningful and I'm curious if anyone holds that opinion. Do you still believe Takaru was pitted against Honemaru randomly? That Kokoro's match with Horamaru wasn't planned from the beginning? Or do you think Aoru vs. Taki, Teela vs. Nezumi or Galu vs. Karame do not have a greater purpose to them then just pairing everyone who made it through eliminations? At this point, I feel that I can say that you should have faith in the fact that everything in this tale happens for a reason, albeit I often leave that reason to your judgment ;) Why? Because I think that way you take more out of the story.

With that, here's the promised Omake, the usual bonus info and those of you who like my work in general, I invite to check "Those Who Inherit the Will of Fire" as well ;)

**OMAKE: Special Announcement**

"Guys, did you hear?" Kai yelled as he dashed towards his team, holding tight to a suspicious, thick book in his hand. "It says here NNG Character Popularity Poll is coming up again!" he announced, swinging the magazine before Takaru's face. "Remind you of anything?' he asked cocky.

The son of Tsunade merely shrugged at the question, in stead allowing Ibuki to react: "Popularity poll? After such a long hatius? How does that idiot of an author believe anyone can give an accurate vote in these circumstances?"

"Well, apparently he's making an announcement before-hand so that anyone interested in voting can make a quick recollection of the events" the blond responded, digging into the book. A second later his head shoot up as he send Kusari a challenging glare: "This time around I'm taking back my rightful place as number one!"

"Yeah" the chain master replied with a stoic expression. "Dream on."

"Seriously, how can you guys even care about that sort of thing?" the young weapon mistress interrupted with a sigh, lowering her head.

"Says miss #4, who nailed the Contest's poster to her wall" Takaru noted, making the girl look away, a blush covering her face at the memory. Meanwhile Kusari shifted his attention to the last member of their team, who was holding her hands in a prayer, gazing skywards.

"Something wrong, Kumiko-chan?" he asked worriedly.

"Well, considering how poorly I did last time, compared to you guys, I'm just praying to not end up as dead last this time around" the kunoichi responded with a face of a scold puppy. Immediately, Kai decided to come to her rescue:

"Don't sweat it, hot stuff" he proclaimed, wrapping his arm around her. "Maybe this time you won't make it into the poll?" he envisioned, making the girl's face drop.

"Not helping" she announced, holding back anger.

"It says here the contest is still few chapters away" Takaru noted, scanning the magazine. "No point worrying over it now" he added, but at that moment drum noise reached their ears and as the five gennin gazed in the direction it came from, they noticed their jounin instructor punching the massive drum on his belly, while a loud whistle accompanied the cacophony from his mouth.

The whisker-marked man also carried a large banner with a single phrase upon it: "Naruto for the Most Popular Character of NNG".

Seeing this, all the rookie gennin sweat drop with Kumiko speaking up shyly: "Should we tell him votes come from the readers, not Konoha residents?"

**Konoha #7 (Naruto):** Murasakki Kumiko, _Tanken Ibuki_, Gekido Takaru, Hagane Kusari, _Haisha Kai_

**Konoha #3 (Shikamaru):** _Konpaku Rei_, _Rikoteki Kogane_, Amagasa Toku, Debano Kitsune, _Gusoku Hanamaru_

**Konoha #4 (Hinata):** _Igaku Mikka, Inuzuka Tsume_, Benda Kokoro, _Hatake Senkou_, Kobushi Galu

**Konoha (Shino):** Hamano Taki, Hyuuga Hitomi, Manako Akira, Tanken Funbo, Horohoro

**Suna #1 (Temari):** Aoru, Torune, Tarakudo, Takai

**Suna #2 (Kankuro):** Sabaku no Sabure, Hari, _Dekai_, Karame

**Kusa (none):** Hokku Tobane, Kanraku Nezumi, _Kuchibashi Taka_, Kyohaku Tokame, Wanabi Hizoku

**Tsuki (Hinami Hoshiru):** Junsei Teela, Tenka, _Chishio Nobu, Chishio Kumo, Kihako Tasuki_

**Kane (unknown):** _Futatsu_

**Kumori (Tategamaru):** _Saiken Tenma_

**Fight 8:** Hyuuga Hitomi (15) vs. Tenka (16)

**Fight 9:** Hokku Tobane (17) vs. Sabaku no Sabure (18)

**Fight 10:** Murasakki Kumiko (19) vs. Debano Kitsune (20)

**Fight 11:** Junsei Teela (21) vs. Kanraku Nezumi (22)

**Fight 12:** Horohoro (23) vs. Hagane Kusari (24)

**Fight 13:** Aoru (25) vs. Hamano Taki (26)

**Fight 14:** Torune (27) vs. Hari (28)

**Fight 15:** Amagasa Toku (29) vs. Kyohaku Tokame (30)

**Fight 16:** Kobushi Galu (31) vs. Karame (32)

**Fight 17:** Takai vs. Wanabi Hizoku

**Fight 18:** Tanken Funbo vs. Gekido Takaru

**Fight 19:** Benda Kokoro vs. Tarakudo

**Fight 20:** Manako Akira vs. ?

_Raiton: Harou_ (Lighting Release: Surge)

_Raiton: Raiu no Jutsu_ (Lighting Release: Thunderstorm Skill)

And that really completes the chapter. Don't forget to review and see you next time!


	140. Pride of the Fallen

Well, the "interest rate" isn't exactly what I hoped for, but I still decided to upload this... dunno why exactly as Hitomi vs. Tenka was never one of my, favorite matches, but oh well. Actually, right now, I'm most anxious about Horohoro vs. Kusari (and most terrified of Kumiko vs. Kitsune :D)... it's not that I dislike the other duels, but...

Anyways, here's the newest installment in the NNG tale. Hope you'll enjoy it:

**Chapter #140: Pride of the Fallen**

_**Title Page:**_ Tsume is walking on all fours, sniffing the ground, as she follows a trail of paws

"Preparations are complete, Hisaki-sama" a man of long, black hair and peril-white eyes bowed before his master, while the latter looked at his over the shoulder. He allowed himself a slight nod at the news before turning on his foot as he headed towards his servant: "Excellent, lets not waste another moment" he ordered walking out the door.

The younger of the duo quickly raised back to his feet and followed, rushing through a narrow hallway. Soon enough they reached the sliding door, making the leader freeze. In a flash the his companion passed him, moving the blockade out of his way, thus letting Hisaki into a wide room with an altar in the center, located in the middle of a large seal drawn on the floor.

The roof of the chamber was held by a quartet of massive columns, each standing near the corner, while several, large candlesticks lit the shadows of the room. Four people, wrapped in brown cloaks stood at the edges of the altar, each with their heads lowered, allowing the hoods to hide their faces, even as the duo walked inside. But the most surprising feature was probably a young girl, no more then five years of age, tied to the top of the altar.

Hisaki walked closer to the young one, placing his palm on her forehead as she gazed at him, terrified, with her eyes as white as his. Her breath quickened, even after the man tried to shush her with a calm voice: "Fear not, Hitomi... it'll be over soon enough" he proclaimed, reaching for a short, steel staff, ended with a swastika-like symbol on one end.

As white veins engulfed her eyes, the girl could see the man's chakra getting pumped into the mysterious symbol while he sunk it into a bucket of hot, glowing coal. A moment later Hisaki pulled the iron bar away, allowing the sizzling noise to menacingly echo in Hitomi's ears as the swastika neared her forehead, its heat already warning the five-year-old what she was about to feel.

But as the red iron lowered, the doors suddenly broke into pieces, letting in another man, his eyes as white as everyone gathered in the room. The new arrival narrowed them, settling his gaze on Hisaki, his voice demanding: "Let her go! These practices were dropped and you know it! Let her go right now!" he repeated as veins began embracing his eyes.

"This is tradition" the other man spat with superiority in his voice, leaving no debate as to the righteousness of his act: "This is what helped us survived all these years and what will in the future. Besides, I feel no need listening to a Branch member..."

"Then, perhaps, you'll listen to the head of the clan" a new voice joined in from behind the arrival as a moment later a woman, only slightly younger then her companion, appeared behind the intruder's back, also carrying the same feature as the others: "That seal shall not be placed on any, other child ever again and all things associated with this ritual were ordered to be destroyed. This chamber is no different."

"But, Hinata-sama" Hisaki began, slightly nervous, but never got to finish as the woman raised her voice in one of her, few angry moments, all of which spelled trouble to those who opposed her: "Are you disobeying my, direct command?" she questioned, making the man shiver at the sudden change in her voice.

"O... of course not, Hinata-sama" the man bowed deeply, stepping away from the child. The heir's companion didn't wait long and instantly appeared next to the girl, untying her arms and legs as the youngster sobbed from fright.

"It's alright, Hitomi" he assured her, putting her in a tight embrace. "Everything is gonna be alright" he repeated, rocking the child. Meanwhile Hinata turned to Hisaki's servant, her face once more as gentle as it always is: "Thank you for informing us, Hisomu-san" she nodded towards the man, making the latter lower his head.

Hisaki send his underling a death glare before shifting his attention back to the man, who was still calming his daughter: "This is a mistake" he announced, making the father gaze at him. "Deep down you realize this already, Neji; seal or not, she is of the Branch family and nothing will ever change that."

The man, Neji, didn't reply. He just looked at his daughter, who finally calmed down in his arms and walked out of the room, soon followed by his cousin. Once things cooled down, he took the girl home, where his wife, Tenten, has already prepared dinner. The trio sat down to the table like nothing happened, yet Hitomi merely played with the food, staring blankly at the plate.

"What's wrong, sweetie?" the weapon mistress asked, immediately cursing herself in her mind for asking such a stupid question. Despite this, the young kunoichi didn't seem to take much note of her words words anyway, still mesmerized by her plate. Seeing this, Neji spoke up with his usual, calm voice:

"You're the first Hyuuga from the Branch family not branded with seal" he announced, making his daughter gaze at him curiously. "It's obvious those rooted in tradition may find that fact hard to accept. This is why you'll need to work even harder to prove that you're just as much of a Hyuuga as anyone else" he added with a smile, making the girl blush slightly as she gave a nod...

-Flashback end-

Hitomi glanced up as Tenka reached her, the latter's body still tightly wrapped in electricity. The redhead shown no emotions on her face as she held her hand above the fallen form of the young Hyuuga, speaking as calm as ever: "You cannot win... I suggest surrendering."

"Oh?" the white-eyed gennin responded just as calmly. "Just a moment ago you claimed to hate people with bloodline limits and now you're giving me a chance to give up? I'm getting some mixed signals here... either way, that's not gonna happen; you see, I made a promise and so... I'm gonna beat you" she proclaimed just before another charge got released from the moon-nin's grasp, hitting her hard in the back.

Hitomi let out a cry a pain surged through her body, burning her skin even further. She could feel her nerves aching as she tried to get up, only to receive another blow, which brought her back to the ground. The other kunoichi observed her struggle and zapped her again as the young Hyuuga attempted to push herself up for the second time, this time with the help of her hands.

"She can barely move" Takaru stated, narrowing his eyes. "The enemy has her pinned... what in the world does she think she's doing? There's no way she can win" he added with a slight note of worry in his voice as he turned towards the girl's teammates.

"Well, Hitomi-san hates to lose" Taki responded with an awkward smile, making Kusari's eye twitch at the announcement: "Are you kidding me with this? That redhead is obviously wacko! I doubt she'll hesitate to kill her, if that will be necessary to win! She has to forfeit..."

"Wouldn't you, in her predicament, do the same, Kusari-san?" Teela sudden joined the conversation, making the chain master glance at her. After a short silence, the boy shifted his eyes to the floor, while the kunoichi returned to watching the match: "It is true however that Tenka is very determined... it is highly possible she might kill your friend, should the latter fail to oblige..."

"Hitomi is too stubborn to admit defeat" Horohoro noted, ready to jump off the platform. But the instant his foot touched the rail, Funbo grabbed his shoulder, stopping the blue-haired gennin from interfering. As the ice user gazed at him confused, the heir of the Tanken spoke calmly and as emotionless as always: "The match has not ended yet."

"Are you insane?" Kai snapped at the staff wielder's behavior. "Ibuki said you were a cold bastard, but this is going over the line! Your teammate needs help! She will die otherwise!"

"It is preciously because she is my teammate that I'm doing this" Funbo replied matter-of-factly. "Rest assured that, should it be anyone of you, I wouldn't have bothered" he added with a stoic voice, making Kumiko shiver at the lack of any, human trait within her fellow gennin.

Meanwhile Tenka was already gathering more electricity in her palm as Hitomi pulled herself up a bit: "You're not gonna give up?" she rather stated then asked as the white-eyed kunoichi now stood on all fours, almost like bowing before her opponent. Annoyed, the redhead released another charge, but this time, before the attack could reach its target, the leaf-nin jumped back, a sudden explosion of chakra pushing her palms backwards.

"_She used chakra to blast herself away_" Akira noticed instantly as his teammate came to a sliding stop few meters away from the Tsuki gennin. With chakra slowly wrapping around her body, the young Hyuuga once more went into her fighting stance and charged forward, ducking under another bolt sent her way.

"_This sensation_" Nobu realized from the stands, narrowing his eyes. "_It's similar to our Blood Brotherhood!_" she thought surprised, glancing at his sibling to make sure the latter felt the same thing. A tiny drop of sweat running down Kumo's face left not doubt in his mind that he too came to the same conclusion.

With a sudden surge of electricity released to the ground, Hitomi jumped forward and spinning parallel to the surface, she threw her hand at Tenka, unleashing another blast, which hit the redhead in the chest again: "Hakke Kuushou!"

The pain made the moon-nin loose her concentration, dispelling the electricity already that spread on the ground. This allowed the white-eyed girl to land safely just before her adversary, her gaze set out front: "Jyuken po Hakke! Rokujuyonsho!" she called out as her hands launched forward, hitting Tenka's body with inhuman precision, too fast for the latter to even react: "Nisho! Yonsho! Hassho! Jurokusho! Sanjunisho! Rokujuyonsho!" she finished as the redhead got blasted back, falling motionless on her back.

"_And that would be it_" Tasuki concluded, his face calm.

But as Hitomi allowed herself to huff a few times, the other kunoichi quickly flipped back to her feet, electricity once more cracking all over her body. In a flash the Tsuki gennin thrust her arms at the young Hyuuga, releasing another charge at point-blank range. The white-eyed girl barely managed to roll to the side as the assault came, avoiding the hit by inches.

Tenka was not done however as she quickly swung her right hand to the side, unleashing a sizzling whip which swooped at her adversary, forcing the latter to jump back as the scourge smacked the ground with a blow. The leaf-nin had no time to celebrate though as the redhead's second arm was already pointed upwards, summoning the lighting to rain down upon Hitomi.

The girl strafed left as the attack drilled into the spot she stood a moment earlier and ducked when another whip came, swung parallel to the ground. Quickly she flipped back as the electric charge spread through the ground, getting out of its range while Tenka glare at her, panting, her body still wrapped tightly in the current.

"Hyuuga taijutsu is aimed to disturb the flow of chakra and attack inner organs of the target" Galu explained, slightly confused. "Rokujuyonsho shuts every tanketsu point in the body; with this, there's no way to utilize chakra! How the hell is that redhead able to do it after that?"

"She uses electricity" Kitsune replied with a note of amazement in his voice. "Incidentally, most of the body functions are initiated through a form of electric current, as the nervous system is based specifically on that; any command, conscious or subconscious, is activated through the nerves which send information to the brain and vice verse. With this you can stop some of the processes constantly taking place within your body like cease breathing, even making your heart freeze... at least in theory. Much of the chakra paths are bind to that rule as well. Most likely that Tenka girl had her electricity interfere with the chakra flow internally. I doubt she managed to nullify Hitomi's attack entirely, but even keeping few of the tanketsu points opened allows her to utilize techniques effectively."

"You seem to be even more fierce then before" Hitomi noted as she changed her fighting stance a bit. Noticing this, Hinata widen her eyes as the chakra, which was still leaking out of the young kunoichi's body, now seemed to circle near the skin like a drill. "This leaves me little choice then... you know, my clan's Gentle Fist is feared as the most dangerous form of hand-to-hand combat in the world, but that's not exactly true" she announced, narrowing her eyes. "I'll show you... Hyuuga's ultimate taijutsu!"

_**-climbing to new heights!-**_

And that would be it. Yes, Hitomi will be using a new variation of taijutsu; it's actually a move I had planned for her every since she was created (a taijutsu style original for NNG as no Hyuuga in my, other fics will be using it :D). Actually, the flashback at the start of the chapter was supposed to take longer (a whole chapter), but with the final exam taking along as is, I decided to shorten that part – that is why Tenten was present at the table, even though she officially didn't hear Hitomi's promise (check Hitomi's elimination match for details)... either way, it isn't of great importance to the story itself (Tenten being present that is), so hopefully you don't mind.

**Konoha #7 (Naruto):** Murasakki Kumiko, _Tanken Ibuki_, Gekido Takaru, Hagane Kusari, _Haisha Kai_

**Konoha #3 (Shikamaru):** _Konpaku Rei_, _Rikoteki Kogane_, Amagasa Toku, Debano Kitsune, _Gusoku Hanamaru_

**Konoha #4 (Hinata):** _Igaku Mikka, Inuzuka Tsume_, Benda Kokoro, _Hatake Senkou_, Kobushi Galu

**Konoha (Shino):** Hamano Taki, Hyuuga Hitomi, Manako Akira, Tanken Funbo, Horohoro

**Suna #1 (Temari):** Aoru, Torune, Tarakudo, Takai

**Suna #2 (Kankuro):** Sabaku no Sabure, Hari, _Dekai_, Karame

**Kusa (none):** Hokku Tobane, Kanraku Nezumi, _Kuchibashi Taka_, Kyohaku Tokame, Wanabi Hizoku

**Tsuki (Hinami Hoshiru):** Junsei Teela, Tenka, _Chishio Nobu, Chishio Kumo, Kihako Tasuki_

**Kane (unknown):** _Futatsu_

**Kumori (Tategamaru):** _Saiken Tenma_

**Fight 8:** Hyuuga Hitomi (15) vs. Tenka (16)

**Fight 9:** Hokku Tobane (17) vs. Sabaku no Sabure (18)

**Fight 10:** Murasakki Kumiko (19) vs. Debano Kitsune (20)

**Fight 11:** Junsei Teela (21) vs. Kanraku Nezumi (22)

**Fight 12:** Horohoro (23) vs. Hagane Kusari (24)

**Fight 13:** Aoru (25) vs. Hamano Taki (26)

**Fight 14:** Torune (27) vs. Hari (28)

**Fight 15:** Amagasa Toku (29) vs. Kyohaku Tokame (30)

**Fight 16:** Kobushi Galu (31) vs. Karame (32)

**Fight 17:** Takai vs. Wanabi Hizoku

**Fight 18:** Tanken Funbo vs. Gekido Takaru

**Fight 19:** Benda Kokoro vs. Tarakudo

**Fight 20:** Manako Akira vs. ?

Yeah, no jutsu encyclopedia this time, but the only technique used was from the manga itself, so, as my recently favorite character would say "no big" :D I've also updated Legacy of the Leaf fic, to those who are interested. With that said, thanks for reading and until next time.


	141. Beyond

And here it is, another chapter... written mostly in late hours of the night as, despite having a free week altogether, I spent it mostly with my friends outdoors, as the weather was good (which, actually, gave me an idea for a title page for LoL :D). I could rumble on about things I did these past, few days but... you guys don't care ;P

So, to that end, I'm posting the newest installment in the NNG series, along with an update of LoL. Hope you enjoy it and to those who also follow "Legacy of the Leaf", I hope the latter will meet your expectations as well...

**Chapter #141: Beyond**

_**Title Page:**_ Galu is preparing himself to smash the bricks in a karate style

"Hyuuga's ultimate taijutsu?' Shikamaru repeated, turning towards Hinata curiously. The white-eyed woman didn't seem to notice that though as her body grew tense, while a single drop of sweat ran down her face: "_That stance... could she really manage to master THAT at such a young age? Doesn't she know the strain this puts on the body? Neji-niisan... what have you done?_"

Meanwhile Tenka's body shook as her head lowered, voices in her head whispering phrases she hoped to forget: "_Look, it's her; the one without a bloodline_" the first said accusingly, making the kunoichi tighten her fist: "_Don't socialize with her... she's just a nobody anyway_" another rang, echoing in her mind: "_Hey, is it true? You know, that you're just plain?_" the last asked as the redhead let out a yell, electric pillar shooting up from her body.

Hitomi narrowed her eyes at this, while the chakra circling around her seemed to sped up slightly. The moon-nin started panting as she glanced at her opponent again, her face twisted with anger: "You think you're so special, just because you possess a kekkai genkai? My village is filled with people like you! Having abilities passed on to you by blood... it doesn't make you better then me... it merely makes you luckier!" she proclaimed, slamming her palms to the ground, in a flash making the charge spread to the edges of the battlefield.

Seeing this, the young Hyuuga jumped onto the nearest tree, her eyes wide as her Byakugan noted Tenka already above her, the latter's hand entirely wrapped in lighting: "I'm not worse then you! I'm different and I won't allow you to look down on me!" he yelled, bringing her arm down.

Instantly Hitomi jumped off, barely avoiding the attack which split the tree in two. Coming to a sliding stop, the white-eyed girl thrust her palm upwards, unleashing a drill of chakra that went flying straight at the airborne moon-nin. Unable to dodge, the redhead released another blast to the side, the force of which pushed her out of harm's way, allowing a safe landing.

Just as her feet touched the ground however, Hitomi was already next to her, throwing another attack at her chest. Tenka managed to jump back just in time, making the palm miss the skin, yet her eyes widen as a moment later her stomach got crushed, while blood sprayed from her abdomen.

She had little time to be surprised though as another assault came, this time aiming middle and index finger at her cheek. Instinctually the Tsuki kunoichi blocked the attack by hitting her opponent's wrist, but at that instant the skin on her arm ripped, making pain surge through her body once again.

"_What the heck?_" Tsume widen her eyes, visibly confused. "_She's managing to avoid hits perfectly... even Gentle Fist cannot inflict damage like this... besides, Jyuken doesn't inflict external injuries... so where does the blood come from?_"

"_Those cuts..._" Ibuki analyzed quickly, observing the scene. "_It's like they were made by a spinning blade_" she thought to herself, while back at the platform, Kai was much less subtle in his amazement: "What the hell is going on? None of the attacks are landing, so how in the world is Hitomi able to inflict damage?"

"Through chakra" Akira responded matter-of-factly, leaving the blond even more confused. Surprisingly, it was Galu who continued the explanation: "Gentle Fist, which Hyuuga use, is a unique, taijutsu style, based on using chakra in hand-to-hand combat. By releasing chakra at the moment of impact, the user can send it right into his opponent's body, inflicting internal damage to both organs and chakra paths in the targets body. Such style requires incredible precision to be effective and thus it is rarely seen used outside of the Hyuuga clan, who can maximize it's effect by using their Byakugan..."

"Yeah, we get that, but it doesn't explain the tissue damaged in these attacks" Kusari replied, pointing at Tenka, who was now backing away from her adversary. "Skipping the fact Gentle Fist doesn't do that kind of damage."

"No, it does not" the green-haired boy nodded with his arms crossed. "But that is not Gentle Fist that Hitomi's using. Taking her expertise in chakra, she covered her entire body with a thin layer of the energy, putting it into rotation. It's not that difficult really; considering the fact Hyuuga are capable of releasing chakra through every tanketsu point in their body... they need to in order to perform their, perfect defense, Kaiten..."

"Yeah, that Hitomi girl used it during eliminations" Kumiko nodded thoughtfully, while Takaru added to her comment, shrugging: "Naruto-sensei also could utilize it; like against that Kataki guy back in the Stone Country... seemingly all you need is good control of your chakra."

"Well, this is much like Kaiten" Galu stated, making most gennin gaze at him confused: "Heavenly Spin is a defensive technique, aimed to literally repel any, physical attack coming at its user; to that end, the Hyuuga can blast back taijutsu or weapons... anything that isn't chakra-based at the core. The idea isn't to just stop the assault but to turn it against the enemy. Now, imagine the barrier such as Kaiten surrounding the body, but at a much smaller diameter" he concluded, most people struck by realization.

"So that's how it is" Kitsune responded, narrowing his eyes. "That would explain those wounds; physical contact with such barrier repels, in this case it literally drills through the skin. But, which that and Jyuken still active, it'd mean Hitomi can inflict both external and internal damage and the only way to avoid the hit is dodge... and by a greater amount at that."

"Certainly a scary technique" Toku nodded at his teammate's comment and then glanced back to the green-haired boy, slightly shocked: "It's quite surprising you know this much about it, Galu-kun..."

"_Actually, it's not surprising at all_" Kokoro thought to himself, sending his companion a gaze. "_After all, Galu's own style..._" he began, but never got to finish as a sudden explosion at the arena made everyone's attention shift back to the battle.

Tenka's body was still wrapped in electricity as the redhead swung her arm, tossing another, sizzling whip at her adversary. Hitomi ducked under the attack, making it crash against the wall behind her, smashing the stone into pieces. In a flash the white-eyed girl placed her palm on the ground and flipped to the side and the scourge she just dodged twisted, coming at her from above and splitting the ground upon impact.

The young Hyuuga dashed forward with chakra still circling around her, giving her feet and extra boost. In a flash she beat the distance, but just as she was about to launch her palm into the moon-nin, another charge erupted from the latter's body, smacking her straight in the face. The shock pushed Hitomi's head back, stopping her assault, giving Tenka enough time to counter.

Immediately she thrust her fist forward, punching her opponent in the stomach. Her knuckles instantly got rid of skin as the barrier surrounding the white-eyed kunoichi acted, yet the charged packed into the attack blasted the young Hyuuga back by meters.

While the leaf-nin was still in mid-air, the Tsuki gennin, performed another set of seals and with the last symbol she separated her palms, making an orb of electricity form between. Throwing her arms back, Tenka tossed the bullet at her adversary at a blinding speed, almost like lighting itself.

Hitomi acted without delay and breaking her flight with a hand, she came to a sliding stop, using that same arm to bounce up, just over the projectile. As the orb flew beneath her feet, the leaf-nin tossed her arm back, releasing another blast of chakra, which pushed her forward, right back at the redhead.

The white-eyed girl ignored the pain that suddenly surged through her arm, even as the skin cracked slightly; her gaze was set on the silhouette of the Tsuki gennin, which grew larger and larger with every moment. Finally the young Hyuuga threw her second hand forward, launching one more blast, which forced Tenka to jump back.

To her surprise however, Hitomi landed on the ground in a sliding motion, stopping just before her as her feet touched the surface as well. In an fraction of a second the leaf-nin thrust her arms out front, smashing her palms across the redhead's chest. The effect was instantaneous; the Moon kunoichi's midsection ripped, once more unleashing a rain of blood, while her lungs froze, grasping the heart. As her body dropped to the ground, the girl cough out the crimson liquid, her insides burning.

The young Hyuuga did not came unharmed from the encounter either though, as the moment her palms connected, electricity jumped onto her arms and spread through the body, cutting the skin and burning her blood. The sudden surge hit her spine hard, instantly forcing the white-eyed girl onto her knee.

Hitomi huffed rapidly as she glanced at the fallen form of her opponent, her eye twitching as the pain intensified, her skin breaking even as the electric charged died down. Seeing this, Funbo narrowed his eyes, yet gave no, other indication of his concern: "_Obviously she still haven't mastered Ryuken; Kaiten is quickly released from the body, so it's a different story, but Dragon Fist puts a much greater strain... constant use is just an unhealthy as opening Celestial Gates, possible more even... if that Moon girl's gonna get up after that... this match is over._"

The young Hyuuga pushed herself up, ignoring the pain, her breath slowing down slightly. She gazed at the judge questioningly, but soon shifted her head back as Tenka moved, propping her hand on the ground: "_This can't be! She took a direct hit in the gut! Even with a weaker force that I used, there's no way she could avoid an internal wound!_"

"We..." the redhead began, struggling back to her feet. "We... are not done... I won't lose... to the likes of you" she finished with an absent look on her face. Taking a few, deeper breaths, she performed another set of seals as electricity blasted upwards from her body: "Raiton: Rairyuudan on Jutsu!"

In a flash the current shaped into a dragon and changed direction, coming straight at Hitomi. Instinctually, the white-eyed girl jumped over the sizzling beast as it came, scourging the ground, but as the attack went beneath the Konoha kunoichi, the reptile shifted again, going for the airborne Hyuuga. Unable to dodge in time, the leaf-nin took the assault head-on, getting blasted across the arena.

Hitting the ground hard, Hitomi rolled for a few meters, but to Tenka's surprise she came to a sudden stop just before her feet, instantly rising up. Before the redhead could react, her opponent collected all her chakra into her right arm and thrust it forward, oblivious to her muscles breaking. The attack connected, once more delivering a surge of electricity through the white-eyed girl's body, yet the impact sent the moon-nin to the floor.

Immediately Tenka attempted to get up, yet her body rebelled, remaining still despite her efforts. She cursed under her nose as her vision blurred, anger overflowing her: "This cannot end like that... I... I was supposed to prove..." she began, helpless.

The Leaf kunoichi panted as her gaze set on her opponent, right arm hanging limp. The pain was gone... or maybe she could not feel it anymore? There was no way to tell. She managed to shift to the stands, spotting Hinata in the crowd, and then turned to her adversary one, final time;

"It doesn't matter" she proclaimed, making the redhead glance at her weakly, consciousness slowly fading away. "Having a bloodline limit or not... it doesn't matter at all. Just like it doesn't matter what others think of you. Even if they view you as inferior... there's always yourself... to prove them wrong" she proclaimed before her knees gave in, making the white-eyed kunoichi drop to the ground as well.

Lee walked over slowly towards the two, managing to see Tenka drifting off entirely. He quickly scanned the kunoichi and with a glance at the honorary lounge, he called out, his voice spreading to the furthest reaches of the stadium: "Neither of fighters is able to continue and thus this match... is a tie!"

_**-the curtain falls!-**_

And this concludes this chapter, along with Hitomi and Tenka's fight (well, not exactly, but you'll see what I mean soon enough). Quite frankly, from the very start I couldn't see this match ending any, other way then it did... and not just because it favors Akira in the second round ;P I do hope this came as a bit of surprise.

**Konoha #7 (Naruto):** Murasakki Kumiko, _Tanken Ibuki_, Gekido Takaru, Hagane Kusari, _Haisha Kai_

**Konoha #3 (Shikamaru):** _Konpaku Rei_, _Rikoteki Kogane_, Amagasa Toku, Debano Kitsune, _Gusoku Hanamaru_

**Konoha #4 (Hinata):** _Igaku Mikka, Inuzuka Tsume_, Benda Kokoro, _Hatake Senkou_, Kobushi Galu

**Konoha (Shino):** Hamano Taki, Hyuuga Hitomi, Manako Akira, Tanken Funbo, Horohoro

**Suna #1 (Temari):** Aoru, Torune, Tarakudo, Takai

**Suna #2 (Kankuro):** Sabaku no Sabure, Hari, _Dekai_, Karame

**Kusa (none):** Hokku Tobane, Kanraku Nezumi, _Kuchibashi Taka_, Kyohaku Tokame, Wanabi Hizoku

**Tsuki (Hinami Hoshiru):** Junsei Teela, Tenka, _Chishio Nobu, Chishio Kumo, Kihako Tasuki_

**Kane (unknown):** _Futatsu_

**Kumori (Tategamaru):** _Saiken Tenma_

**Fight 9:** Hokku Tobane (17) vs. Sabaku no Sabure (18)

**Fight 10:** Murasakki Kumiko (19) vs. Debano Kitsune (20)

**Fight 11:** Junsei Teela (21) vs. Kanraku Nezumi (22)

**Fight 12:** Horohoro (23) vs. Hagane Kusari (24)

**Fight 13:** Aoru (25) vs. Hamano Taki (26)

**Fight 14:** Torune (27) vs. Hari (28)

**Fight 15:** Amagasa Toku (29) vs. Kyohaku Tokame (30)

**Fight 16:** Kobushi Galu (31) vs. Karame (32)

**Fight 17:** Takai vs. Wanabi Hizoku

**Fight 18:** Tanken Funbo vs. Gekido Takaru

**Fight 19:** Benda Kokoro vs. Tarakudo

**Fight 20:** Manako Akira (automatic win)

_Raiton: Rairyuudan on Jutsu_ (Lighting Release: Lighting Dragon Bullet Skill)

Well, with this, I don't think there's more for me to write then thanks for tuning in and hope to read you next time. Until then.


	142. Tobane vs Sabure

Wow, this chapter turned out easy to write :) Actually, from the beginning I figured it wouldn't take long, but considering how much time I spared for it, I'm shocked I'm done already. And that I'm actually quite pleased with the outcome, despite a weird feeling of repetition :D

Also, I wish to make a special announcement – true that vacation is still way of, but taking into the account the next, few updates may take me longer and summer is the time when anything can happen, in hope to allow everyone who'd be willing to take part in the endeavor, I've decided to open the Third Character Popularity Contest a bit earlier then planned ;) The rules are still the same as in the two, previous cases, but as always I'll post them up, along with with an updated list of characters you can cast your votes on. The results will be given with chapter 150!

**THIRD CHARACTER POPULARITY CONTEST OPEN:** just as the title states, I'd like to officially announce the beginning of NNG's third Character Popularity Contest! Everyone is welcomed to take part in it and rules, mostly as a reminder (I hope), are written down at the end of this chapter, along with the updated list of characters on which you can cast your votes on.

And with that, I invite everyone to the newest installment in NNG series and to cast their votes on their favorites ;) I wonder if Kai or Kusari will manage to score a second win... or maybe someone new will climb to the top? It's TOTALLY up to you guys!

**Chapter #142: Tobane versus Sabure**

_**Title page:**_ Mikka is bending forward, aiming a thermometer at the 'audience'

Tenka slowly opened her eyes, lifting herself up; registering white walls and beds, she quickly realized she was in a medical wing of the stadium. Not surprising, considering the circumstances. What did shocked her a bit was the fact that most of her team stood next to the bedside, waiting in silence. The lighting master lowered her head, managing a logical statement: "I... lost..."

Neither of three said anything at first as they exchanged quick glances. Finally, the one to answer was Nobu: "Not quite... the match ended in a draw" he announced with a smirk, making the redhead gaze at him confused. "Apparently, that Hyuuga girl blacked out as well, so she got eliminated from the tournament as well..."

"Yeah" Kumo nodded, also smiling. "Going on par with a Hyuuga... not bad for someone with no, special skills, eh?" he added, rising his eyebrow. After a moment of hesitation, the kunoichi returned the smirk, but with another glance around the room, her face dropped once more: "Tasuki... didn't come?" she rated stated then asked, looking away.

"No" the green-haired twin nodded again, slightly discouraged. And as Tenka slowly fallen into sadness, he quickly continued, gaining her attention again: "He did ask to pass on a message for you" he announced, scratching his cheek and as the redhead send him an urging stare, he gazed to the side, avoiding eye contact, while his teammate's words sounded from his mouth: "You... did good."

To this Tenka smiled warmly, releasing her companion from the gaze. Silence fallen between them for a few moments, before Teela broke it, her voice as calm as usual: "So, you've beaten a kekkai genkai user... how do you feel?"

The redhead didn't reply instantly; she stared at her sheets for a few seconds, unsure of the feeling that filled her right now. Finally, taking a deep breath, she responded, looking the blue-haired girl right in the eyes: " Good... but not because I didn't lose... this proves nothing" she announced firmly with determination showing on her face. "Besides the fact that I need to work harder to catch up to you guys" she added with a smile, making all three of her teammates to widen their eyes at the statement.

Most remained in shock a while longer, despite a warm smile that was plastered on Tenka's face, yet Nobu managed to collect himself quickly, smirking under his nose as he glanced at the ceiling: "_Well, regardless to how Teela's match will go... I guess this trip to Konoha wasn't a total loss..._"

-Back to the Arena-

"Ninth match: Hokku Tobane of Kusa against Sabaku no Sabure from Suna" Lee announced as the two kunoichi stood in front of each other at the center. "EXPLODE!" he called out, making the blonde reach for her hooks as she lunged forward, swinging at the masked girl. As the blade came closer, sand blasted from the gourd on the latter's back though, blocking the weapon's way.

Tobane reacted immediately and landing on the ground, she spun on her foot, aiming at her opponent's legs with the other hook. Also this time the sandy wall rose before the assault, shooting a steam of sand at the grass-nin, forcing the weapon mistress to duck under the attack. As she did so however, the sand beneath her launched upwards, hitting the blonde right in the chin and sending her flying.

While she was still in mid-air, another wave of sand went after her, hitting her back and thus slamming the Kusa kunoichi into the ground hard. Tobane coughed out blood upon impact, but had no time to rest as a third attack came, sliding near the surface. Before she could dodge, the sandy river smashed her face, sending her rolling a few meters, straight at the stadium's wall.

As a loud 'thud' echoed through the battlefield, Sabure stared at her adversary who was slowly rising back to her feet, keeping her arms crossed. Standing in the very same spot she did when the match began, the Suna ninja spoke, her voice surprisingly calm: "You saw what I can do during eliminations. You should know such attacks will have no effect on me. If swinging those hooks is your only skill, I suggest surrendering... while you still can" she added in a slightly sinister voice.

"Don't be such a know-it-all" the hook user shoot back, sticking out her tongue teasingly. She gave a quick glance at the platform above and shifted her attention back to her opponent. "I still have a few tricks up my sleeve" she stated, unleashing a barrage of shuriken, yet as the projectiles ripped through the air, another wall of sand rose, making the shinobi stars sink into it.

Meanwhile Tobane charged from Sabure's left, ducking under a whip of sand that flew horizontally at her head and beating the distance separating her from the target, the blonde swung her hook upwards in the attempt to split the masked kunoichi at the side. Also this time though the blade was easily stopped by the sandy barrier.

With the hook hitting the wall, the sand the latter was made of quickly wrapped around the grass-nin's arm, immobilizing it. Having her left hand trapped, Tobane set the other into motion, going for the redhead's face, yet another shield of sand stood in the way of the assault, repeating the pattern, now holding both of her weapons.

In a desperate attempt, Tobane jumped up, launching a knee to her adversary's head, but that too was blocked by the automatic defense of the masked kunoichi and a moment later a new wave of sand erupted from the barrier, tossing the hook user several meters back once more.

Flipping on the ground, the Kusa ninja came to a sliding stop and strafed right as several, sand senbon came flying at her, whistling in the air. Now it was her that had to go into the defensive as the sand dancing around the Suna gennin attacked her violently, giving no time to rest.

"That girl can't win" Kai stated, shaking his head as he observed the fight below. "Unless she breaks through that sand barrier, there's no way she can even inflict any damage..."

"Well, obviously the victor of this match will be Sabure" announced Dekai, joining the rest of his team as he regained consciousness. "Even my sword embodied in wind can barely make a dent in her's defense. Weapons are of little use against Sabure. That blonde girl should just give up."

"Well, that's not entirely true" Nezumi disagreed, making an angry face. "That Ibuki girl from the eliminations got a few shots in, despite being a weapon master. You can't be sure how the fight's gonna end until it actually ends..."

"Tobane isn't like the Tanken" Hizoku shoot back, visibly worried as he prepared himself to jump over the rail. "She may be stubborn, but this is one match she cannot possibly emerge victorious from. And that redhead is obviously unstable, which means this may end very badly for Tobane. If she won't surrender willing, I'll force her to do so!" he proclaimed, yet instantly felt a palm land on his chest. Glancing to his right, he noticed his teammate sending him a stern look; certainly not something Hizoku was used to.

"For you of all people to say that" Tokame began calmly, his face quickly returning to indifference. "You do not even realize how painful that statement would've been for Tobane. Do as Nezumi says... the match isn't over yet..."

"You can't hit me" Sabure noted simply as sand kept moving around her, while the blonde panted few meters in front of her. "You can barely keep up. Surrender" the masked kunoichi demanded in a voice that gave her adversary little choice in action.

Surprisingly, the grass-nin forced another smile as she bite her thumbs, quickly drawing symbols on the blades of her hooks. Hizoku's eyes widen at the sight, the kanji all too familiar to him: "_When did she...?_"

"Ekibyougami no Mai!" Tobane called out before dashing at her opponent, widening the latter's eyes as well. Lee gazed shocked at the development as the grass-nin's body became a blur while the girl charged at the redhead.

Ducking under another whip of sand, the hook user pressed forward, a moment later jumping over a wave that came through the ground. Somersaulting over the assault, she landed safely on her feet, immediately strafing left as a load of dirt dropped from above, not even slowing her down. Finally reaching her target, she swung her hook, but also this time the barrier did its job, though barely.

"_She's even faster then me while using Fuuton!_' Ibuki analyzed shocked, ignoring Senkou, who merely narrowed his eyes. At that instant a new steam blasted from the wall of sand, but Tobane was ready and quickly spun on her foot, dodging the attack. In a flash she jumped up and flying over Sabure, she aimed her hook at the top of the masked kunoichi's head, only to have the assault stopped no more then an inch before contact.

Upon landing, she bend her knees and spinning once more, went for her opponent's legs again, forcing the Suna shinobi to take a step back as her shield reacted too slow, rising just after the hook missed.

Still spinning, the blonde thrust her other weapon back, making Sabure bend to the left, avoiding the attack manually. With her body off balance, the redhead could only watch as Tobane suddenly changed direction and cut from above, ripping the masked kunoichi's shoulder before the sand could even ignite.

Pain surged through the Suna gennin's body; a sensation she wasn't familiar with. More surprised then actually hurt, she froze. Fortunately for her, the sand had a will of its own and realizing it couldn't protect its master, it too shifted, ramming Tobane at point-blank range.

Smashed against a nearby tree, the grass-nin let out a gasp, the trunk being the only thing that kept her standing. She could feel her skin burning from contact with the vicious wave, but she couldn't fall yet. She set her eyes on Sabure, who now held her wound, confused to no end.

"It seems I still need to improve" Tobane noted, forcing a smirk between huffs as she glanced at the redhead's shoulder. "I did managed to wound you though... for now... lets leave it at that" she purposed, turning towards Lee: "Excuse, but... I wish to forfeit" the hook user announced, sporting an apologetic smile while she collapsed to her knees.

Before her face hit the ground though, Hizoku appeared beside his teammate and grabbed her, breaking her fall: "Why in the world would you go this far? There was no way you could've won" he stated, but noting a victorious smile on the blonde's face, he merely allowed himself a sigh as he mumbled: "Idiot..."

The Leaf's Green Beast stared at two calmly for a few seconds before regaining his posture, making an announcement of his own: "Winner: Sabaku no Sabure!" At this the redhead kunoichi performed a quick seal and disappeared in a sandy whirlwind, teleporting back to the platform. Soon the two grass-nins followed, using the stairs.

"Nice work, Sabure" Karame complimented his teammate, yet Hari merely rolled her eyes at his behavior: "Please, like it could've ended any, other way" she announced, somewhat bored. Yet Aoru paid little attention to her companions as her grip on her tessen: "_I must do my best too_" she concluded, shifting her gaze at Takai.

"Great, that blonde actually got through the Sand chick's defense" Kai stated, slightly depressed. "It's unfair that everyone's so freakishly strong!"

"Well, these are the finals" Takaru replied with a shrug. "You should expect as much from those, that made it here. Besides, now's not the time to thinking about such things; we all should have a greater concern" he announced, instantly making his teammate realize what was coming. The blond quickly turned over his shoulder, yet he only managed to see Kusari sending the kunoichi off with an energetic wave of his hand: "Good luck, Kumiko-chn!"

Neither Kitsune nor the girl rushed into battle, calmly walking down the stairs to the arena. As the duo reached the center of their battlefield, Teela reappeared on the platform, curiously looking down at the two combatants. Toku narrowed his eyes at the premise as Lee joined the two, aiming to begin the match.

Kogane elbowed Rei slightly, making the other girl jump in her seat, snapped out of a sweet dream about the land of endless... well, sleep. The lazy kunoichi glanced questioningly at her teammate, who in turn send her an annoyed look: "Kitsune's turn..."

Surprisingly, Rei didn't comment and shifted her attention to the arena, more interested then the blonde ever remembered her to be. Hanamaru dived into his bag of chips, anxiously awaiting the signal as well. Even Naruto allowed his body to shake slightly as Lee raised his hand: "Tenth match: Murasakki Kumiko from Konoha against Debano Kitsune... also from Konoha" he proclaimed as everyone held their breaths... except the two fighters...

"BEGIN!"

_**-and what of Kumiko?-**_

A short fight, yes, but Tobane vs. Sabure was never planned to be a long duel... frankly, at her current level, there really wasn't any chance for Tobane to beat Sabure, especially with being mostly skilled in kinjutsu. But if there are any Tobane fans, rest assured that was not the last you saw of her ;)

**Konoha #7 (Naruto):** Murasakki Kumiko, _Tanken Ibuki_, Gekido Takaru, Hagane Kusari, _Haisha Kai_

**Konoha #3 (Shikamaru):** _Konpaku Rei_, _Rikoteki Kogane_, Amagasa Toku, Debano Kitsune, _Gusoku Hanamaru_

**Konoha #4 (Hinata):** _Igaku Mikka, Inuzuka Tsume_, Benda Kokoro, _Hatake Senkou_, Kobushi Galu

**Konoha (Shino):** Hamano Taki, Manako Akira, Tanken Funbo, Horohoro

**Suna #1 (Temari):** Aoru, Torune, Tarakudo, Takai

**Suna #2 (Kankuro):** Sabaku no Sabure, Hari, _Dekai_, Karame

**Kusa (none):** Hokku Tobane, Kanraku Nezumi, _Kuchibashi Taka_, Kyohaku Tokame, Wanabi Hizoku

**Tsuki (Hinami Hoshiru):** Junsei Teela, _Chishio Nobu, Chishio Kumo, Kihako Tasuki_

**Kane (unknown):** _Futatsu_

**Kumori (Tategamaru):** _Saiken Tenma_

**Fight 10:** Murasakki Kumiko (19) vs. Debano Kitsune (20)

**Fight 11:** Junsei Teela (21) vs. Kanraku Nezumi (22)

**Fight 12:** Horohoro (23) vs. Hagane Kusari (24)

**Fight 13:** Aoru (25) vs. Hamano Taki (26)

**Fight 14:** Torune (27) vs. Hari (28)

**Fight 15:** Amagasa Toku (29) vs. Kyohaku Tokame (30)

**Fight 16:** Kobushi Galu (31) vs. Karame (32)

**Fight 17:** Takai vs. Wanabi Hizoku

**Fight 18:** Tanken Funbo vs. Gekido Takaru

**Fight 19:** Benda Kokoro vs. Tarakudo

**Fight 20:** Manako Akira (automatic win)

**Fight 21:** Sabaku no Sabure vs. ?

_Ekibyougami no Mai_ (Angel of Death Dance) – if the name sounds familiar, then I assure you; it should as originally this was Hizoku's technique and first of the "mysterious" Five Dances.

**POPULARITY CONTEST DETAILS:** okay, so for those who actually did decide to take part in the voting, the rules aren't that different from the previous two contests; you can vote for ANY character that appeared in the story so far, including the characters from the original manga, however I do wish that when picking those, you'll base your judgment mostly on how they're presented in this fic. With the official appearance of Gaara, the list of characters now include nearly all major ones from manga's Part I (Baki excluded)... Part II will have to wait...

Votes are only accepted through reviews. Sorry, but votes cast through Private Messages will not be counted into the result, so if you want your vote to count, this once I ask that you use an actual review button (this is mostly to allow everyone to verify these results). Just like before one person can give only one vote (in any review from now on until the upload of chapter 150... whenever that will happen :D), however in it you're allowed to cast your vote for five characters in the form of a list. The order in which you'll write the characters is important though, for if the same amount of people will cast their votes on two, different characters, the one who'll gain more "voting point" will take priority over the other. As an example:

Takai

the masked grass-nin

Kai Haisha

Hinata Hyuuga

In the example above, Takai would get 5 'voting points', Taka (the masked grass-nin) would receive 4, Kai – 3 and Hinata – 2. In this case the voter decided to vote on only four characters, although he/she still could choose one more, which would receive 1 voting point. Now, let's say there was another vote, which placed Kai first and Takai fifth and those two votes were the only ones these, two characters got. Now each of them received 2 votes, yet Kai gets a higher position in he ranking, coz the total of 'voting points' he collected equals 8, while Takai gets 6.

To make it easier, just like before, I'm placing a full list of characters (it should be around 130 :D) you may give your votes for (I don't think I left out anyone, but if I did, you can still cast your vote on him/her…):

**KONOHA:**

Kumiko Murasakki, Ibuki Tanken, Takaru Gekido, Kusari Hagane, Kai Haisha, Naruto Uzumaki;

Mikka Igaku (the medic-nin), Tsume Inuzuka (Kiba's daughter), Uramaru (Tsume's dog), Kokoro Benda (the telepath), Senkou Hatake (Kakashi & Anko's son), Galu Kobushi (the green-haired, taijutsu expert), Hinata Hyuuga;

Rei Konpaku (the lazy girl), Kogane Rikoteki (the alchemist), Toku Amagasa (the boy with the umbrella), Kitsune Debano (the blacksmith's son), Hanamaru Gusoku (the chubby boy), Shikamaru Nara;

Taki Hamano (the boomerang girl), Hitomi Hyuuga (Neji & Tenten's daughter), Akira Manako (the blind boy), Funbo Tanken (Ibuki's older brother), Horohoro (the boy using ice and water), Shino Aburame;

Sasuke Uchiha, Sakura Uchiha, Kiba Inuzuka, Akamaru, Ino Yamanaka, Chouji Akimichi, Tenten Hyuuga, Neji Hyuuga, Lee Rock, Kakashi Hatake, Iruka Umino, Tsunade (appeared only in flashbacks), Satsu Tanken (Ibuki & Funbo's father), Chitose Haisha (Kai's mother, appeared only in flashbacks), Kenji Rikoteki (Kogane's father, appeared only in flashbacks), Yume Benda (Kokoro's older sister, appeared only in flashbacks), Yaiba Tanken (one of the Tanken guards), Surudoi Tanken (the second, tanken guard), Kajiba Debano (Kitsune's father), Hisaki Hyuuga (member of the Hyuuga former Main Family, appeared in flashback, trying to brand Hitomi), Hisomu Hyuuga (member of the former Hyuuga Main Family; he informed Hinata and Neji about Hisaki's attempt to brand Hitomi, appeared only in flashbacks);

**SUNA:**

Aoru (the girl with the iron fan, tessen), Torune (the wind using girl), Honemaru (the bone user), Takai (the scythe user), Tarakudo (the boy with bandages), Temari;

Sabaku no Sabure (Gaara's daughter), Hari (senbon user, Kankuro's daughter), Dekai (the swordsman), Horamaru (the string user), Karame (the mummy, paper user), Kankuro;

Uryuu (bully with a kanji for dragon on the back, appeared only in flashbacks), Mokuba (a boy wearing grey with brown skin, friend of Uryuu, appeared only in flashbacks), Shiba (brunette wearing a black and yellow jumpsuit, friend of Uryuu, appeared only in flashbacks), Kazuhiro (the creator of Honemaru, Takai and tarakudo, father to Horamaru and Tarakudo, appeared only in flashbacks), Sabaku no Touba (Gaara's son and Sabure's twin brother, appeared only in flashbacks), Sabaku no Gaara

**KUSA:**

Tobane Hokku (the girl with hooks), Nezumi Kanraku (the girl with a rat), Hamaru (Nezumi's rat), Taka Kuchibashi (the masked boy with a chain), Tokame Kyohaku (the boy that could become invisible), Hizoku Wanabi (the redhead);

Nakamoru Wanabi (Hizoku's father, appeared only in flashbacks), Kiro (Grass gennin, he fought Kumiko during the second exam);

**AME:**

Youji Kasano (girl with umbrellas), Karei Nokogiri (girl with a saw on a chain), Ryo Eshaku (the boy who could materialize chakra), Tsuino Furikuzu (the guy with scars on his face), Nazaa Hebereke (the redhead rain-nin);

Mushi Furikuzu (Tsuino's brother, he encounter Naruto's team and Hizoku during the third exam), Genmei Furikuzu (Ame's leader, father to Tsuino and Mushi)

**TAKI:**

Kawa Azarashi (the girl using water from bottles), Miaka Tora (the girl with the white tiger), Torabaku (Miaka's tiger), Tetsu Abura (the chubby boy with a hammer and pipes on his back), Shita Makko (the masked pipsqueak), Kasui Rein (senbon user, killed by Saiken);

**TSUKI:**

Teela Junsei (the blue-haired girl), Tenka (the redhead girl), Kumo Chishio (the green-haired twin), Nobu Chishio (the blond twin), Tasuki Kihako (the swordsman), Hinami Hoshiru (the jounin instructor of the cell);

Oujin Chishio (Kumo and Nobu's grandfather, appeared only in flashback), Satsuki Hoteru (Tsuki leader, who likes to flirt with other leaders and shows no respect);

**KANE:**

Naginata (the girl with a stick), Reiji Ono (the bald guy with an axe), Futatsu (the boy using two katanas), Hogosha (the boy with metal protectors), Sentou (the boy with metal arms);

Shinkou (Kane's leader, an elderly man)

**YUKI:**

Aisu Nadare (the girl using ice), Kuri Sutaru (the girl using crystals), Yari Sarumaru (the spearman), Kato Urufu (the guy with a bulldog), Urdo (Kato's bulldog), Yamazaru (the monkey);

**KUMORI:**

Raina (the girl with a metal glove), Saiken Tenma (the boy with a headgear), Bakara (the boy with a skull mask), Fuma (the boy who could transform), Kyuu (the boy that used bats and sound), Tategamaru (the mysterious, cell leader), Kumoshi (Tategamaru's mysterious partner);

**OTHER:**

Deji Hayama (Stone Country princess), Recca Ouritsu (Deji's husband), Takashi Hayama (Deji's father), Kataki Momochi (Zabuza's brother, missing-nin), Ryu Togatta (missing-nin, one of the Seven Swordsmen), Kouba (missing-nin that could use Mokuton), Fugou (missing-nin, kunoichi with tattoos), Karuto (card using missing-nin), Mabui Gusoku (Hanamaru's mother, appeared only in flashbacks), Gamabunta, Manda, Inosu (large boar, summoned by Hanamaru), Zassaouku (giant, living sundew, summoned by Kiro), Gamashi (small, battle toad, summoned by Kai during his match with Takai), Rubiko (mysterious figure, appearing at the end of the mission arc); Gusai (Rubiku's just as mysterious partner)

Even if the list above doesn't help, you can write a short description of a character (the village he/she is from, personality, who he/she looks, abilities). Considering I've created them all (besides the ones from the manga) I should be able to figure out who you meant.

If you have any questions considering the voting, do ask (be it through review, PM or e-mail) and I'll try to answer them to the best of my ability.

And with all that said, I believe the only thing left to do is to wrap this up. Thanks for tuning in and hope to see you guys next time! Take care!


	143. Tenth Match!

Took me a while to actually get this done, but I kinda figured Kumiko vs. Kitsune will be one hell of a bother to write and I wasn't wrong... sadly x_x Of course being away from PC with no way to write anything down didn't help ;P But I've managed to finish this up and while I still dread what's to come... well, the first step is complete :)

**REMINDER:** just as a "side note" I wish to remind all of you, who haven't done so yet, that the Third Character Popularity Contest has began! The rules and full character list you can find in the previous chapter and if you wish to cast your vote, there's still time to do so ;)

With that said, let us move on to the newest installment in NNG series :D

**Chapter #143: Tenth Match!**

_**Title Page:**_ Senkou is in the middle of a forest, scratching his head as he looks around, holding a map; the masked gennin is obviously lost

Saiken glanced to his left as a figure suddenly appeared beside him, wrapped in a black cloak. The boy quickly shifted his eyes back to the arena, giving little indication he even acknowledged the arrival, yet spoke calmly, loud enough only for the hooded man to hear: "Welcome, Tategamaru-sensei. I assume that your presence here means everything is ready?"

"Yes" the man replied just as quietly, also staring away from the teen. "The stage is set and the actorrrrrrs arrrrre gatherrrring. It'll begin verrrrry soon. In the meantime, how arrrrre the exams prrrrroceeding?" he asked with a smirk, watching the next, two combatants walk slowly towards the center of the stadium.

"The first round is already halfway through" the headgear ninja announced simply with his arms still crossed. "Some of these brats are actually pretty good. Nothing to be concerned about, of course, but still it is surprising how far they have come in just, one month."

"As long as the tarrrrget prrrresents no prrrroblem, I don't rrrreally carrrre about the otherrrrs" Tategamaru stated immediately, sending his subordinate an evil glare. "And he does not prrrresent a prrrroblem, does he?"

"He should not" the teen responded simply. "However I still fail to understand why is he so important. The mission is to take the scrolls... he truly has nothing to do with that. Why would master be interested in him to begin with?"

"You arrrre not to question yourrrr orrrrderrrrs, Saiken" the man reminded him harshly. "Just make surrrre you'll do yourrrr parrrrt" he ordered as the two combatants reached the proctor of the exam, allowing the latter to make the announcement: "Tenth match: Murasakki Kumiko from Konoha against Debano Kitsune from Konoha! Ready and... BEGIN!" he called out, jumping out of the way... only to see the duo standing motionless before each other.

The stadium went silent as the fighters eyed each other in what could only be described as mild interest. The seconds passed and Lee decided to take a chance by returning to his earlier spot, giving both gennin a quick glance: "Ummm... BEGIN!" he repeated, ready to jump away again, yet froze noticing his statement made no effect whatsoever. "Ummm... please, BEGIN?" he purposed, completely dumb-folded.

"We should start" Kumiko agreed in a calm voice. "Come on already."

"And land straight into your trap?" Kitsune replied, rising an eyebrow. "No thanks."

"Oh, come on!" Kai slammed his forehead against the rail at the sight. "Are they kidding us with this?" he questioned, getting an answer from Kokoro: "Actually, in battle conditions, there are always two types of fighters – attackers and defenders. The first move generally decides that difference. Usually, the attacker dictates the course of the duel, seeing how he's the one pressing forward, however it is also easier for him to receive a counter from the enemy, thus he's much more likely to sustain damage if his first assault won't break through the defender's block. If we're talking about simple warriors, then it plays little role who goes first, coz they're both gonna aim to become the attacker eventually... but if it's strategy, the more favorable option is to start as the defender."

"How's so?" Kusari asked confused. "Wouldn't being the attacker allow one to prepare more elaborate plan, since they're in control of the fight?"

"That's the general believe" Galu nodded with a serious face. "It is flawed, however; being on the defensive forces you to react to your opponent's actions. That is a fact, however you must also understand that your adversary may be looking for a very specific opening to switch the roles. You cannot be certain what that opening is, but once it comes, you become the defender. Counter is the most crucial part of any battle as it comes as a surprise, usually swiftly at that; done skillfully, it can easily end the match... and you cannot be the one countering as the attacker..."

"Sounds stupid to me" Takaru stated simply.

"Well, both attacker and defender have their pros and cons" Toku announced, shrugging. "You choose a one dependable on your own abilities. Kumiko's genjutsu sets her naturally as a defender, who counters with illusions. Sadly, Kitsune, with his skills, fit the role of a defender as well..."

"Fine" Kumiko finally caved in, going through a set of seals. "I'll start" she proclaimed with the last symbol as all light suddenly got sucked from the arena, leaving the other leaf-nin in complete darkness: "Kokuangyo no Jutsu!"

"_Wasn't this that blind guy's technique?_" Kitsune wondered as the void wrapped around him, hands in his pockets. "_Did she actually learned it after seeing it just once? Quite impressive. Also, Kumiko isn't stupid – she must realize I can dispel illusions... she certainly thought at least three steps ahead, preparing a trap for whatever counter I purpose... at the very least I must assume this one is a fake... no pun intended_" he added to himself while the kunoichi jumped away onto a nearby rock, already flipping through a new set of seals.

Once she was done, her hands blurred again and then again, completing seven chains of symbols. Naruto's eyebrow rose at the sight, while a tiny smirk appeared on his face; certainly his student was not taking any chances against this one.

Meanwhile the young blacksmith picked out two kunai, dispelling the the illusion. As the stadium emerged to his sight, he threw the first knife at the girl. In a flash Kumiko jumped forward, letting the projectile dig into the rock, while her opponent prepared the defense. Kitsune's eyes widen a moment later though as he body spun, thrusting the weapon in his grip in the direction opposite of the kunoichi.

The female gennin quickly jumped back, avoiding her face getting pierced as she flipped back a few more times and then strafed left, dodging the kunai the other leaf-nin tossed at her, once she gained some distance. The knife struck the ground while Kumiko came to a sliding stop, her eyes narrowed.

The instant her body froze, it began fading away, turning into mist while the rest of the world started spinning wildly, leaving Kitsune right in the middle of a cyclone. The young blacksmith felt dizzy as he tried to dispel the illusion. To no avail.

With a groan he reached to his hostels and picked out several more kunai, placing them between his fingers. Flipping his arms, the leaf-nin spread the blades around, yet none managed to hit his opponent, striking into the ground or trees. To this the gennin narrowed his eyes as the whole arena became no more then a blur.

A sudden pull on the finger made him react immediately as he threw a kick to his right. The attack hit nothing from what he could tell, yet outside of the illusion it forced Kumiko to duck as the foot went for her face.

Only then did the kunoichi felt something wrapping around her ankle, while Kitsune maneuvered his hands further. The young tactician glanced at her leg, instantly realizing what was going on: "_A string! So he didn't aim to hit me with those kunai, he tied these to them, creating a form of a warning system; once I triggered the wire, he knew from were I was coming and with a web spread this wide, he can trap me with the rest_" she concluded as the strings began closing in from all sides.

In a flash Kumiko performed a quick seal, her body getting replaced with the log as the young blacksmith's vision cleared, allowing him to see his handiwork. With everything returning to normal, the boy released the strings, his eyes settled on the girl standing few meters before him with kunai in her grip.

"Regardless to those illusions, Kitsune seems to have the upperhand" Kogane noted thoughtfully, rubbing her chin. Hanamaru merely nodded at the statement, still stuffing his mouth with chips as the crunching sound filled their row. Only Rei seemed to be skeptical over the situation: "Kumiko's genjutsu is still in effect" he proclaimed, making her companions gaze at her confused. "She actually put up several barriers just then... Kitsune haven't even broke through the first half..."

"Even if that is true, it doesn't seem that these illusions present any problem for Kitsune-kun" Mikka announced shyly, shrinking a bit in her chair as the other gennin shifted their attention towards her. "I mean, he can react to attacks even without dispelling them..."

"Granted, but it's still too early to decide the victor" Ibuki stated simply. "Kumiko is the smartest among us, rookies" she added, making Kogane smirk under her nose: "Is that so?" she questioned, to which the young assassin raised her eyebrow.

"_That girl certainly would be troublesome to deal with_" Akira noted to himself, while down on the arena the kunoichi performed another, quick seal, multiplying herself by five. The phantoms spread around their opponent, who prepared another kunai for defense just as the bodies charged at him from all directions.

With a sudden swing, he tossed the knife at the only bunshin that stayed behind, completely ignoring the other four, even as they stabbed him with their weapons. Upon contact the phantoms trembled before fading into nothingness, while the kunai thrown by the young blacksmith went straight through its target's chest, creating a similar effect.

The knife struck the wall of the stadium as the air vibrated, making it seem like the whole world was mere reflection in the water, which just got disturbed by a falling pebble. Kitsune felt his legs giving in a he dropped to his knees, his bones burning from inside. His eye twitched at the pain, despite knowing it was an illusion. The boy couldn't concentrate on this however, as he cut his thumb, drawing a quick symbol on the ground.

"_That's not Kuchiyose_" Naruto realized, narrowing his eyes as the young gennin quickly formed a circle of symbol around himself. With the ring complete, he went through a set of seals of his own, making a white wave blast its way from the edges into the furthest corners of the battlefield.

The vibrations stopped, allowing the young blacksmith to rise back to his feet, panting slightly as he glanced around in search of his adversary; an activity proven pointless as few moment later Kumiko's voice echoed through the stadium, beaming from all directions: "You're quite the troublesome fellow, Kitsune, I give you that... mind telling me how you figured out I saw attacking from behind when you broke my Bringer of Darkness?"

"Your headband" the boy responded simply, a little tired. The answer met with silence, so Konoha ninja went on: "The Leaf symbol on it was reversed, like in a mirror... with this, anyone would've noticed the attack was fake and directions were replaced... left was right and front was back... if you want to defeat me, you really shouldn't rely on the tactics you used to beat that Snow girl in the eliminations..."

"I see... cleaver..."

"Yeah, well, you on the other hand are rather disappointing" Kitsune shoot back with a smirk. "I was hoping to face some elaborate strategy and all you have shown so far is multiply genjutsu barriers... that's such a rip-off of that blind guy from a while back..."

"Oh, think it's that simple?" the kunoichi's voice echoed in the air and although he couldn't spot her, the young blacksmith could tell she was smirking. "The plan is already in motion and while it'd be less of a bother if you'd fall victim to either of my illusions, this fight is proceeding exactly as I've anticipated..."

"Really?" the boy asked, picking out three more kunai. "Guess I can't play around anymore... I assume you won't mind me starting my counter attack then?"

_**-march into the unknown!-**_

And this concludes part one of Kumiko vs. Kitsune fight. Hope you enjoyed it, coz it really is one hell to write down :D Who'll come out on top in this one? That you can only find out be reading further, so I do hope to see you all with the next update!

**Konoha #7 (Naruto):** Murasakki Kumiko, _Tanken Ibuki_, Gekido Takaru, Hagane Kusari, _Haisha Kai_

**Konoha #3 (Shikamaru):** _Konpaku Rei_, _Rikoteki Kogane_, Amagasa Toku, Debano Kitsune, _Gusoku Hanamaru_

**Konoha #4 (Hinata):** _Igaku Mikka, Inuzuka Tsume_, Benda Kokoro, _Hatake Senkou_, Kobushi Galu

**Konoha (Shino):** Hamano Taki, Manako Akira, Tanken Funbo, Horohoro

**Suna #1 (Temari):** Aoru, Torune, Tarakudo, Takai

**Suna #2 (Kankuro):** Sabaku no Sabure, Hari, _Dekai_, Karame

**Kusa (none):** _Hokku Tobane_, Kanraku Nezumi, _Kuchibashi Taka_, Kyohaku Tokame, Wanabi Hizoku

**Tsuki (Hinami Hoshiru):** Junsei Teela, _Kihako Tasuki_

**Kane (unknown):** _Futatsu_

**Kumori (Tategamaru):** _Saiken Tenma_

**Fight 10:** Murasakki Kumiko (19) vs. Debano Kitsune (20)

**Fight 11:** Junsei Teela (21) vs. Kanraku Nezumi (22)

**Fight 12:** Horohoro (23) vs. Hagane Kusari (24)

**Fight 13:** Aoru (25) vs. Hamano Taki (26)

**Fight 14:** Torune (27) vs. Hari (28)

**Fight 15:** Amagasa Toku (29) vs. Kyohaku Tokame (30)

**Fight 16:** Kobushi Galu (31) vs. Karame (32)

**Fight 17:** Takai vs. Wanabi Hizoku

**Fight 18:** Tanken Funbo vs. Gekido Takaru

**Fight 19:** Benda Kokoro vs. Tarakudo

**Fight 20:** Manako Akira (automatic win)

**Fight 21:** Sabaku no Sabure vs. ?

_Kokuangyo no Jutsu_ (Bringer of Darkness)

Thanks for tuning in and until next time!


	144. Two Tacticians

Finally I've managed to finish this. Never thought Kumiko vs. Kitsune will be THIS much trouble... of course the lack of reviews didn't help me get motivated ;P So you guys can only blame yourselves anyway ;P

Seriously though, This sort of matches are hard and I'm looking forward to Teela vs. Nezumi, which should be a nice change of pace. And then Horohoro vs. Kusari... frankly, that second one is among my favorites of the first round, not just because I like both characters... nor because they both made it to the top 10 in the last, Character Popularity Poll (especially since at this point it seems unlikely for Horohoro to repeat that feat, judging from the number of people who cast their vote). I just think that one will be spectacular, although Kusari's style of fighting is bothersome :D

**REMINDER OF CHARACTER POPULARITY POLL:** just as a "side note" I wish to remind all of you, who haven't done so yet, that the Third Character Popularity Contest has began! The rules and full character list you can find in chapter 142 and if you wish to cast your vote, there's still time to do so ;)

With that, let us move on to the actual chapter:

**Chapter #144: Two Tacticians**

_**Title Page:**_ Horohoro is standing on a wooden pale that's sticking above a lake, holding two buckets filled with water in his hands while a third is balanced on top of his head

"This is a complete waste of time" whined an eight-year-old as he propped his cheeks on his arms, his eye gazing lazily at the boards before him, each presenting a certain formation of people and their movements. "These battle tactics are over thirty years old! What's the point in learning, since everyone knows them? You said it yourself they were widely used during the Shinobi Wars..."

"In order to advance, you must always learn the basics, Kitsune" the man before him announced sternly, slightly annoyed at his son's attitude. "And you should be able to realize that the prime reason they were widely used is because they're effective! A good strategy is one that, despite the enemy knowing it, he can do no more then fall into it."

"Even so, most of the villages are allied now, be it an actual alliance or a non-aggression pact" the boy shrugged at the comment. "This world is slowly growing to find shinobi unnecessary. To that end, it's only a matter of time before ninjutsu becomes obsolete. Wouldn't it be wiser to concentrate on a more practical aspects of our family, like blacksmith? Even without wars, weapons will be needed to hunt... skipping various, other usage of our work..."

"We became blacksmiths specifically because our ancestors had little talent in most, shinobi arts" Kajiba stated, narrowing his eyes at his son.

"All the more reason to ignore ninja aspects" Kitsune replied simply. "Honestly, I do not see a point in this. We live in a shinobi village; even if the attack comes, there's already hundreds of warriors more capable of fighting the battle then ourselves..."

"Oh?" the man responded, rising an eyebrow. "Am I to take that as a statement you feel no need to protect what's important to you with your own, two hands?"

"When the time comes, I will" the youth assured him. "I'll have my weapons... recently I've been working on a certain project that can actually..."

"Weapons don't win battles!" Kajiba snapped, interrupting him. "People and their will does! Even if your skills are secondary, if you're truly determined to protect something, your strength increases ten-fold! And if you don't have the skills, it's always useful to have a plan! Those relying on their power are dangerous... but those relying on their brains are ones that come out on top in the end! Those are the ones that guide others! And you don't need any, flashy technique or muscles to use your brain!" he finished, breathing through the nose.

The boy stared at him, shocked, for a few moments and then turned back to the board, pointing at it with a lazy expression on his face: "Fine, if that is how you feel, I might as well play along... however, if you're that determined, wouldn't it be better to teach me strategies that actually do work?"

"What do you mean?" his father asked, completely confused.

"In this, particular case, Konoha made a tactical error" he announced simply, shifting his finger. "They were battling Hidden Mist, a village known for both water jutsu as well as tool usage. While it's true that surrounding them in a forest would be beneficial in that the Leaf was more familiar to the terrain, I imagine the costs of victory were greater then necessary... in this predicament, mist-nins could easily use their techniques, since water doesn't have a solid form and does can't be blocked by trees and their weapons most likely gave them advantage in close quarters, as long as they used simple tools like kunai or kama... skipping the fact that with their Kirigakure no Jutsu, they could sow total chaos within enemy ranks, provided they had a shinobi with that skill" he explained, making Kajiba stare in owe.

"To that end, it seems much more preferable to lure the Kiri ninja into that thin canyon just few miles to the east; in such confide space, Konoha would've gained an extra advantage of being located above the enemy from both sides. Also, a canyon can be much easier sealed off then a forest, skipping the fact that there's no water, forcing the mist-nin to rely on their chakra reserves along to create any Suiton. And it would've have mattered if they used Kirigakure no Jutsu or not, since the mist wouldn't have raised to the Leaf's positions anyway. By all indication, that's a rather basic tactic, is it not?" he asked, to which his father had no answer.

"_This brat..._" he thought as a smirk crept onto his face.

-Flashback end-

"I assume you won't mind me starting my counter attack then?" Kitsune asked, preparing three kunai. Without waiting for the answer, he tossed the knifes in different directions The first struck into the wall, while the second dug into the ground. The third however seemed to rip right through air, creating a black hole. A moment later a grotesque hand grabbed the edge of the rift and pulled it aside, widening the gap. Before long the opening was twice the size of a human.

Sure enough a horrible creature stepped out of the hole as this happened, undoubtfully the owner of the clawed hand that ripped it earlier. The beast was humanoid in figure, yet much larger and full of muscle, with an entire body covered with fur. Saliva dripped from its fanged mouth, while an unpleasant stench hit Kitsune's nose.

"_Seriously?_" he thought to himself with a bored expression as the monster charged him. "_Such an obvious genjutsu?_" he added, making no attempt to dodge the assault; in stead he just stood there, slowly reaching for another kunai. Yet, just as his hand was about to grab the knife, his eyes widen, making his body react on its own.

In a flash he rolled to the side as the beast slashed at his head and coming to a sliding stop, he tossed the knife at the creature, making the weapon bounced off its target: "_I see_" the boy nodded as he strafed right, while the beast lunged at him again. "_This time it's not to confuse me, but make me more confident and cover the attack, synchronizing it with the illusion's slashes. Interesting, but..._" he began, quickly picking out his kunai, only to struck it into the ground: "This is it!" he proclaimed, performing a quick set of seals: "Ninpou: Gohenkei Fugou!"

And nothing happened.

"Woah, that scared me just now" announced Kusari, breathing the sigh of relief. "I thought Kumiko-chan was a goner" he added, but Toku merely narrowed his eyes at the predicament: "_He set the trap perfectly. Why didn't the tags activate?_"

"Sorry, Kitsune" Kumiko's voice made the young blacksmith turn to a nearby rock, where the kunoichi sat, spinning a kunai in her hand: "But it wouldn't look good if I'd have fallen for such an obvious trap, would it? You think you can trick me by the whole 'mind if I start my counterattack'? You began that counter just when the match began, striking these knives all around! It'd take an idiot to not realize what your plan was..."

"So that's why Kitsune was throwing those kunai around?" Kai yelled, grabbing his head nervously. "I never would've thought!"

"Which kinda proves Kumiko's point" Takaru noted with a sweat drop, to which the blond growled. Taki giggled at the whole scene, while Funbo smirked under his nose: "Even if you'll need to be dense to not realize the trap, do you all really think that's all there is to it?" he asked, making most people gathered gaze at him confused.

"So you noticed" Kitsune nodded lightly at the sight. "That much should be expected, I suppose. In fact, it was" he announced, performing a quick seal and in a flash the knife held by the girl got covered with white smoke, releazing a burning note attached to it and a sizzling noise.

"_Henge!_" she cursed as she aimed to toss the knife away, but too late; the tag has went of in a flash, knocking the kunoichi to the ground, while three, other explosions echoed in the arena.

Ibuki narrowed her eyes at the development, making a quick analysis: "_I see; he used a henge to cover the explosive tags attached to the kunai. That way, even if you break the formation needed for the trap, the knives still go off, damaging those nearby... he only left the last kunai unchecked to not the caught in the explosion himself. Quite clever..._"

"That's right Kitsune, kick her ass!" Kogane cheered loudly from the seat nearby, while Hanamaru's speed of munching chips quickened. Only Rei seemed to be unfazed by it all, still resting her chin on the seat before her.

Meanwhile the young blacksmith slowly walked closer to the fallen form of his opponent, reaching for another kunai in the process. As he walked, he spread a couple of more knives on the perimeter, stopping right before Kumiko's body.

As he looked her up and down, his eyes narrowed, shifting towards Lee, who was still keeping his distance. The next moment a cracking sound filled the air, making him instinctually jump back as the kunoichi's stomach opened, revealing a large amount of explosive tags.

An instant later the notes went off, covering the area in smoke, while a whistle nullified all, other sounds, announcing the flight of kunai barrage, spread in all directions. Kitsune only managed to shield his face as the knifes dug into his body, sinking into arms and legs. The boy dropped to the ground with a hiss, pain surging through his figure.

"_Shit!_" he cursed as he began pulling out the weapons, ignoring the surroundings that was just experiencing rain... a rain of blood that stain the arena walls and the young gennin himself. "_The iron in my body may prevent serious damage via weapons, but that still won't help bleeding to death! What the hell, this is how she plans on taking me down? But that..._" he froze, realization smacking him right in the face. "_Of course, that must be it!_" he concluded, quickly dispelling the illusion around him.

Quickly he reached with his hand to one of the wounds as covering his finger in blood he prepared a scroll, writing a quick incantation on it. With a fast seal, he performed a summon, making an unusual weapon pop out to land in his grip.

The tool was something in between a halberd and a sword with a huge blade, taking up three quarters of the weapon. Shaped like a cleaver with saw teeth, the handle was bare.

"_What is that supposed to be?_" Futatsu wondered at the sight.

"_So Kitsune aims to turn this into a more straight-forward fight?_" Naruto raised his eyebrow at the development, while Shikamaru narrowed his eyes: "_So this is how he intents to end this? It may be risky, but from what Kumiko did, this certainly seems the most beneficial..._"

"A weapon?" the girl's voice once more echoed through the stadium. "Do you truly believe I'll let you near me, so that you could use it? The size of the blade doesn't really matter if you cannot hit me. Rest assured, I still have a few tricks left..."

"I wouldn't have it any, other way" the young blacksmith replied with a smirk. "And I can't imagine you actually assume I'm just gonna charge you like this. Give me some credit; from the get go you established several genjutsu barriers... I doubt I've managed to break through more then half up til now... but, as long as you use weapons, this should prove most advantageous for me..." he added, placing the weapon before his torso.

"_No" _Kumiko thought to herself as tombstones began shoot up from the ground, kicking up the kunai scattered all across the battlefield. "_This will be your downfall. Seems that I've finally managed to reach the spot I was aiming for... time we end this_" she stated, readying another knife.

Meanwhile Shinkou only smirked under his nose; certainly he didn't anticipate the Leaf to have such a blacksmith: "_With that sort of weapon... this match is over_" he agreed...

_**-a premonition of defeat... but whose?-**_

Finally this chapter is done with. I always knew Kitsune vs. Kumiko will be one hell to write and I'm still just mildly satisfied how I'm managing it :( Well, hopefully you guys enjoyed it, considering the wait. I take comfort in the fact that this duel is nearly done :)

**Konoha #7 (Naruto):** Murasakki Kumiko, _Tanken Ibuki_, Gekido Takaru, Hagane Kusari, _Haisha Kai_

**Konoha #3 (Shikamaru):** _Konpaku Rei_, _Rikoteki Kogane_, Amagasa Toku, Debano Kitsune, _Gusoku Hanamaru_

**Konoha #4 (Hinata):** _Igaku Mikka, Inuzuka Tsume_, Benda Kokoro, _Hatake Senkou_, Kobushi Galu

**Konoha (Shino):** Hamano Taki, Manako Akira, Tanken Funbo, Horohoro

**Suna #1 (Temari):** Aoru, Torune, Tarakudo, Takai

**Suna #2 (Kankuro):** Sabaku no Sabure, Hari, _Dekai_, Karame

**Kusa (none):** _Hokku Tobane_, Kanraku Nezumi, _Kuchibashi Taka_, Kyohaku Tokame, Wanabi Hizoku

**Tsuki (Hinami Hoshiru):** Junsei Teela, _Kihako Tasuki_

**Kane (unknown):** _Futatsu_

**Kumori (Tategamaru):** _Saiken Tenma_

**Fight 10:** Murasakki Kumiko (19) vs. Debano Kitsune (20)

**Fight 11:** Junsei Teela (21) vs. Kanraku Nezumi (22)

**Fight 12:** Horohoro (23) vs. Hagane Kusari (24)

**Fight 13:** Aoru (25) vs. Hamano Taki (26)

**Fight 14:** Torune (27) vs. Hari (28)

**Fight 15:** Amagasa Toku (29) vs. Kyohaku Tokame (30)

**Fight 16:** Kobushi Galu (31) vs. Karame (32)

**Fight 17:** Takai vs. Wanabi Hizoku

**Fight 18:** Tanken Funbo vs. Gekido Takaru

**Fight 19:** Benda Kokoro vs. Tarakudo

**Fight 20:** Manako Akira (automatic win)

**Fight 21:** Sabaku no Sabure vs. ?

_Ninpou: Gohenkei Fugou_ (Ninja Art: Pentagon Mark)

This completes this chapter. Hopefully next one won't take as long and certainly reviews will help me get more motivated to complete the next installment ;) For now, peace out and have a good summer ;)


	145. Miscalculation

Took me a bit longer then I thought it will, but I've done it and I'm quite please with the final result (for once... still, it's not like I don't think I could've done better :D). With Kitsune and Kumiko's fight reaching its climax, who'll come out on top? Read and find out!

Also, I wish to thank everyone who sacrificed their time to review. I wasn't able to reply you all, but I do appreciate it.

**THIRD POPULARITY POLL:** as usual, I'm reminding everyone that the Third Character Popularity Poll is still active and ANYONE can cast their votes, if the feel like it. The rules are given in chapter 142, along with the full character list. The closing time of the contest is drawing nearer and nearer, so you should keep that in mind.

**Chapter #145: Miscalculation**

_**Title Page:**_ Taki in a bikini (though still with a mask covering her mouth) is surfing on a high tidal wave

"_Time we end this_" Kumiko stated as she reached for another kunai. With a sudden spring, he lunged upwards making the sky turn a deep, purple color. Kitsune's body began vibrating as it split into atom while faces began appeared all around, each letting out an ear-tearing scream.

In a matter of moments the mouths opened wider, sucking in all parts to which the young blacksmith split, shutting them in an endless, dark void, leaving nothing more then the boy's consciousness in tact. Or so it seems as in the next instant the world spun, returning to how it was with Kitsune still in one piece, his hands forming the right seal.

Alas the real attack was already in motion as Kumiko unleashed her kunai, tossing one after another, bringing down a rain of knives. The young blacksmith reacted immediately and grabbed his weapon again, using its massive blade to deflect the projectiles, making metallic noise echo through the stadium as the they fell to the ground.

With the last kunai coming, Kitsune swung his weapon roughly, throwing the knives way off course and shifted his eyes to the kunoichi, who landed few meters away from him, with the projectile dropping besides her. Pointing the tip of his weapon at her, he charged, only to freeze the next moment while the girl flipped her hands. His eyes widen as thin, metal strings tightened around him, blocking every inch of his body.

"Gotcha" Kumiko smirked under her nose, pulling her arms back; a motion that literally brought her adversary to his knees. "Really, you thought I'd just keep tossing knives at you aimlessly?" she questioned with a hint of disappointment in her voice. Her eyes narrowed though as a cloud of smoke covered the boy's body.

"_Figures_" she concluded, jumping to the side as Kitsune and the kunai switched places, allowing the young blacksmith to swing his weapon from point-blank range. The assault missed by inches, managing to cut the kunoichi's outfit only, leaving a small rip in its side.

"Really, you thought I'd just charge you blindly?" the boy mocked with a serious face as his opponent came to a sliding stop with a wide smile on her face: "No... I just needed you to get where you are" she announced and quickly brought her hands together, releasing the technique: "Ninpou: Arashi Wana!"

In a blink of an eye electricity formed a triangle around Kitsune, spreading through the ground. Before the young blacksmith could react, the shook took his body, frying his muscles as he let out a yelp. A blinding flash covered the battlefield, followed with the boy dropping to his back, his skin burnt, barely breathing.

"Never expected it'd be that easy" Kumiko announced as she walked over to her opponent slowly, noting he gasped for air. "I admit you hold on longer then I've anticipated, but from the start you were under my illusion. And I'm not talking about genjutsu; I'm not stupid – I knew there was no way I could beat you with weapons... I also couldn't rely strictly on genjutsu. To that end, I asked Naruto-sensei for some ninjutsu training. Sadly, it turns out I'm a raiton type... but, for this fight, that was perfect... after all, iron is a conductor and your body as an extra amount of it; I believe it was Hitomi-san who said you had iron in bones and blood. With that, it'd stand to reason you're even more vulnerable to electricity then normal people. That was the very basis of my entire strategy; I had you concentrate on knives and genjutsu to believe that was my way of winning. In reality, that was a double smokescreen aimed to make you relax and get into my electric trap. From the beginning, all I needed to win, were three kunai..."

"Impressive" the young blacksmith nodded weakly as the girl crossed her arms before him. "But with so many genjutsu barriers that you set... it seems you missed one" and with that he pointed his weapon at her, releasing a lighting from the tip. The sudden charge hit the kunoichi with full force, blasting her few meters back, while all the burns on the boy's body disappeared as if by magic.

"Your mistake was to believe I stick to using weapons" now it was Kitsune who began explaining as he rose back to his feet. "All the damage you done just now... that was a henge to have you come closer!" he announced, making his opponent widen her eyes.

"_Ironically, it seems the very things Kumiko saw as her weakness turned against her, but in a very different way then one could predict_" Naruto analyzed quickly, angered that he allowed himself such a oversight. "_By concentrating on extending her range of techniques, we had to cut down on genjutsu... if not for that, she would've saw that henge just now..._"

"I was well-aware of my weakness even before the exams" the young blacksmith went on with a stoic face. "It's a weakness all Debano have. It is specifically because of it that I made this" here he raised his weapon. "Raijin is a perfect tool for my clan; you see, it acts as a lighting rod, collecting any electricity that strikes the body of its wielder, nullifying any damage that might be inflicted that way. Just like you learned from my elimination fight, I learned from yours... I knew that you're smart enough to know I won't be beaten with weapons and illusions... but my weakness was so apparent, it'd have been hard to imagine you not wanting exploit it. When you started throwing kunai around, I knew that was a decoy and thus prepared Raijin. I, very literally, turned your own strategy against you..."

To that statement Kumiko lowered her head in shame, yet the boy continued like nothing happened: "It was a good fight though. Certainly you gave me a run for my money more then once. Frankly, if you knew any, other ninjutsu skill, I doubt the result would be the same..." he added as the medics entered the field, while Lee walked towards the two:

"_Still, being able to come up with a strategy that much in advance and predict his opponent's intentions... both of them led this fight specifically to the point meant to give them victory... honestly, only Shikamaru can be THAT scary_" he smiled to himself at the memory of his old friend while he raised his had, pointing at the boy: "Winner: Debano Kitsu..." but just as he was about to make the announcement, the young blacksmith stopped him, rising his hands up: "Hold on a second, Lee-san... this match... you you make it a tie?" he asked, making the jounin fell over.

"Are you freaking kidding me?" Kumiko snapped, her eyes becoming pupiless. "What the hell do you think you're doing, dumbass?" she yelled, making the boy sweat drop at her behavior as he explained: "You think I wanna fight that Sand chick next round? You saw what she's capable of. I may be a good strategist, but my techniques are still mostly weapon-based... from her fight with Ibuki and that Grass girl just now you can tell that won't do against her sand. Frankly, the result of the match is decided before it even began..."

"You can never know who'll win unless you fight" the kunoichi responded seriously, calming down. "This is why you fight to begin with. Besides, if you end the tournament like this, I'm gonna pound you" she added as the medics took her away.

"So?" Lee urged, gazing at the young gennin, who only let out a sigh, heading towards the stairs, giving the Green Beast a clear indication: "Winner: Debano Kitsune!"

"I cannot believe this" Kai announced in disbelief. "Kumiko actually lost! And to that guy?" he underlined with his eyes blinking. Toku only sighed at this, shaking his head: "You simply underestimated Kitsune; he may not look it, but in terms of out-maneuvering opponents, I doubt there's a gennin more capable then him..."

Takaru however didn't react; he was in stead busy watching Kusari, from whom he expected a scene, considering the outcome of the fight. To his surprise, the chain master gave little indication he even registered what just transpired. He was too busy gazing at the arena, awaiting the next bout...

"Way to go, Kitsune!" Kogane cheered, thrusting her fist to the sky. "That shown them!"

"Wow, he really won" Rei nodded with acknowledgement. "I mus admit that's pretty... zzzzz" the sudden doze off made the other gennin sweat drop as the kunoichi instantly began drooling on the seat before her, making Tsume, the unlucky one occupying it, jump: "Hey!"

"Quite surprising indeed" Ibuki admitted, keeping her calm, while the young alchemist already shook her snoring teammate: "What the heck is wrong with you? The one who beat you is about to fight! Aren't you at least a bit interested?"

"Let it go, Kogane-chan" Hanamaru asked peacefully, resuming his munch on the chips. "That's just how she is" he reminded, making the blonde settled down, crossing her arms: "Well, it's still annoying" she spatted with a snarl.

Shikamaru on the other hand smirked under his nose as his student disappeared on the stairway. Hinata, who sat beside him, smiled weakly to her companion with a word of praise: "You know, that boy reminds me of you in so many ways, Shikamaru-kun..."

"Well, it's not exactly laziness that stops him from moving forward" the shadow user replied, relocating his toothpick. "But I suppose you have a point."

"They both did admirably" Shino proclaimed, adjusting his glasses. "In conclusion, the victor of this match doesn't really matter..."

"Well, that much should be expected from the guy who beat me" Tasuki announced with a smirk, while Hinami only threw him a quick look before glancing to the right, where Nobu and Kumo just appeared: "Right on time" she stated simply as the twins took their seats. "Teela's match is about to begin..."

To this the blond sibling glanced at the arena, where the medics were taking Kumiko off, while Kitsune slowly walked towards the stairs to the platform. Before he could reply to his instructor's late comment though, the swordsman's voice reached his ears: "So, how is Tenka doing?"

To this Nobu gazed at his teammate, shock written all over his face. He never got to answer that either, as his brother beat him to it: "She has internal damage and is chakra-drained... it'll take some time, but eventually she'll be fine..." he added, to which Tasuki made no, noticible indication. The blond twin still smiled at the occurrence: "_Yes, this trip certainly wasn't a waste..._"

"Say, Kusari, it's almost time for that chick of yours fight" Kai noted, turning to the chain master. "But she hadn't return from the medical wing yet. Think she forfeited?" he asked teasingly, but his friend didn't laugh at the joke.

"That is most unlikely, considering the match-up" he responded just before a familiar voice reached his ear: "I'll be awaiting your in the next round, Kusari-kun" the statement announced the arrival of Teela, who just passed by everyone and jumped down to the arena without another word.

"So, my turn" Nezumi nodded, petting Hamaru gently. "Any advice you'd be willing to give me concerning that one?" she asked with a grin, also turning to the young leaf-nin, but also this time Kusari remained focused: "Just one; don't push yourself and if things gets serious... forfeit immediately."

"Oh?" the rat girl reacted, a bit hurt. "I'm being underestimated, it seems" she noted, turning to her squad. "Guess I'll need to show them" she added, following in the blue-haired kunoichi's footsteps. Tokame however knew what her smirk meant and couldn't help but worry: "_Don't tell me she's even considering using THAT!_" he wondered, turning to Hizoku, who remained still, just like Kusari.

"I've been meaning to ask you this, Satsuki-dono..." Kakashi began as the two females headed for the center of the stadium. "That girl's last name... what's her relation to Unabara?" he demanded with a stoic face, yet the Tsuki leader grew grim at the question.

Quickly she regained her cheerful exterior and patted the cyclopean ninja on the cheek, giving him a wide grin: "Now, now, Kakashi-chan... how would it look for a village leader to reveal secrets of her own organization? Also..." she went on, lowering her voice, making only Gaara able to hear what she spoke next to the Hokage: "You should know that is one name I do not wish to hear..."

"Eleventh fight!" Lee announced, breaking the slowly forming tension. "Junsei Teela from Tsuki against Kanraku Nezumi of Kusa!" he raised his hand as the crowd silenced, all eyes set on the two kunoichi. "BEGIN!"

_**-the two are about to unleash their true strength!-**_

And so this chapter ends! Hope you enjoyed it. I must say that with Kumiko vs. Kitsune behind him, I breath easier – don't get me wrong, I like them both, but writing their fight was one HUMONGOUS pain in the rear. And yes, from the very beginning they both had their tactics in place, I just wanted to execute them properly so to not give away too much before the actual conclusion, which was the hardest part. I do hope that it turned out at least okay, coz they both were supposed to resemble Shikamaru in their tactics (in case I haven't explained it yet, that's the reason behind Kitsune's name, which means fox... and foxes are generally associated with 'cunning' :D).

**Konoha #7 (Naruto):** _Tanken Ibuki_, Gekido Takaru, Hagane Kusari, _Haisha Kai_

**Konoha #3 (Shikamaru):** _Konpaku Rei_, _Rikoteki Kogane_, Amagasa Toku, Debano Kitsune, _Gusoku Hanamaru_

**Konoha #4 (Hinata):** _Igaku Mikka, Inuzuka Tsume_, Benda Kokoro, _Hatake Senkou_, Kobushi Galu

**Konoha (Shino):** Hamano Taki, Manako Akira, Tanken Funbo, Horohoro

**Suna #1 (Temari):** Aoru, Torune, Tarakudo, Takai

**Suna #2 (Kankuro):** Sabaku no Sabure, Hari, _Dekai_, Karame

**Kusa (none):** _Hokku Tobane_, Kanraku Nezumi, _Kuchibashi Taka_, Kyohaku Tokame, Wanabi Hizoku

**Tsuki (Hinami Hoshiru):** Junsei Teela, _Kihako Tasuki_, _Chishio Kumo, Chishio Nobu_

**Kane (unknown):** _Futatsu_

**Kumori (Tategamaru):** _Saiken Tenma_

**Fight 11:** Junsei Teela (21) vs. Kanraku Nezumi (22)

**Fight 12:** Horohoro (23) vs. Hagane Kusari (24)

**Fight 13:** Aoru (25) vs. Hamano Taki (26)

**Fight 14:** Torune (27) vs. Hari (28)

**Fight 15:** Amagasa Toku (29) vs. Kyohaku Tokame (30)

**Fight 16:** Kobushi Galu (31) vs. Karame (32)

**Fight 17:** Takai vs. Wanabi Hizoku

**Fight 18:** Tanken Funbo vs. Gekido Takaru

**Fight 19:** Benda Kokoro vs. Tarakudo

**Fight 20:** Manako Akira (automatic win)

**Fight 21:** Sabaku no Sabure vs. Debano Kitsune

_Ninpou: Arashi Wana_ (Ninja Art: Storm Trap)

Also, I just recently realized I may have forgotten to mention the meaning behind the character names... coz there is one for nearly everybody! To that end, I'd like to right my wrong and thus this author's note will be a bit longer... there's really no point in hiding it anymore, since you know these characters quite well now... here is the "secret" behind the naming of all, important gennin, separated to two parts for my convenience; this time I'll give you all of Konoha youth and next shall come Suna, Kusa and Tsuki:

_Kai Haisha_ – as it was elaborated on throughout the entire series, "haisha" can be translated as "loser, the defeated" (ironically, it can also stand for "dentist" though :D), while "kai"can mean "low rank"... truth is, there's a lot of meanings to the word "kai" in itself and the fact is Kai's name really is a reference to something else, only even Kai himself doesn't know that. What is it reference to? Well... why should I tell you, when you can wait and find out ;

_Kumiko Murasakki_ – written with a single 'k', her last name stands for "purple, Violet", which is the main color of her outfit and is a reference to a Dragonball character, a ninja who used tricks in battle, kinda like our heroine does. Kumiko is a traditional, Japanese name for girls and generally it means "forever beautiful child", which is a direct allusion to her looks;

_Takaru Gekido_ – as stated, "gekido" is the name Takaru choose for himself, standing for "rage". His first name is a slight play on "takara", which in turns mean "treasure"... but "takaru" in itself means "to gather, to swarm";

_Ibuki Tanken_ – her clan's name means simply "dagger", which is a typical, assassins' tool... but, it can also mean "narrow view", although in this case it's mostly a reference to the rest of her clan, not Ibuki herself. Her first name is also a traditional one, which can mean both "breath" and "mighty blow". Interestingly enough, "buki" itself stands for "weapon" and "female dancer";

_Kusari Hagane_ - "hagane" means simply "steel" and it is the last name of his father. "Kusari" on the other hand stands for "chain", so by putting the two together, your roughly get "steel chain" :D

_Senkou Hatake_ – I had little choice with his last name, but it does mean "field". His first name however stands for many things, but in his case, I was going for "flash" (a reference to his speed), "lord of the previous generation" (kinda a twist as he aims to be the lord of the future generations) and "leading, going first" (this mirrors his attitude);

_Mikka Igaku_ – coming from a medics' clan, her last name means "medicine, medical science". Her first name stands for "third day of the month" or "three days", that last one being a somewhat twisted (and ironic) reference;

_Galu Kobushi_ – being a taijutsu expert, his last name stands for "fist", but can also mean "a veteran". His first name was actually assigned even before I made an effort to prepare meaningful names (he's one of the few characters I've decided to keep the original name), but still, if you write it with "r" - "garu", it means "to represent a third party's apparent emotion", which is kinda what he does;

_Tsume Inuzuka_ – as most of you may know, "inu" means "dog", "zuka" means "a small hill", while Inuzuka itself is probably a tribute to the samurai of the same name from "nansou Satomi Hakkenden", a novel about a dog samurai. Among many, canine-related names, I choose "tsume", which means "claw"... completely forgetting that was also the name of Kiba's mother... oops ^^'

_Kokoro Benda_ - "benda" means "bender", while stands for "mind", thus together his name means "mind-bender" (no relation to a G. character :D);

_Kitsune Debano_ – generally there's no meaning behind "debano" as a whole, but "deba" itself stands for "knife" (an allusion to him being a blacksmith), "one's turn" (a reference to his attitude, as seen in the recent flashback) or "overbite". Kitsune, as you all probably know, means "fox"... and, if you write his name like this "Deba no Kitsune" it roughly means "protruding tooth of a fox";

_Kogane Rikoteki_ – her last name has just one meaning - "selfish", which is also the impression I wanted you to have of her upon her debut (I do hope you saw her true colors by now). Kogane generally refers to money (the most common translation is "gold") and has two-fold reason, one being a play to her clan's name and that they're alchemists... the other hinting "heart of gold";

_Hanamaru Gusoku_ - "gusoku" can both mean "armor, fully equipped" (a reference to the shield he used to carry) as well as "son", which directly is an allusion to him being the only child of a single mother and the first in his family to become ninja. Hanamaru on the other hand is composed of two words - "hana" (which, in this cases, mean "flower"... an ironic play of the fact he stinks :D) and a suffix -maru, often added to boy's names (which disappears as the grow), usually meaning something in full;

_Rei Konpaku_ – her clan's name mean "ghost, soul, spirit", a direct allusion to their bloodline limit. Rei, for most part, has the same meaning ("soul"), but can also be translated as "command, order", so by putting it together, you get "command of the soul" (roughly);

_Toku Amagasa_ - "amagasa" means simply "umbrella", refering to his weapon of choice. "Toku" on the other hand stands for "shelter, shield" (associated with how he uses his umbrella), "to unite" (that you'll understand later), "to explain" or "profit, benefit, advantage";

_Akira Manako_ - "manako" has various meanings, most associated with eyes as it can stand for "eyeball, pupil", but can also be translated as "insight, perceptivity" or "field of vision"... in some cases it can also mean "center, core, essence". His first name is among those (there are 7 such cases in general) that was chosen before I bothered to look for meaning behind the names... still, in some cases, "akira" is translated as "anchor";

_Hitomi Hyuuga_ – her clan's name can mean "a place in the sun" or simply "in the sun". I choose her first name regarding that all hyuuga at the time (Neji aside) had names starting with 'h'. To that end, aside from being a popular, Japanese, name, "hitomi" also means "pupil of the eye", "human body" or "the feeling of being watched";

_Horohoro_ – generally, his name is a tribute to a character from "Shaman King", after whom Horohoro's design was greatly inspired. The most common meaning of his names is "by ones and twos", but can also be translated as "melting";

_Taki Hamano_ - "hama" in itself means "shore, beach, riverside", while "taki" stands for "waterfall" (allusion to her abilities). If you write her name like this "Hama no taki", you roughly get "beach with a waterfall". Interestingly though, "hama" can also mean "exorcism", refering to her attitude and constant tries to change Funbo;

_Funbo Tanken_ – I already explained his clan's name, but "funbo" stands for "grave, tomb";

And with that, I'd like to close this chapter. Hope you enjoyed it and do review, telling me what you think; it'll certainly give me more motivation for the next update.

Until then!


	146. Teela versus Nezumi

Well, vacation does hinder writing as a whole, but I'm quite happy with the fact that once I sat down to it, I was able to finish this chappie relatively quick (and easy... can't remember last time NNG gave me this little trouble :D). And I even managed to cook-up a **SPECIAL TREAT** for all you "hardcore" NNG fans – an update on the Side Stories, including another Inside :D Sadly, with so little votes in the Character Popularity Poll it's hard to determine whether many of you care about the character presented in the "Inside" or not, but those who are interested should check it out anyway, as there's a special note as well.

Again I wanna thank everyone who sacrificed their time to review. It means a lot and I still encourage you to take part in **Character Popularity Poll** vote ;) It's not mandatory, but it feels kinda strange to get so little votes in comparison with the previous editions... oh well, things happen ^^'

Without further ado, lets move on to the chapter itself:

**Chapter #146: Teela versus Nezumi**

_**Title Page:**_ Funbo is sitting with his staff on his knees, panting heavily as he gazes to the sky from the edge of his dojo, while the room behind him is filled with throwing weapons, many of which are struck into the floor and walls

"These are the registration forms for the upcoming, Chuunin Selection Exam" Hinami announced as she handed her students the papers. "If you wanna take part, then fill them out by tomorrow... well, that's that" she added with a shrug and then disappeared, leaving the five gennin confused.

"Dammit, I hate when she does that!" Kumo stated, a vein pulsing on his forehead. "Why the hell do we need to put up with such a jounin instructor?" he asked rhetorically, but Tenka merely stared at him for a moment at the question, without any reaction. Nobu, apparently, was too shock to react as well.

"Let it go, that's how she is" Tasuki waved his hand not carrying and then smirked as he shifted his attention to Teela: "But, y'know, I heard this year the exams are held in Konoha... with the whole Hagane thing, I'd imagine you'd be interested... plus, it's a waste to have someone as strong as you stuck on gennin rank" he proclaimed as he waved the paper gently. "But, as I heard, it's a team tournament, so if even one of us wouldn't go, we all can't. The trouble-teen twins over there and Tenka most certainly desire to prove themselves, so they won't back out, but me... I'm actually happy staying gennin a while longer" he teased, widening his smirk. "So why should I bother? I'm not a team player and I don't feel like doing anything for you guys" he announced, yet the blue-haired kunoichi shown no reaction to his word. In stead, she just gazed at the sheet before her...

-Flashback end-

"The opponent is one of those grass-nins" Nobu noted, narrowing his eyes. "Think Teela will win?" he asked, turning towards Tasuki, yet the boy didn't flinch at all, answering with his hands still tied before his mouth: "Don't go asking stupid questions... you know just as well as I do, that there's no gennin that can beat her."

"Eleventh match: Junsei Teela from Tsuki against Kanraku Nezumi of Kusa!" Lee proclaimed as the the grass-nin placed Hamaru gently on the ground. "BEGIN!" he yelled, moving out of the way as the brown-haired girl instantly charged forward.

In a flash Nezumi came to a sliding stop before the moon-nin, thrusting her right arm at the latter's chest. With one, smooth motion, Teela spun on her foot and slapped the rat girl's wrist, throwing the attack off course, while she herself threw her other hand at the enemy's face., The Kusa kunoichi immediately ducked under the opened palm and launched her leg at the blue-haired female's feet, hoping to catch her off guard.

No such luck as the Tsuki gennin merely jumped up and somersaulting a few times, she went through a series of hand seals: "Suiton: Mizu Shuuren no Jutsu!" she rated stated then yelled as her mouth spitted out a large steam of water, which quickly began spinning wildly, like a cyclone.

In an instant Nezumi rolled to the side, dodging the assault which struck the ground, digging a shallow crater at the place of impact. While still in motion, the grass-nin reached to her hostels and unleashed a barrage of shuriken, each flying towards Teela, who was still in mid-air.

Keeping her indifferent exterior, the blue-haired girl performed another set of symbols and swung her arm, leaving a wall of liquid behind, which blocked the incoming shinobi stars, surprisingly making them all drop to the ground harmlessly at the moment of impact.

"_What the...?_" Ibuki's eyes widen at the sight as the Tsuki ninja landed on her feet. "_Those shuriken should've went through that water like butter! The pressure and velocity weren't strong enough to change their course! How the hell did she do that?_"

"Well, that Grass girl is doing better then you did, Rei" Kogane teased her teammate with a smirk, yet the lazy kunoichi didn't react to it... not like that was any surprise. Hanamaru however was nervously chopping on his chips: "This is so unreal! It's like that Tsuki chick is several times stronger then our Rei!"

"Don't spread such nonsense" the sleepy female asked in her usual, slow voice, her attention kept on the arena. "Only several times stronger? Don't kid yourself... even now I can tell that back then, during eliminations... she was barely even trying..."

Meanwhile Nezumi didn't allow her opponent to rest as she resumed her assault immediately, kunai held between her fingers. Beating the distance in a flash, she swung at Teela's cheek, forcing the moon-nin to duck under the attack. Without delay the blue-haired kunoichi threw a kick upwards, going for the rat girl's chin, but the latter also dodged, tilting her head to the right.

Quickly the grass-nin aimed a knee to her adversary's face, only to have it blocked by an opened palm, while the leg that just shoot up was brought down, smashing into Nezumi's left shoulder. The pain surged through her body in a blink of an eye, sending the Kusa kunoichi to her knees in stead, leaving an opening.

An opening Teela was not about to waste as she quickly rose up and thrust her palm at the rat girl's face, slamming it hard against Nezumi's nose. The force knocked the Grass gennin to her back, while the moon-nin calmly took few steps back, shifting her gaze towards Lee.

The jounin merely glanced at the fallen kunoichi and then back at the blue-haired one, his expression obviously telling he was not about to end this match. Showing little reaction to the news, the Tsuki ninja once more turned to her opponent, who by then flipped back to a standing position, wiping the blood from under her nose.

"You're certainly better then I've anticipated" Nezumi announced with a smile, still gaining no indication from her adversary, which did annoy her a bit, making her eye twitch. "Not much of a talker, are you?"

"Words are cheap" Teela replied simply in her normal monotone. "It's the actions that truly define who we are and where we're going. For example – it is easy to say 'I love you'... proving that statement to be true is a very different matter..."

"Point taken" the grass-nin nodded, her face becoming serious. "This concludes the small-talk portion of the match" she joked, picking out more kunai before tossing the knives forward. The Tsuki kunoichi didn't move though as the projectiles flew right on the sides of her.

Her eyes widen slightly as she felt a grip on her arms, only now realizing thin strings were tied to the knives and began wrapping around her the instant kunai flew by. Returning to her emotionless exterior, Teela jumped back as Nezumi came at her with a drop kick, sported with a wild, battle cry.

Despite missing, the rat girl didn't slow down and pressed on, quickly spinning on her foot to throw another kick, this time to her opponent's cheek. The moon-nin ducked again and strafed right as an uppercut went for her head. Still untouched, she spun herself, dodging a third kick launched by the Grass gennin.

"_She can certainly moves swiftly_" Galu admitted as Teela jumped back again, getting out of the range of Nezumi's kicks. Apparently Tarakudo was also amazed: "That chick's pretty good... it should be fun fighting her in the final..."

"She may not reach that far" Akira announced, making most people gaze at him confused. "In all this excitement, that Tsuki girl made a fatal mistake... one you all seem to have made as well" he added, confusing them even further.

In was just then that Teela backed away once more, only to feel her legs getting wrapped as well. She only managed to glance down at the sensation, spotting Hamaru running around with a kunai in his mouth.

"_Of course!_" Hari nearly smacked herself at the realization. "_That Nezumi girl is teamed up with a rat! With her partner being that small, he can virtually act unnoticed, especially if the battle is intense and requires constant movement. That Grass girl probably uses herself as a distraction to give the vermin enough time to set up the final blow! She did the very same against that tiger femme in the eliminations!_"

"And so it ends!" the rat kunoichi proclaimed, throwing a punch at Teela's face... only to have it go straight through the target with a spalsh. The Kusa gennin's eyes widen as she felt her arm getting soaked, while water dripped from the spot she hit: "Wha...?"

In a blink of an eye the blue-haired kunoichi's body disintegrated into liquid, freeing itself from the bind. It took even less for the water to recompose back into the form of the moon-nin, who swung her arm at point blank range, releasing a whip of water: "Mizu Suraisaa!"

Upon impact the whip ripped Nezumi's clothes just above her chest, cutting the skin in the process. The sudden pain forced the girl to take a few steps back as she hid her aching spot, a single tought running through her mind: "_Without any hand seals?_"

"Ach, ecchi!" Kai stated, covering his eyes, although his fingers were surprisingly widely spread as he did so. Kusari made no such attempt, still closely observing the match, to which the blond reacted again: "Look, I know you're a perv and all, but you should, at the very least, pretend that you're not a hormone-driven nut!"

"It's not about the cloth-ripping" Takaru assured him, also keeping his narrowed eyes on the arena. After a few moments he turned to the chain master as well, speaking in his usual, calm voice, granted one could tell it was the slightest bit shaky: "What the heck is that, Kusari?"

"That would be Teela-san's bloodline limit, Seitai no Enkai... or Body of the Ocean, if you prefer" he replied, his attention still settled on the match bellow. "It's a very unique skill... you can call it a mastery of Water Release..."

"Mastery of Suiton?" Taki repeated, visibly intrigued.

"Yes" Kusari responded with a nod. "Seitai no Enkai allows its wielder to, very literally, control water on a molecular level. It's a well-known fact that in 70% human body consists of water; those of the Junsei clan can fully manipulate that liquid, whichever way they desire. Since it's already infused with their chakra, they don't even require seals to do so. Basically, they can rearrange the water molecules with their own, changing any part of their body into liquid, granting that liquid bonus properties, such as sharpness, hardness and whatnot."

"Wait a second" Kitsune started to freak out at the news. "So you're telling me that chick can turn her entire body into liquid?" at this he received another nod from the chain master. "This is way beyond troublesome then; even if you get through with an attack, you'll just be hitting liquid! There's no physical attack that will work! In a way, that's even worse then that masked girl's sand!" he panicked.

"Not necessary" Horohoro cut in, his arms crossed. "You may even say that the whole liquid body thing is one, huge weak point; if she was fighting me, that sort of defense is meaningless before an ice user. Frankly, activating such a bloodline would make the fight easier for me. I suppose I can be happy though – the next round will be easy to pass" he proclaimed with a smirk, then turned towards Kusari: "Of course, I'll need to beat you first..."

"You are all very short-sighted" Hizoku cut in, propping his chin on the hand which was resting on the rail. "I'd advice you hold on with your theories though... first off, you should not speak as if Nezumi already lost" he announced, beaming with confidence, to which Tokame only narrowed his eyes, while Tobane gave out a worried look.

Back on the battlefield, Nezumi ripped off her top, leaving her upper body only mildly covered, while Hamaru traveled back to her shoulder, giving a weak squeak. Seeing this, Taka also narrowed his eyes, sensing what was coming: "_First Hizoku, then Tobane and now this... they're all idiots!_"

"Doesn't seem like normal techniques will suffice" the rat kunoichi admitted, allowing a smirk to appear on her face. "That's quite a bummer, coz I was hoping to save that for later. Can't be helped though, I suppose... Hamaru, time for us to go all out!"

_**-Nezumi goes wild!-**_

And so this chapter ends! Hope you enjoyed it. I gotta be honest – I was somewhat waiting for this match, coz it annoyed the hell outta me that it takes this much time to reach the point where BOTH Teela and Nezumi can actually show their true skills. Ironically though, revealing Teela originally was supposed to take two chapters ^^' I shortened that, because... well, I truly didn't see this fight being interesting until both girls go for their thumb cards :D So what is Nezumi's? Well, you'll find out soon enough, but as usual there were some hints about it already, especially in her elimination match :D

**Konoha #7 (Naruto):** _Tanken Ibuki_, Gekido Takaru, Hagane Kusari, _Haisha Kai_

**Konoha #3 (Shikamaru):** _Konpaku Rei_, _Rikoteki Kogane_, Amagasa Toku, Debano Kitsune, _Gusoku Hanamaru_

**Konoha #4 (Hinata):** _Igaku Mikka, Inuzuka Tsume_, Benda Kokoro, _Hatake Senkou_, Kobushi Galu

**Konoha (Shino):** Hamano Taki, Manako Akira, Tanken Funbo, Horohoro

**Suna #1 (Temari):** Aoru, Torune, Tarakudo, Takai

**Suna #2 (Kankuro):** Sabaku no Sabure, Hari, _Dekai_, Karame

**Kusa (none):** _Hokku Tobane_, Kanraku Nezumi, _Kuchibashi Taka_, Kyohaku Tokame, Wanabi Hizoku

**Tsuki (Hinami Hoshiru):** Junsei Teela, _Kihako Tasuki_, _Chishio Kumo, Chishio Nobu_

**Kane (unknown):** _Futatsu_

**Kumori (Tategamaru):** _Saiken Tenma_

**Fight 11:** Junsei Teela (21) vs. Kanraku Nezumi (22)

**Fight 12:** Horohoro (23) vs. Hagane Kusari (24)

**Fight 13:** Aoru (25) vs. Hamano Taki (26)

**Fight 14:** Torune (27) vs. Hari (28)

**Fight 15:** Amagasa Toku (29) vs. Kyohaku Tokame (30)

**Fight 16:** Kobushi Galu (31) vs. Karame (32)

**Fight 17:** Takai vs. Wanabi Hizoku

**Fight 18:** Tanken Funbo vs. Gekido Takaru

**Fight 19:** Benda Kokoro vs. Tarakudo

**Fight 20:** Manako Akira (automatic win)

**Fight 21:** Sabaku no Sabure vs. Debano Kitsune

_Suiton: Mizu Shuuren no Jutsu _(Water Release: Water Drill Skill)

_Mizu Suraisaa_ (Water Slicer)

And yeah, I promised to put up the names of Suna, Kusa and Tsuki teams, but ultimately I've decided to pace myself ;P So this time around it's just Sand gennin and next time I'll finish up with Hidden Moon and Grass, completing the "name list" for all the more important gennin:

_Takai_ – his name can be translated as "death", which I found suitable, concerning his attitude at the start... a big resemblance to Kai's name is also NOT coincidental ;)

_Aoru_ – her name means "to fan" (allusion to her weapon of choice) or "to agitate"... ironic, as she's more the type to cheer others up. It can also mean "to gulp down", a reference to her village being located in the desert;

_Tarakudo_ – this I'm somewhat ashamed of, but there never was any meaning behind Tarakudo; it's one of the seven names made up at the beginning that I haven't changed. But, if you exclude "ta", you get "rakudo", which means "paradise"... the God of Irony is pleased :D

_Torune_ – if you add -edo to her name, you get the Japanese pronunciation of "tornado" - toruneedo... nuff said;

_Honemaru_ - "hone" means simply "bone, backbone, core", to which I added the suffix -maru, explained in the previous chapter;

_Dekai_ - "dekai" means "huge, gargantuan", which is a reference to the size of his sword;

_Sabaku no Sabure_ - "sabure" is another word for "sand", which put with her nicknames, gives you "sand of the desert" :D On a side note - "sabaku" can also be translated as "to judge"... I'll leave it up to you how to understand it in regards to Sabure ;)

_Karame_ – his name can mean "salty", "somewhat hot" (supposedly guys, who are mysterious have luck with the ladies :D) or "harsh", that last one I find quite ironic;

_Hari_ - "hari" can be translated as "needle, pin", a direct allusion to her abilities. It can also mean "pride, will-power" and written with two 'a' (haari) means "flying ant" - an indirect allusion to her father, who once used a puppet named Kuroari (Black Ant);

_Horamaru_ – written with two 'o', "hoora" means "winning" (both irony and not), while "hora" itself can mean "bragging, big talk", which I think described Horamaru quite well, if you look at the big picture (but not all of you may understand it yet). Naturally, his name is also made of the suffix -maru; and, just as a bonus, "hora" can also be translated as "cave, den";

And this really concludes this chapter. Hope you enjoyed it. Place a vote for the Character Popularity Contest if you want and see you next time!


	147. A Touch Can Be Deadly

Back from my vacation, Shang here to bring you the newest installment of NNG, fresh from my hard drive, finished just a minute ago :D I must admit that this chapter ended up differently then I imagined it will (partly because explaining Nezumi's ability took so much space x_x) and I kinda feel it doesn't live-up to how it was supposed to be all those years ago, when I planned it... oh well, I had a really rotten day and tomorrow won't be any better, so sorry, but I just don't have the heart to get into re-writing right now :(

Before going to the chapter itself though, the usual reminder that **Character Popularity Poll** is still open and you can cast your votes, but slowly we're coming to its end as votes will be accepted only till chapter 149 (the next one come the results), so I encourage you to case your votes, if you wish to cast any.

And with that, here's the continuation of Teela versus Nezumi:

**Chapter #147: A Touch Can Be Deadly**

_**Title Page:**_ Hitomi's in a doctor's office and is given a task to read the letters from a board

"Still pushing yourself over the limit, I see?" Nezumi rather stated then asked as she walked up to Hizoku, who was training with his spear on the meadow. Sweat run down the boy's face as he huffed under the light of a crescent moon, shifting his eyes towards the kunoichi: "You insanely powerful as is, I really don't see a point in going this far to become chuunin... not like you'll have any problem in doing that..."

"I'm not going to Konoha just to become chuunin" the redhead reminded her sternly, making the rat girl freeze, looking to the side as she grabbed her arm. Silence filled the evening air as Hizoku let out a sigh at his own behavior.: "Nezumi, I..."

"Why?" the female demanded, giving a stern look of her own. "You said you were going to challenge the Kages... which I think is a ridiculous notion, but even so, how come you're not willing to say why? How come only Taka knows? That guy hates you! Why tell him? Why don't you trust us, dammit?"

At those words the redhead hesitated, opening his mouth slightly. Finally, after a few moments, he resumed his training, speaking calmly as if nothing happened: "That is on a need-to-know basis... and you guys don't. Truthfully, I have no intention to drag either of you into it; you're just going to pass the Chuunin Exam. The promise to my father is my own concern..."

"The hell it is!" Nazumi snapped, grabbing his shoulder to turn her teammate: "You may be good, but going against village leaders is suicide, even for you!" she announced with anger beaming from her voice: "This is why I demand to know why are you so hung up to do it!" and in a flash her expression turned into a smile as she added, much friendlier: "Since I'm gonna throw my life away, don't I at least deserve to know why?"

Hizoku didn't reply at first, staring confused at the kunoichi. Then he smiled and answered...

-Flashback end-

"Hamaru, time for us to go all out!" Nezumi announced, while she formed a quick seal, the tiny rat letting out a squeal as the chakra surged through its body. An instant later the rodent bit its master on the arm, making Teela rise her eyebrow at the action. In a flash the grass-nin's skin began turning green as strange, brown spots started popping out in various places. Her eyes gotten visibly red as she coughed, letting out a mysterious cloud of smoke out of her mouth. Another feature was the fact sweat began appearing all over her body.

"What the hell happened?" Kai asked confused, dropping his arms as a dumb-fooled look crept onto his face. "Just now, she looks like she's about to die herself..."

"That, more or less, would be the case" Tokame replied, narrowing his eyes at the predicament. This, however, made the blond even more clueless. Before he could probe further, Tobane explained, noting his bewilderment: "It's a double-edged sword... that technique, I mean. You see, Kusa is, by a great deal, a village of herbalists; we use our terrain, filled with all sorts of bush and flowers, to make medicine and potions that, generally, increase our capabilities... much like that Kogane girl of yours. However, this is not the cause of our geographical location specifically..."

"What caused this then?" Karame questioned curiously, but to his surprise, it was Kitsune that continued the topic: "In the past, when villages were only beginning to form, the area now known as the Land of Grass was tormented by a horrid plague, called Eisei no Mitsurin... the disease spread rapidly, since even a single touch from someone infected made the illness just to another. Most people died within a day – a short enough amount to put the populous into panic, yet also long for the outbreak to keep spreading..."

Kai gave the young blacksmith an impressed glance, yet the other boy only shrugged at the unspoken praise: "I read a lot of shinobi history... besides, it was part of Iruka-sensei's lecture back in the Academy. Seriously, haven't you learned anything before graduating?"

"One thing I don't get" Taraku interrupted, shifting his gazed towards the grass-nins. "If the disease was so dangerous, how come it didn't wipe out the entire area? How come it didn't spread beyond?"

"Certain occurrence made it possible to fight the plague" Tokame responded simply, his expression as stoic as a stone. "The illness wasn't defeated per say, but the more skilled, chakra-users found a way to seal it into a group of people. These individual proven to have a specific immune system, which allowed them to withstand the disease... somehow keeping it alive within them, but dormant. To that end, they were infested, but Eisei no Mitsurin didn't spread through them. The area in which they lived in was quarantined, opened only after everyone besides that one family died out..."

"That's kinda harsh" Taki noted with dismal.

"Better few then the whole world" the Kusa gennin shoot back simply, gazing at the masked kunoichi. "Either way, the family reproduced, with the bacteria of the disease still in their bodies. Their descendants becoming both carriers and keepers of the illness. Eventuallyone couldn't even tell they were infected, allowing those people to blend into the crowd. The plague forced Kusa to dispatch some of its resources to medicine in order to prevent the repeat of the outbreak, especially since the danger of Eisei no Mitsurin is still alive..."

"Let me guess" Horohoro asked, his arms crossed. "Nezumi is a descendant of those carriers."

"That's exactly right" Tobane confirmed with a nod. "But just halfway" she added, making the ice user raise an eyebrow. "Hamaru is one too and by biting Nezumi, he can break the 'seal' on the cells, releasing the disease anew in Nezumi's body..."

"But it's a disease that attacks people" Toku reminded them, still a bit confused. "What good will it do against the body of water?"

"One of the reasons Eisei no Mitsurin spread so rapidly was the fact that it was highly contagious" Hizoku jumped in, keeping his calm exterior. "If it was otherwise, all the carriers would've died before infecting anyone else. While only humans were visibly affected, anything that a carrier touched became a carrier as well... that included plants, animals... and drinking water..."

"In other words, if this blue-haired chick gets touched, be it in her physical or liquid form, she gets infected either way" Takai concluded, ignoring an unpleasant smirk that just appeared on Funbo's face as the young Tanken stood before him. Tokame nodded at the statement, which in turn made the scythe user narrow his eyes: "Truly a perfect technique to counter the bloodline limit of that Moon girl..."

"Sorta" Tobane corrected, finally showing worry. "As said – Eisei no Mitsurin is very deadly and once the containment seal is broken... the carrier is just as exposed to it as anyone else" she announced, forcing Kai's eyes to widen.

"What the hell?" the blond snapped, grabbing the Grass kunoichi by the collar: "Are you actually telling me that for some, dumbass reason like becoming chuunin, she's willing to throw her life away?"

"She's not fighting just to become chuunin" Hizoku lowered his head, recalling the events from a couple of months back. To this the leaf-nin shifted his attention towards him, but the redhead said nothing more. Kusari on the other head, kept observing the match, for most part ignoring the conversation: "_Terrifying indeed, but even so... this Nezumi girl won't win..._"

Meanwhile, back at the arena, Nezumi launched a kick right into Teela's stomach, yet the blue-haired kunoichi instantly made her mid-section turn into water and split, making the attack hit nothing but air, while twio steams of liquid flew on either side of the rat girl's leg. The grass-nin reacted immediately and began spinning in an attempt to splash through one of the 'waterfalls', yet to her dismal, the water suddenly stopped dropping, creating a hole, which allowed the assault to leave the Moon gennin's body without contact with anything.

Without a second waste, Teela took a few steps back as Nezumi pressed, quickly dropping her foot down and using it to proceed with a punch to her opponent's face, forcing the latter to bend right in order to dodge the fist.

Having another attack failed, the brown-haired kunoichi launched her other hand forward, going for the moon-nin's gut from bellow, only to have the Tsuki gennin's legs change into water and release inhuman pressure against the ground, blasting Teela upwards just before the attack reached its target.

To this, Nezumi pressed her feet harder against the surface and sprung to the sky as well, somersaulting in the process. In a blink of an eye she flew above the Moon kunoichi, throwing a kick downwards, going straight for Teela's back.

To everyone's surprise though, the instant Nezumi's foot smashed its target, the latter disintegrated, turning to mist which wrapped entirely around the shocked grass-nin: "_What the...?_" she wondered, landing on her feet.

"This is getting tiresome" Teela's voice rang in the air, seemingly coming from every direction. "Your technique is quite fearful, but that still will not grant you victory" she announced, making the rat girl narrow her eyes... only to open them a moment later as she felt her throat clog.

She let out a few grunts as she bended over, the feeling of drowning slowly making her vision blur. She felt her eyes widening further, like they were about to pop out, while her limbs grew heavy, forcing her to her knees: "_This... isn't Eisei!_" she realized as she sprew out water from her mouth, still grunting.

To her horror, the liquid she just vomited began shaping into a human form, revealing Teela, who slowly rose back to a standing position, while Nezumi remained on all fours, air still rid from her lungs as the pressure on the organ increased.

"_You've gotta be kidding me!_" Ibuki thought to herself terrified, ignoring Hanamaru who choked on his chips. Kogane's jaw nearly hit the floor; even Rei looked shaken. Naruto merely closed his eyes as a single drop of sweat run down his face: "_This level of control... even Unabara couldn't do this at her age..._"

"_Scary as always_" Tasuki concluded with a smirk, seeing the grass kunoichi drop to the ground completely. Barely holding onto consciousness, the rat girl glanced at her opponent, who now stood above her, her expression emotionless as always.

"What did... you do?" she demanded with a grunt in between, but the blue-haired ninja didn't flinch at the question: "You should surrender... I don't intend to kill you, but the long you keep this up, the more likely it is you will drown."

"Like hell!" Nezumi shoot back with a smirk. "Regardless to how... you got... into me... Eisei... infected you! I just... need to... hold on... longer then... you and... let me... tell you – upon invading... most people... are incapable of... moving within... an hour... I'd give you... ten minutes tops..."

"True, disease is hard to deal with without medical ninjutsu" the moon-nin nodded, keeping her calm. "But, ultimately, it just spreads if the body functions. Tell, what effect would that have on a body in suspended animation?" she asked while her left arm slowly turned into ice.

This development shocked the rat kunoichi, but her expression quickly changed to a confident one, despite still lacking air: "Fine... turn yourself... to ice... once that... is done... you'll... be immobilize... and then... I'll just break you to pieces!" at those words, Teela's eyes narrowed slightly, widening her opponent's smirk: "What... didn't expected... such a possibility?"

Surprisingly, a moment later, the moon-nin dragged her right hand back, making liquid flow out of Nezumi's mouth, connecting with Teela's palm. In a flash the Grass kunoichi felt air entering her lungs, while her body got lighter, finally responding to her commands. Instantly she rested her hands on the ground and used them to prop the rest of her body up, putting it into a spin in an attempt to sweep her adversary off her feet.

Just as her leg hit the target though, it went through water, accompanied with a loud 'splash' as Teela's feet reshaped in a blink of an eye. Nezumi didn't give in however and kept spinning, aiming a kick to the blue-haired kunoichi's face, only to get a similar effect.

With one, smooth flip of her hand, the Moon gennin allowed a steam of liquid blast at her adversary, but the rat girl managed to relocated herself in the last moment. Her eyes widen though as the current turned and slammed into her anyway, knocking her back to the ground.

At this, Teela swung her, other arm, making the water rose up and shape into needles, each pointing at the fallen grass-nin. Seeing this, Horohoro flinched, while Kakashi narrowed his visible eye as well: "_That technique... it's the same as Horohoro's and that boy from Wave Country..._"

Soaked, Nezumi gazed at the blades above her, feeling her blood run cold. It took her a second to realize the water that was still drenching her clothes turned into ice, trapping her completely.

"Since I cannot hold out longer then you, the logical solution would be making sure your endurance runs out first by direct approach" Teela announced calmly in a monotone. "Or force you to surrender, but me trying to drown you proved the latter would be a wasted effort" she added. "I have one question though – the victory of this match is obvious... so why do you persist like that teammate of yours from a while back?"

"That's because we're not fighting for ourselves" the grass-nin proclaimed with a strong gaze, yet didn't manage to change her opponent's indifferent exterior. The blue-haired kunoichi did however glance to the platform, her eyes stopping on Kusari, who was still observing the match intensively.

"I believe that I can understand" she announced, shifting her gaze back to the rat girl. For a second, that stretched like millennium, the water needles hung in the air, only to lose their solid form in the next, just as the ice crumbled, freeing Nezumi from her bonds.

The sudden release made the Kusa gennin drop to her knee as she looked over her shoulder confused, only to see Teela fall onto her back, her breath slightly quicken. Hamaru let out another squeal, the outcome of the match being decided as Lee landed next to the two kunoichi.

"_If Eisei was released, then the whole area is probably contaminated_" he frowned in his mind as he quickly examined the fallen girl with his eyes. "_We can't really have anyone enter the arena or they'll get infected too_" he let out a sigh, his attention turned towards the grass-nin: "Winner: Kanraku Nezumi!"

_**-the most unexpected outcome!-**_

HA! Now, show up hands how many of you actually thought Nezumi will emerge victorious out of this bout? Well? From the premise and all, you thought Teela was a sure-win, didn't you? Don't be too sure of any outcome in this tale... I'd hope Kai's match taught you that ;P

Being completely honest, in its original form, I was positive this fight will take three chapters to finish, but in the end I decided to shorten it slightly, as I imagine the next match is one many anxiously await, considering Kusari always had quite a fanbase... so – you're welcome ;)

**Konoha #7 (Naruto):** _Tanken Ibuki_, Gekido Takaru, Hagane Kusari, _Haisha Kai_

**Konoha #3 (Shikamaru):** _Konpaku Rei_, _Rikoteki Kogane_, Amagasa Toku, Debano Kitsune, _Gusoku Hanamaru_

**Konoha #4 (Hinata):** _Igaku Mikka, Inuzuka Tsume_, Benda Kokoro, _Hatake Senkou_, Kobushi Galu

**Konoha (Shino):** Hamano Taki, Manako Akira, Tanken Funbo, Horohoro

**Suna #1 (Temari):** Aoru, Torune, Tarakudo, Takai

**Suna #2 (Kankuro):** Sabaku no Sabure, Hari, _Dekai_, Karame

**Kusa (none):** _Hokku Tobane_, Kanraku Nezumi, _Kuchibashi Taka_, Kyohaku Tokame, Wanabi Hizoku

**Tsuki (Hinami Hoshiru):** Junsei Teela, _Kihako Tasuki_, _Chishio Kumo, Chishio Nobu_

**Kane (unknown):** _Futatsu_

**Kumori (Tategamaru):** _Saiken Tenma_

**Fight 11:** Junsei Teela (21) vs. Kanraku Nezumi (22)

**Fight 12:** Horohoro (23) vs. Hagane Kusari (24)

**Fight 13:** Aoru (25) vs. Hamano Taki (26)

**Fight 14:** Torune (27) vs. Hari (28)

**Fight 15:** Amagasa Toku (29) vs. Kyohaku Tokame (30)

**Fight 16:** Kobushi Galu (31) vs. Karame (32)

**Fight 17:** Takai vs. Wanabi Hizoku

**Fight 18:** Tanken Funbo vs. Gekido Takaru

**Fight 19:** Benda Kokoro vs. Tarakudo

**Fight 20:** Manako Akira (automatic win)

**Fight 21:** Sabaku no Sabure vs. Debano Kitsune

_Eisei no Mitsurin_ – as a whole, it roughly means "Death from the Jungle/Forest"

_Hizoku Wanabi_ – his first name means "rebel", a fully-intentional allusion to how his family is seen by others as a whole. Wanabi on the other hand is the Japanese pronunciation of "wannabe";

_Tobane Hokku_ – shamefully, I know "tobane" meant something when I choose that name for her, but all translators I'm using no claim there's no meaning to it... ARGH ^^' Her clan's name though mean's "hook", which is also her weapon of choice;

_Taka Kuchibashi_ – taka means "hawk", which is also an ANBU-styled mask that the boy wears, while "kuchibashi' mean's "beak", playing further on his mask;

_Nezumi Kanraku_ – as some of you may have figured it out, 'nezumi' stands for 'rat'; a direct reference to her partnership with Hamaru. Kanraku has several meanings, all of which fully intended - "cheese" is another reference to Hamaru, "pleasure/merriment" hints Nezumi personality and (to a lesser extend) her beauty, while "fail/sinking/surrender/capitulation" is a twisted allusion to her special ability, which you just learned ;)

_Tokame Kyohaku_ – tokame is actually a typical, Japanese name, while "kyohaku' stands for "authority/big-shot";

_Tasuki Kihako_ – Tasuki is one of the characters named before I even searched for a meaning behind names and one of the few mentioned, who managed to keep his name from the original draft, but if you must know, his names means a cord used to tuck up a sleeve of a kimono or a sash worn across the chest. Kihako roughly means 'spirit'... ironically, when I created these characters, that was the meaning, but in many chases when I check the word in my translators, they apparently don't exist anymore ^^'

_Teela Junsei_ – like most moon-nins, Teela's name was chosen before I paid heed to the meaning behind the names; she shares the name with a character from a lesser-known anime "Candidate for Goddess", whose design was the inspiration for Teela's look. Junsei, among its several meanings, here stands for "pure/genuine/perfect"... I'll let you guys decide what it refers to in this, particular case;

_Nobu Chishio_ – again a character with a name created in an early draft (the idea was for the Chishio twins to both have short, simple names)... ironically though, 'nobu' does stand for "knob", which I find a very fitting name for him :D His clan's name on the other hand can be translated as "blood spilt from the body" - a direct allusion to his family's bloodline limit;

_Tenka_ – the only moon-nin whose name has a fully-intentional meaning... and a lot of it actually; you see, 'tenka' can be translated in various ways - "the whole world", "society/public" or an allusion to her treatment by bloodline-driven Tsuki Gakure... "the ruling power/supremacy over nation", "peerless/superlative" is a play of her 'inferiority' by comparison to villagers with kekkai genkai... "having one's own way" directs you to her resolve to find her own way of the ninja in contrast with her companions... "fire caused by lighting" is a hint about her abilities... and if you add a single "i" to the end, you get 'tenkai', which means "heaven/celestial sphere" :D

_Kumo Chishio_ – like Nobu, his name was a random word I came up with, completely forgetting Kumo was an actual village in Narutoverse ^^' Aside from that, 'kumo' can also mean 'spider', as those of you who read my "Those Who Inherit..." story may know. His clan's name was explained with Nobu.

And this concludes the chapter. Hope you had fun reading it and that the end turned out as a shocker, as I intended it to be. Thanks for tuning in and until next time!


	148. Twelfth Match

Wow, once I sat down to it, this chapter was done in a moment :) I can only hope the few, upcoming ones will be as easy to write, but I doubt that ^^' Kusari finally steps into the ring and I've been anxiously awaiting this, particular showdown. Hope you'll enjoy it.

Just a reminder for those who are interested: **Character Popularity Poll** is still open and you can give your vote, but note that it's near its END! The results are scheduled for chapter 150, so if you wish to take part in the voting, you'll need to do so before chapter 150 is published. If all goes well, that is not too far off.

With that said, lets us see how things are going in Konoha Stadium, shall we?

**Chapter #148: Twelfth Match**

_**Title Page:**_ Akira, who has his eyes blind-folded (no idea why :D) is holding a bat as he tries to locate a pinata hanging from a tree branch just next to him

"Winner: Kanraku Nezumi!" Lee announced as the rat girl kept huffing, carefully observing the moon-nin that laid flat before her. The instant that statement was made, the rest of the Kusa team jumped down onto the arena, each striking a strange-looking spear into the ground on either end of the stadium. The jounin raised an eyebrow at this action, shifting his gaze to Tobane, who was the clostest to him from the bunch.

"Well, the match has already been decided, so it should be fine for us to interfere, right?" she asked with a wide smile as she bite her thumb, the other three doing the same. With a quick set of seals, they each slammed their hands into the ground, making the spears vibrate, only to release a cleansing blast of blue fire, that spread throughout the area in a mere seconds.

Lee remained unfazed by this, allowing the flames to ram through him, surprisingly leaving the Leaf's Green Beast unharmed. Just as the fire died down, the grass-nins swallowed a white pill, with Tokame feeding it to Nezumi and Hamaru. Even Teela was handled, with Taka only dropping the pill onto the blue-haired kunoichi's palm.

"You should take one as well, Lee-san" Hizoku announced, throwing the medicine to the jounin. "Though it was only for a short while, you're definitely infected; this should kill any bacteria that are left loose after our sealing" he explained, receiving a nod from the man as he complied.

The taijutsu expert gazed at Nezumi, who was slowly getting back to her feet, helped by Tokame, nearly all signs of the disease already gone. Obviously both the flames and pills were made to fight Eisei no Mitsurin. He then shifted his fuzzy-brow eyes back to the redhead, his voice calm: "Going so far and taking such a risk... he might've won, but I doubt this match will really help her get promoted to chuunin..."

"No, I don't suppose it will" Hizoku agreed as Tokame helped their teammate up. In the meantime Kusari also jumped down onto the arena, walking over to the fallen moon-nin, his eyes narrowing at the sight: "Come on, how long do you plan on laying there like a log, Teela? Cut the crap already!"

"That poison was quite draining" the blue-haired girl responded with her usual monotone, which only agitated the chain master further: "Don't play that with me, dammit! Do you think I'm that stupid? You gave up the match!" he accussed, pointing his finger at the kunoichi, who was still laying on her back, gazing at the sky.

"I might've lost either way" she finally announced, slowly picking herself up. "That Grass girl was quite powerful in the end" she added as she glanced at her opponent, who was no leaning on Tokame. The medics appeared around them, quickly taking the rat ninja away, but as another showed up close by, Teela merely raised her hand in negation: "That won't be necessary" she assured and while the medic scanned her, he gave a slight nod.

"Maybe you should go?" Kusari purposed, giving her a worried look.

"Perhaps, but I wish to see your fight first" she proclaimed, making the boy get back to his annoyed state again: "What the hell is wrong with you? If that's the case, then you should've just won right now!" he snapped, while the blue-haired girl gave one, last gaze at her adversary.

"She had a good reason to fight" the moon-nin stated simply, her exterior as emotionless as always. "It got me thinking... how would Hasaki-san react?" she informed, making the young, Leaf gennin lower his head at the mention of the name. Silence fell between the two, broken once the kunoichi placed her palm on his shoulder: "I wish you luck in your match" she announced, jumping back to the platform.

"I'll never understand that hag" Tasuki proclaimed with a frown, resting his cheek on the hand. "What the heck was that all about anyway?" he questioned, turning to the twins.

"Don't worry over things like that" Nobu shrugged, unmoved by the occurrence. "That's who she is – doing what she feels like. It's the same as in the Forest of Death, when she gave our scroll to that brat that's about to fight. It's best to accept it" he added.

"It is a shame though" Kumo joined in. "Out of all gennin gathered, she's most definitely one of the strongest... it's hard to imagine anyone more suitable for a chuunin..."

"Well, being chuunin is not just about strength" Hinami proclaimed with a straight face, making her students gaze at her confused. To their dismal however, their jounin instructor said nothing more. Meanwhile, Kakashi was much more concerned over the development: "_The Five Dances,_ _Eisei no Mitsurin... these grass-nins are definitely not average gennin... but if that is so, how come they weren't recommended for the exam?_" he wondered, ignoring Satsuki, who just gave Gaara a pat on the back... or tried, since the sand blocked her palm.

"Oh my, Teela actually lost" the Moon leader noted with surprising smile. "This is quite unfortunate for my village, losing both representatives in the very first round" she added with a laugh, adding to the uncomfortable feeling of the other people gathered. "But, since Fugo-chan isn't here, I guess I can cheer his gennin on" she noted with a devilish grin as she rubbed her hands.

"_Just get on with the next fight_" Genmei begged in his mind, allowing a single drop of sweat to run down his face. "_Please..._"

"Seems that this Moon girl of yours ain't so special after all" Kogane teased her teammate, elbowing Rei lightly. Seeing no effect to her comment, she shifted her attention back to the arena, where one of the participants was already waiting for his opponent: "Kusari's turn... man, I cannot believe that perv got this far!"

"Well, it's not like he really won his elimination fight" Tsume noted with a bored tone. "I doubt he'll get this lucky again and I don't see his chain anywhere... think he didn't bring it?"

"Kusari may be dumb, but even he's not that moronic" Senkou answered simply. "My guess is he has some thump card... mind cluing us in, Ibuki?" he turned to the young assassin, who had her hands wrapped before her mouth, but the kunoichi only shrugged: "Frankly, I know just as much as you do" she responded.

"Good luck, Horohoro-kun" Taki cheered in her, usual fashion, as the blue-haired boy readied himself for the duel. "Wipe the floor with him! Show him the power of the tidal wave! Be as deadly as a storm! As swift as a current! As fast as a cyclone! As unyielding..."

"I think he gets it" Funbo interrupted with his arms crossed in one of his rare moments of showing emotion, in this case, annoyance. He managed to recompose himself quickly, returning to his cold exterior, while his eyes shifted to the ice manipulator: "You don't need any luck... that guy is nothing..."

"In the eliminations we didn't really get to see him go full out" Akira warned calmly. "It's not wise to underestimate him" he added as Horohoro nodded: "I know... and I low the idea of fighting a fellow leaf-nin to begin with... but this can't be helped" he proclaimed with a sigh.

"Forget about that nonsense already" the young Tanken said sternly. "This is a fight... that's all you need to know right now" he pressed, surprisingly pushing away his companion's doubts, if he even had any to begin with. With another nod the teen jumped over the rail to face his opponent, having the two, rookie gennin observe him.

"I recall that in the forest of Death we really couldn't do much against those guys" Kai reminded his comrade with a worried look. "Think Kusari will be okay?"

"It's hard to say at this point" Takaru replied matter-of-factly. "Especially since we don't even know what of his chain... one month is far too short to change your fighting style completely, but ever since we stepped into the stadium, I have not seen him carrying any weapons. There's no telling what his plan is..."

"_It's that Hagane brat_" Futatsu thought to himself, his face twisting in dismal, while Taka rested his head on his palm, awaiting the start of the match. Even Naruto allowed himself a worried look as the two fighters approached the center of the battlefield: "_Just don't do anything stupid, Kusari..._"

"Twelfth match: Horohoro against Hagane Kusari, both from Konoha!" Lee announced as the duo eyed each other intensively. "BEGIN!" he yelled, moving out of the way as the blue-haired boy instantly bent his knees, going through the first set of seals: "Suiton: Suiryuudan no Jutsu!" he called out as a steam of water blasted from his mouth.

In a flash the liquid shaped into a dragon, which spread its jaws as it lunged at the chain master, forcing the latter to strife left. As the attack splatted against the ground, Kusari came to a sliding stop, seeing Horohoro already flying at him.

The ice user aimed a horizontal kick to his opponent's head, but the younger gennin ducked under the assault and launched an uppercut to the blue-haired ninja's chin while he was still in mid-air. With no way to dodge, the older shinobi blocked the attack with an opened palm and use the momentum to spring himself upward, somersaulting as a new set of seals was formed: "Suiton: Homingu Saikuron no Jutsu!"

Immediately the water soaking into the ground after his last technique rose up in a spinning fashion, forming a cyclone as it turned straight at the younger gennin, again forcing Kusari to dodge, this time by flipping back a few times. To his surprise though, when the assault came at the spot he just stood, it turned and followed his path.

With another flip the perverted teen felt the wall of the stadium pressing against his back, while the attack continued to chase him with a buzzing noise. Having no time to strife, the leaf-nin quickly bit his thumb and wrote the kanji on his arm, making smoke release from beneath his sleeves.

In a blink of an eye he threw his right hand up, a steel chain flying out from beneath his clothes. With a flip of his arm, the large, scythe-like blade located at the end of the chain dug into the top of the wall, allowing the teen to pull himself up just as the cyclone came, making the deadly current smash against concrete, splattering again.

Pouring chakra into his feet, Kusari stuck on the wall, ripping the scythe blade out of it as he gazed at his adversary, who now casually observed the younger gennin from bellow ground. Narrowing his eyes, the rookie jumped off and landed few meters away from the blue-haired shinobi, spinning the blade in his right hand.

"I doubt that's the only improvement you made" Horohoro stated simply as his gaze befall the weapon for a split second. "It's a tad saddening this, little show didn't force you to reveal the whole spectrum" he added, surprisingly emotionless.

"Don't worry" Kusari responded, flipping his left arm as a jingle filled the air. "I see you're too dangerous to play around with, so I'll humor you" he proclaimed as the other end of the chain escaped his left sleeve, showing its end splitting into three, each ended with a small, metal ball.

"Adding the number of balls?" the older ninja's eyebrow raised. "You think this is really gonna do it?" he asked, to which the chain master smirked under his nose: "That we shall see..."

Taka only smiled behind his mask. The noise just now gave clear indication there was more to it then met the eye. Regardless to everything, the real match bellow... was starting now...

_**-Kusari's new weapon!-**_

Hehe, kept you long enough in the dark as to what Kusari's new chain looks like, huh? So, what do you think? Better then the previous, worse... don't really care? The fact is Kusari vs. Horohoro was one of the fights I was most anxious about – being of the first I had planned for this tale (even before the character rooster was done :D). I can only hope I won't screw it up :D So, who do you think will win this one? ;

**Konoha #7 (Naruto):** _Tanken Ibuki_, Gekido Takaru, Hagane Kusari, _Haisha Kai_

**Konoha #3 (Shikamaru):** _Konpaku Rei_, _Rikoteki Kogane_, Amagasa Toku, Debano Kitsune, _Gusoku Hanamaru_

**Konoha #4 (Hinata):** _Igaku Mikka, Inuzuka Tsume_, Benda Kokoro, _Hatake Senkou_, Kobushi Galu

**Konoha (Shino):** Hamano Taki, Manako Akira, Tanken Funbo, Horohoro

**Suna #1 (Temari):** Aoru, Torune, Tarakudo, Takai

**Suna #2 (Kankuro):** Sabaku no Sabure, Hari, _Dekai_, Karame

**Kusa (none):** _Hokku Tobane_, Kanraku Nezumi (currently in medical wing for treatment), _Kuchibashi Taka_, Kyohaku Tokame, Wanabi Hizoku

**Tsuki (Hinami Hoshiru):** _Junsei Teela, Ki__hako Tasuki_, _Chishio Kumo, Chishio Nobu_

**Kane (unknown):** _Futatsu_

**Kumori (Tategamaru):** _Saiken Tenma_

**Fight 12:** Horohoro (23) vs. Hagane Kusari (24)

**Fight 13:** Aoru (25) vs. Hamano Taki (26)

**Fight 14:** Torune (27) vs. Hari (28)

**Fight 15:** Amagasa Toku (29) vs. Kyohaku Tokame (30)

**Fight 16:** Kobushi Galu (31) vs. Karame (32)

**Fight 17:** Takai vs. Wanabi Hizoku

**Fight 18:** Tanken Funbo vs. Gekido Takaru

**Fight 19:** Benda Kokoro vs. Tarakudo

**Fight 20:** Manako Akira (automatic win)

**Fight 21:** Sabaku no Sabure vs. Debano Kitsune

**Fight 22:** Kanraku Nezumi vs. ?

_Suiton: Suiryuudan no Jutsu _(Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Skill)

_Suiton: Hoomingu Saikuron no Jutsu _(Water Release: Homing Cyclone Skill)

And so this chapter is complete. Hope you had fun reading it and tune in next time!


	149. Horohoro versus Kusari

Hey guys. Took me a while to update, didn't it? I apologize for that, but the past few weeks has been... well, hell to put it simply. What's worse is that it's hell that isn't over yet, so I really don't feel like elaborating on that.

I also apologize for not responding to your reviews. I believe this is the first time ever since I began writing this fic that I DIDN'T address your comments in any way. Feels odd and inappropriate, but I just don't have the strength for it at this time. Thus I can only say sorry and promise that for next time I will reply to your reviews.

As I already made you wait quite long, just a quick reminder that this is your FINAL chance to cast a vote in **Character Popularity Poll**! The results of the voting will be given with the next update (which will, hopefully, take less time then this one), so if you wish to give your vote to any of this story's characters, no is the time.

With that said, here's the newest installment of NNG series:

**Chapter #149: Horohoro versus Kusari**

_**Title Page:**_ Halloween: Kusari is fishing for apples with his hands tied with a chain (dressed as a pirate), Kumiko is treating youth of Konoha to candy (in a cat costume... duh :D), Takaru (dressed as a vampire) is trying to pin a tail to a donkey, while Kai (dressed as a Frankenstein's monster), obviously proud of himself, is showing Ibuki (in a witch's costume) his handiwork – a seriously messed-up jack'o lantern

"The goal of this exercise is simple" Shino announced as he held four scrolls out front, two in each hand. "You are to gather all of these before sundown. If you succeed, you can consider this exam cleared and you're officially promoted to gennin."

"And if we fail?" Hitomi asked without any, real emotion showing on her face. "Say we miss one?" she added with her arms crossed.

"Then you will all return to the Academy" the bug user proclaimed simply, putting the scrolls into his pockets. "This is a team's test and you outnumber me five to one. It is up to you to form a strategy that'll allow you to achieve victory. In shinobi world, there is no such thing as a job half done – you either succeed or fail..."

"My kind of challenge" Funbo stated with a smirk as he spun his staff in his grip. A moment later insects flew out of the jounin's sleeves, forming a dark cloud over his head. Instantly Hitomi went into her fighting stance, while Akira reached for his tanto, alerted by the buzzing that filled the air. Only Horohoro narrowed his eyes as he took a single step back...

The blue-haired teen panted heavily as he gazed at the man before him, resting his body on the knee; on the opposite side of the glade Shino stood calmly, all four scrolls still in his possession while the gennin-to-be hung in nets tied to the trees behind, their figures casting long shadows in the setting sun.

"A valiant effort, however the result of this test is basically decided" the jounin proclaimed in his usual monotone while his student slowly rose back to a standing position. "Your time is almost up and all your teammates have been captured. Even you are fairly exhausted after using so much Water Release... skipping the fact that I don't understand the logic behind your strategy..."

"There's no strategy really" Horohoro responded, narrowing his left eye as a drop of sweat ran down his brow. "Not in a typical sense anyway. I have a goal and I'm only acting to achieve it. There's really nothing more to understand, especially since I'm not exactly a tactician type..."

"Yes, I get that" the bug user nodded, keeping his emotionless exterior. "And that is why I don't understand – your goal is to take the scrolls, yet for the past hour you haven't done anything to succeed in that... unless I failed to see something."

"No, that sounds about right" the ice user replied, bringing his hands into a seal. "It's not about seeing some, elaborated plan... your lack of understanding, Shino-sensei, comes from a simple miscalculation" he announced, making the jounin rise his eyebrow... not that the boy could've seen that behind the man's shades. "My goal wasn't to snatch the scrolls; I aim to free my teammates..."

"That's right!" Taki yelled, throwing her fist to the sky through the net; a motion that made the trap dangle, in turns making the kunoichi dizzy. Neither Akira nor Hitomi seemed to react to the statement, yet Funbo allowed himself to narrow his eyes: "_Of all the dumb-ass ideas..._"

"Is that so?" Shino rather said then asked, adjusting his glassed, which caused him to drop all the scrolls to the ground. "You know that this won't leave you enough time to complete the task at hand?"

"I don't care" Horohoro proclaimed with determination. "Forsaking your comrades for some, stinking rank... I don't think that's what we've been separated into teams for! And certainly that is not what Leaves do!" he added, completing the technique...

-Flashback end-

Kusari thrust his right arm forward, making the scythe blade lung at Horohoro's face, forcing the teen to duck under the assault. Immediately after the blue-haired ninja strafed right as the small wrecking ball came at him as well, but just as he thought he was out of danger, he had to flip back, seeing the second sphere dropping from above.

Coming to a sliding stop, he side-stepped the third ball and reached to his hostel, releasing three kunai at his adversary. Before the knives could reach their target though, the scythe-blade swung before them, knocking each off its course, while a wrecking ball came directly at Horohoro's back in the meantime.

With a quick set of seals, the teen spun on his foot and slammed his palm to the side of the chain, making the metal instantly cover in hoarfrost, which immediately grew in thickness, immobilizing the weapon in a layer of solidified liquid. The weight pulled the chain down, making it smash into the ground, while Horohoro shifted his attention back to his adversary, preparing another technique.

Kusari wasn't about to let him do that though as he set his scythe blade into motion, making it spin above his head, stretching to cover more ground. In a flash it whistled before the blue-haired gennin's face, forcing the latter to duck again as he completed the jutsu: "Hijutsu: Mizu Muchi no Jutsu!" he called out as he jumped upwards, over the wrecking ball that came at his legs.

In a fraction of a second water formed from the humidity in the air, circling like a tornado. With a cacophony of splashed it shaped itself into thin, spinning whips of liquid that spread to the sides, slapping the two, incoming balls. Without any, visible sign from Horohoro, a third whip erupted forward, going straight for Kusari.

The young gennin quickly retreated his scythe blade and thrust it at the assault, but to his surprise the liquid swayed and circling around the chain in a steam, it continued its attack, hitting the boy right in the chest.

The sudden impact pushed the chain master back a few inches in a sliding fashion as the leaf-nin held his torso. The instant he came to a stop, a second whip smacked his back, knocking his face first into the ground for the third one to go for his head.

Before the assault connected, Kusari made one of the chains tied to his wrecking balls wrap around the tree and pulled himself in that direction, narrowly avoiding the attack. Still in mid-flight, he put his scythe into motion again, aiming at his opponent's back, but just as the blade came close, the liquid formed a shield and deflected the metal as its master turned around, hands completing another seal: "Hijutsu: Kaishou!"

In a flash Horohoro's mouth opened, releasing a powerful wave of water, which extended , forming a wall between the two fighters. Wall, that with a defying rumble, charged right at the chain master.

"_Isn't that... Taki's technique?_" Funbo wondered, narrowing his eyes, yet regardless to the fact, the mask kunoichi cheered even louder at the sudden turn of events. "_But then, it couldn't be a Secret Skill... so what the heck?_"

"_Such an enormous Suiton in a place without water_" Ibuki thought to herself with hands tied before her mouth. "_That Takai guy... Hizoku... bone guy... my brother... the Moon babe... this is so unreal... are all those guys... really only gennin?_"

"Kusari, watch out!" Kai panicked at the sight, grabbing his head. Even Takaru seemed shaken at the display as the tidal wave rushed at their teammate, snapping any tree that stood in its way. Surprisingly for most however, the young leaf-nin didn't run; no, in stead he spread his legs as his hands clasped in the form of a seal.

"_Ninjutsu?_" Teela wondered, a little shocked to see this, particular ninja reach for such a tactic, all the while unaware of a memory that sprung into Kusari's mind as the wall of water neared his position...

-Three weeks earlier-

"Wind Release?" Naruto repeated, rising an eyebrow at his student's request. "Frankly, I don't really see how that is gonna be helpful to you against your opponent in the first round; wind, much like water, isn't solid. From all, chakra types, lighting would be most beneficial in your situation..."

"You said it yourself that I'm not a Raiton type though, Naruto-sensei" Kusari reminded him with a weak smile and seeing a skeptical look on the jounin's face, he went on, his expression turning serious: "I know what I'm asking, Naruto-sensei... from the get go there was no chance of me defeating that Horohoro guy with ninjutsu. I'm a kinjutsu fighter and my good, chakra control cannot change that in one month's time. But with my fighting style, I can easily amplify even the simplest of wind-based techniques and once I do, I'll force my opponent's hand..."

"Force it to do what?" the blond questioned suspiciously.

"To make the mistake I need him to..."

-Flashback end-

"Fuuton: Bouseki Kaze no Jutsu!" the boy called out, giving birth to weak, wind currents that began spinning around him. Instantly he flipped his arms, making his chain spin wildly in his grip, accelerating the air, in a flash turning the breeze into a cyclone that shielded him, climbing to the sky.

As the tidal wave smashed against the tornado, it split in to, some of the liquid circling around Kusari, carried by the current. The rest of water smacked the wall of the stadium, splattering all around the battlefield as Horohoro narrowed his eyes, completely ignoring the drizzle: "_Countering with wind, eh? Well, I suppose you can try that, but you know..._" he began, flipping his arms again: "I'm not just a water user!" he proclaimed, slamming his palms to the ground.

"Hijutsu: Hatsushimo!" he called out, immediately making his opponent feel cold as steam escaped the chain master's mouth. Within moments the liquid that circled in the wind began solidifying, forming a sphere that wrapped around the young leaf-nin's limbs.

Before Kusari could react, his body was frozen from the waist down, while his arms sported a heavy layer of ice, stuck to the gathering below, successfully immobilizing the gennin. Quickly he send chakra into his chain, yet the weapon didn't respond, trapped beneath the solid water as well.

"I specifically left your upper half free to not cause more damage than was necessary" Horohoro explained simply, staring at his adversary with the lack of emotion. "But even so, you don't really have any way to move, which also means you won't be able to fight back..."

"So it seems" Kusari admitted with a nod, glancing at his frozen body.

"So, you're gonna give up?"

"Not really" the chain master replied in a laid back fashion, shrugging slightly.

"What the hell is that idiot saying?" Kogane snapped, grabbing Rei by the collar. "He totally lost! Why the heck is he trying to act cocky? Kumiko isn't even here!"

"How should I know why he acts like he does?" the lazy kunoichi replied with a stoic face as her teammate flapped her back and forth. "I suggest you ask Ibuki over the matter; she's the most likely to have an answer..."

"Well, I don't" the young assassin assured her, narrowing her eyes. "One can never tell what exactly goes on in Kusari head... at times I think he's two, different people altogether; one being the pervert we all know... and the other that really scary warrior, rid of any attachments... even more frightening then my brother..."

"Kusari-kun... frightening?" Mikka repeated in disbelief, gazing at the other girl.

"Well, they do say the least likely can be most dangerous" Senkou stated simply, seemingly ignoring all the commotion. "And, although this applying to Kusari seems laughable at best... I doubt he'd choose to continue this match if he hadn't got a plan..."

"You seriously ain't gonna forfeit?" Horohoro asked, somewhat disappointed.

"Sorry, no" the chain master announced sternly. "You'll need to knock me out to win."

At this the blue-haired boy narrowed his eyes as he reached for his hostel. Without rush he prepared a kunai and charged at the younger gennin with the knife ready. As he came close though, Kusari smirked...

In a flash another chain shoot up from beneath his shirt, this one ended with a large, almost cleaver-like blade. A blade that came straight at Horohoro's face at a blinding speed...

_**-what the hell?-**_

Surprised? Actually, from the start I was planning on extending Kusari's chain by a greater deal then just what he shown in the previous chapter and you can rest assured that the modifications won't end here... but that's an issue for another time. Hope you enjoyed the chapter and found it worth waiting for.

**Konoha #7 (Naruto):** _Tanken Ibuki_, Gekido Takaru, Hagane Kusari, _Haisha Kai_

**Konoha #3 (Shikamaru):** _Konpaku Rei_, _Rikoteki Kogane_, Amagasa Toku, Debano Kitsune, _Gusoku Hanamaru_

**Konoha #4 (Hinata):** _Igaku Mikka, Inuzuka Tsume_, Benda Kokoro, _Hatake Senkou_, Kobushi Galu

**Konoha (Shino):** Hamano Taki, Manako Akira, Tanken Funbo, Horohoro

**Suna #1 (Temari):** Aoru, Torune, Tarakudo, Takai

**Suna #2 (Kankuro):** Sabaku no Sabure, Hari, _Dekai_, Karame

**Kusa (none):** _Hokku Tobane_, Kanraku Nezumi (currently in medical wing for treatment), _Kuchibashi Taka_, Kyohaku Tokame, Wanabi Hizoku

**Tsuki (Hinami Hoshiru):** _Junsei Teela, Ki__hako Tasuki_, _Chishio Kumo, Chishio Nobu_

**Kane (unknown):** _Futatsu_

**Kumori (Tategamaru):** _Saiken Tenma_

**Fight 12:** Horohoro (23) vs. Hagane Kusari (24)

**Fight 13:** Aoru (25) vs. Hamano Taki (26)

**Fight 14:** Torune (27) vs. Hari (28)

**Fight 15:** Amagasa Toku (29) vs. Kyohaku Tokame (30)

**Fight 16:** Kobushi Galu (31) vs. Karame (32)

**Fight 17:** Takai vs. Wanabi Hizoku

**Fight 18:** Tanken Funbo vs. Gekido Takaru

**Fight 19:** Benda Kokoro vs. Tarakudo

**Fight 20:** Manako Akira (automatic win)

**Fight 21:** Sabaku no Sabure vs. Debano Kitsune

**Fight 22:** Kanraku Nezumi vs. ?

_Hijutsu: Mizu Muchi no Jutsu_ (Secret Skill: Water Whip Skill)

_Hijutsu: Kaishou_ (Secret Skill: Tidal Wave)

_Fuuton: Bouseki Kaze no Jutsu_ (Wind Release: Spinning Wind Skill)

_Hijutsu: Hatsushimo_ (Secret Skill: First Frost)

Now, before going, I'd just like to say to all of you who read my other, next generation fics, that "Those..." is coming, just it takes longer to finish the chapter and thus it didn't made the cut for this update. Hopefully, next time, all three fics will be updated.

And with that: HAPPY belated HALLOWEEN and see you next time!


	150. Cold Steel

Welcome all! You are not seeing things – NNG is finally updated :D Sorry it took me so long, but these past, few months have been quite... well, I wanna write "pain in the #%^!" Hopefully, with the start of 2013, I'll get more time to actually write and the updates will come more frequent.

For now, I'll just have to make up with this – SPECIALSEASON UPDATE! I got this idea sometime at the start of December (5th, if I recall) and got so determined to do it that I myself am surprised at the outcome :D With this, I'll be updating not only NNG, "Legacy of the Leaf" and "Those Who Inherit the Will of Fire" (skipping an update of "Dragon blood" for those who follow me on FictionPress ;)), but also publish a collection of short stories based in NNGverse – Konoha Christmas Carols!

Published as a separate work of mine, it's a gathering of 14, short chapters (all written in the span of 13 days I might add, during which I was also busy AND writing the actual chapters :D) centered on your, favorite, NNG Konoha gennin. It doesn't matter which of the Leaf Ocs you like most – there is a chapter centered on him/her. The genre of stories greatly vary – from simple comedy, through drama, adventure and even poetry! All of them are Christmas-themed, of course, in the spirit of upcoming holiday ;) Do check it out, if you feel like it.

Also: **Third Character Popularity Poll** has been officially closed! The results are given at the end of this chapter for those who are interested.

With this, lets get to the newest installment of NNG:

**Chapter #150: Cold Steel**

_**Title Page:**_ Christmas in the household – Kai is at the piano, trying to sing some carols, while Ibuki is sitting comfortably in a chair, drinking some hot chocolate. Kusari is chasing Kumiko as he holds a mistletoe above his head, while Takaru stands on top of a ladder, ready to place the star of the Christmas Tree. At the same moment, Naruto's head pops out of the chimney, covered in soot

Kusari panted heavily as he held his left arm tightly, trying to keep as much blood inside as he could. The star glittered on the night sky while a crescent moon lit the darkness, but even so the ten-year-old lost sight of the man he was chasing. Standing a top of the wooden roof, he calmed his breath just before the new arrivals joined him:

"Where's the assassin?" an ANBU with a feminine voice demanded, turning towards the youth with her gruesome, demon mask. Kusari only gazed into the night, in the direction of the mountain peaks as he dropped to his butt, exhaustion finally catching up to him.

The masked kunoichi didn't bother to treat his wound, in stead leading three, other ninja in pursuit, disappearing from the boy's view in a matter of seconds. His body managed to calm down somewhat, but the heart still raced at alarming speed. Certainly there was little hope he'll get any sleep tonight.

"Hasaki-san did this" a familiar voice reached his ear. The boy looked to his right, only now spotting Teela, who stood beside him with her usual, emotionless expression. It took him a moment to realize that she didn't ask a question, but made a statement. "He did this and you assisted him" she went on, narrowing her eyes as they set on the boy. "You planned this from the beginning..."

"No" Kusari replied, shaking his head in negation. "I had no idea this would happen... Hasaki acted on his own, I just..." he began, but the words froze in his throat as he analyzed what he was about to say. Letting out a sigh, he lowered his head in stead: "I'm sorry..."

"Sorry will not turn back time" the blue-haired girl responded sternly, her cold exterior sending shivers down his spine even more so then the chilly air of the night. "You had not have intervened. What were you thinking, Kusari? Do you even realize you can be killed for this?" she asked loudly, but her face shown concern as her calm demeanor broke.

The boy diverted his gaze from her, unable to keep eye-contact. Silence fell between them as he stared into the night, finally asking the question that plagued him since earlier: "So... you're gonna turn me in?"

Teela looked to the side at those words, her mind filled with doubt. She had her duties, even though few truly knew of it. In a way she owed it to herself. But this was Kusari after all; it's not like she could just throw what they've been through out the window. Even she had a line she would not cross.

The boy didn't rush her decision, patiently awaiting her response and, eventually, he received it, spoken as quiet as a whisper: "No... I will grant you this, small mercy. But do not think I'll forget what happened here tonight... nor your part in this... even if it was all Hasaki-san's doing, you..." she began, her voice breaking.

"I know" he assured her, looking away. "And I will fix this... I promise..."

-Flashback end-

Horohoro's eyed widen as the third chain shoot from beneath Kusari's shirt, coming straight at the blue-haired boy's head. Unable to dodge, the teen blocked with his knife, yet the impact still pushed him to the ground.

Propping himself with his free hand, he broke the fall, bouncing off the surface as he spun to face his adversary once more. With the target locked, Horohoro released the kunai, aiming at the chain master, who was still trapped in thick ice. Immediately he retreated his free weapon, blocking the projectile with the cleaver blade just before making it smack the solid liquid, cracking his prison slightly.

At this the blue-haired gennin began a new set of seals, making ice form upon his back. In a blink of an eye a thick layer of solid liquid spread to the sides, shaping itself into wings as icicles grew from its edges: "Hijutsu: Tsubasa no Mitsukai!"

Instantly the wings flapped, pointing at Kusari as the released the icicles at a blinding speed. Luckily for the younger leaf-nin, his weapon finally managed to break the ice which trapped his left arm, allowing him to unleash his thump card. Without delay he moved his triple-ended chain to smash the projectiles as the cleaver blade began its work on the right side of his body.

As the ice spikes shattered, he three weights lunged at Horohoro, making the teen drop to all fours as the wings shielded him from above. Bouncing off the hard, slippery surface, weights raised to the sky, only to dive the next moment with a swooshing sound. As the noise reached their target's ears, the leaf-nin strafed right, dodging the assault, which dug deep into the ground on the very spot he occupied a second ago.

By then Kusari freed himself completely and threw his scythe blade at the older gennin, yet the ice user easily blocked the attack, covering himself with his left wing. With the weapon stuck in the crystal layer, Horohoro spun on his foot, making the second flank point at the young ninja, releasing another barrage of icicles.

Surprisingly, he didn't dodge, in stead pulling his entirely body forward with the use of the scythe-ended chain. Flying towards projectiles, the rookie shinobi had his cleaver blade out front, putting it to a spin. With a buzz the massive nib formed a barrier, which effectively smashed all the spikes, clearing the way to the blue-haired gennin.

Horohoro reacted immediately, making his wings spread to the sides, the sudden movement yanking the chain out of its trap and throwing Kusari slightly off course. Unfazed by this, the chain user had the scythe dig into the ground in stead and still using it as center, he put his body into a spin, aiming a kick to the other Leaf's face.

With no, other choice the blue-haired teen ducked under the assault, allowing his opponent to fly above. In a flash the chain master flipped his arm, repositioning his body to drop to the ground right behind his adversary, all the while aiming his cleaver blade to fall straight into Horohoro's spine.

Spotting the massive nib that came from above, the ice user dashed forward, barely dodging the attack. But he didn't manage to make even ten steps as he spun on his foot, avoiding one of the round weights that suddenly blasted from the ground, going for his face.

With a rumble, the second weight erupted from his back, forcing the teen to lean left, narrowly eluding the blow. He was, however, unable to escape the third ball, which bolted from the front, smacking him right in the cheek.

The impact send Horohoro flying back, yet the young gennin managed to break the fall once more by propping his arm on the ground and flipping, creating distance between himself and the chain master, much to Kai's excitement: "Way to go, Kusari! Kick his ass!"

"Looks like Kusari has the upper hand" Ibuki noted, making Senkou rise his eyebrow in surprise as the tone of her voice made it seem like she was disappointed at the outcome.

Horohoro rubbed his aching cheek, feeling one of his teeth slightly loose. With emotionless exterior, he glanced at his opponent, readjusting his jaw with a quiet crack: "Now that really hurt... that chain of yours is quite a bothersome weapon to deal with..."

"Well, the same can be said of your ice" the younger gennin shoot back with a smirk.

"Point taken" his adversary nodded, this time cracking his back. "I will admit that I didn't expect you to give me that much of a challenge. I'm rather happy that you proved me wrong though. I am honored that it was me who got to fight you. But now this match is over. I am giving you a fair chance to surrender... this next technique of mine... you cannot avoid..."

"Thanks for the heart" Kusari responded, waving his hand. "But I think I'll take my chances."

"Don't say I didn't warn you" the blue-haired boy replied, performing another chain of seals as the wings on his back melted away. Noticing the symbols, Taki's eyes widen as her face paled: "_He's... gonna use that?_" she shivered as Funbo smirked under his nose.

Meanwhile Horohoro clasped his palms together as a dome of chakra erupted from his body, forming a small sphere that surrounded him. Immediately sweat started covering his face as the dome extended, covering the ground inside with ice, much to Kusari's shock. The boy took a single step back as the strange bubble grew in size, freezing all within its reach, excluding the young gennin that stood in its center.

"_What the heck is that?_" Tsume asked herself, bolting from her chair, while Rei's arms slipped, making her wobble to keep balance. Even Ibuki gulped quietly at the sight as Kogane started panicking: "Did that guy just... form a freezing barrier?" she questioned, looking around her companions nervously, yet none was willing to reply as they all stared in disbelief at the turn the battle took.

"Neat trick" Kusari admitted, making one of his weight ends spin, prepared for counter. "But you forget I don't need to come close to attack you" he added, sending the wrecking ball at his opponent. The instant the steel entered the dome though, it froze on the spot, breaking to pieces a second later, unable to handle the extreme temperature: "Wha...?"

"_Physical attacks has become useless, now that Horohoro went Shinsei Shimo_" Akira thought to himself, sensing what has happened. "_The temperature within the dome is simply too low for any, material body to handle – it freezes instantly and its molecular structure gets damaged from the sudden drop... in most cases it won't even manage to deal with the pressure and explode. Unless you use ninjutsu... there's no way to break through that..._"

The sphere extended again as the blue-haired boy's body shook from exhaustion, his breath quickening at alarming rate. He glanced at his adversary, who had no choice to to back away as his attack spread. Still, Horohoro could do no more then narrow his eyes as the vision blurred.

"There's no way Kusari can win" Takaru noted, lowering his head. "By the looks of it, his usual style of fighting will be fruitless and if he won't give up, he'll end up as a pop-sickle... he should surrender."

"Really?" he heard a familiar voice, which made him look over the shoulder to see Kumiko slowly making her way towards the rail, her face serious as she sent him a stern gaze. "Then answer me this – if you were in his place... would you give up?" she questioned, making the son of Tsunade glance to the side with a frown. Meanwhile, the kunoichi settled her sight on the chain master as a smile made its way to her face: "Besides, I know Kusari... above you, Ibuki, even myself... he's a lot smarter then he lets on. And, if he hadn't forfeit yet... that means he still has a trick up his sleeve..."

And as on cue, the chain master clenched his fists, while his eyes narrowed: "_I wanted to save this for the second match_" he cursed in his mind, allowing the arms to come together in a seal: "_But there's no helping it now... if I am to win... this is my only chance!_"

_**-what is it now?-**_

And this concludes this chapter. Hope you found it worth waiting for. If you're gonna read the rest of SPECIAL SEASON UPDATE, I'll see you in my, other chapters and, if not, I hope to see you here in 2013 at the next installment of NNG series ;)

**Konoha #7 (Naruto):** _Murasakki Kumiko, __Tanken Ibuki_, Gekido Takaru, Hagane Kusari, _Haisha Kai_

**Konoha #3 (Shikamaru):** _Konpaku Rei_, _Rikoteki Kogane_, Amagasa Toku, Debano Kitsune, _Gusoku Hanamaru_

**Konoha #4 (Hinata):** _Igaku Mikka, Inuzuka Tsume_, Benda Kokoro, _Hatake Senkou_, Kobushi Galu

**Konoha (Shino):** Hamano Taki, Manako Akira, Tanken Funbo, Horohoro

**Suna #1 (Temari):** Aoru, Torune, Tarakudo, Takai

**Suna #2 (Kankuro):** Sabaku no Sabure, Hari, _Dekai_, Karame

**Kusa (none):** _Hokku Tobane_, Kanraku Nezumi (currently in medical wing for treatment), _Kuchibashi Taka_, Kyohaku Tokame, Wanabi Hizoku

**Tsuki (Hinami Hoshiru):** _Junsei Teela, Ki__hako Tasuki_, _Chishio Kumo, Chishio Nobu_

**Kane (unknown):** _Futatsu_

**Kumori (Tategamaru):** _Saiken Tenma_

**Fight 12:** Horohoro (23) vs. Hagane Kusari (24)

**Fight 13:** Aoru (25) vs. Hamano Taki (26)

**Fight 14:** Torune (27) vs. Hari (28)

**Fight 15:** Amagasa Toku (29) vs. Kyohaku Tokame (30)

**Fight 16:** Kobushi Galu (31) vs. Karame (32)

**Fight 17:** Takai vs. Wanabi Hizoku

**Fight 18:** Tanken Funbo vs. Gekido Takaru

**Fight 19:** Benda Kokoro vs. Tarakudo

**Fight 20:** Manako Akira (automatic win)

**Fight 21:** Sabaku no Sabure vs. Debano Kitsune

**Fight 22:** Kanraku Nezumi vs. ?

_Hijutsu: Tsubasa no Mitsukai_ (Secret Skill: Wings of an Angel)

_Hijutsu: Shinsei Shimo_ (Secret Skill: Frost Nova)

Now, before going, here are the promised results of the popularity poll. I gotta say that, when I presented them to the characters, some were quite... eloquent about it ^^' As usual, the numbers in brackets are the number of votes first and then voting points:

Kusari Hagane (5/20) - "Like it could've ended any, other way..."

Ibuki Tanken (4/13) - "Second, huh?"

Akira Manako (4/13) - "I don't see what the big deal is..."

Kai Haisha (4/12) - "Fourth? Fourth! What the hell? I smell a rat! And demand a recount, dammit! There's no way those guys could get such a high score!"

Takaru Gekido (4/12) - "Who cares..."

Takai (3/11) - "..."

Kumiko Murasakki (3/9) - "Oh well, better then last time, at least..."

Senkou Hatake (1/5) - "Just one vote? Dammit, I'll show you what I can do!"

Hizoku Wanabi (¼) - "It's an honor to be included" _bows_

Tenka (¼) – _shrugs_

Rei Konpaku (1/3) - "Zzzzzzzz..."

Dekai (1/3) - "I got in this time?"

Kokoro Benda (½) - "I shall do my best to prove worthy of this..."

Aoru (½) - "Next time, I'll do even better!"

Sabaku no Touba (½) – _yeah... no comment, him being dead and all ;P_

Funbo Tanken (1/1) - "A complete waste of my time..."

Toku Amagasa (1/1) - "Thank you."

Tarakudo (1/1) - "I got in, I got in... I mean: whatever..."

And, as a special bonus, two more characters that technically received a vote, but as 6th and 7th from the same person, so I officially couldn't count them into the list:

Teela Junsei - "..."

Sabaku no Sabure - "How come niisan gets a higher spot?"

And this truly concluded this chapter. Hope you enjoyed it and, before I sign off, one, final thing: _**MERRY CHRISTMAS and A HAPPY NEW YEAR!**_ See you in 2013!


	151. Winter Offensive

Yes, I actually managed to fulfill the "master plan" and update early in 2013 :) Yay me :)

To be honest, I got kinda stuck on this chapter at one point, but once the block was gone, I've managed to finish it quickly :) Hope you'll enjoy the conclusion of Horohoro versus Kusari match!

I also wish to thank everyone who sacrificed their time to review, both the previous chapter AND Christmas Carols. Really, thank you guys – it means a lot and it's you that I'm keeping this story alive for ;)

With that said, lets get right into the action:

**Chapter #151: Winter Offensive**

_**Title Page:**_ Takai on a mission – in a restaurant, surrounded by cheering kids, he squeezes a honking brass horn, an annoyed expression on his face as he's dressing in a clown get-up and has a big cake with candles behind him

Shino walked calmly over the frozen lake as he glanced around at the frost that covered the ground and trees. Shifting his attention back to the center of the ice ring, his eyes stopped on Horohoro, who was now on his knees, panting heavily as each breath released a small cloud of steam from his mouth:

"Quite a technique, that much is a given" the jounin announced, reaching his student. "But, it appears you're still a long way from using it freely; it leaves your chakra almost completely dry... skipping the fact that any, water-based ninjutsu user is at a disadvantage without a water source nearby... I'd suggest you refrain from using this one for the time being..."

"Actually" the young gennin replied, managing to calm his breath a bit, yet his head was still lowered as he stared at his reflection in the ice. "You are worried that me becoming too powerful could lead to a problem, don't you?" he asked and, without waiting for an answer, he gazed up, a weak smile appearing on his face: "But there's really no need for you to worry, Shino-sensei... I might've been born in Hidden Mist, but Konoha is my home... and rest assured – I'll never do anything to harm my fellow Leaves..."

-Flashback end-

"That's quite a scary skill" Hinata proclaimed, keeping a calm exterior, yet her voice was a little shaken. Even Shikamaru, despite his stoic expression, stopped playing with his toothpick; a sign he was just as shocked at the happening. Shino merely readjusted his shades – he was not the one to show any form of emotion, but the kunoichi knew him too well to not sense the slightest note of worry as he responded: "Certainly it is... but nothing astonishing for those who know him well..."

The statement made the lazy jounin glance at him quizzically, but the bug user didn't elaborate; in stead he watched the battle below as the sphere surrounding Horohoro widen its perimeter again.

"_I wanted to save this for the second match_" Kusari cursed in his mind as he brought his hands together: "_But there's no helping it now... if I wish to win_" he convinced himself, going through a quick set of seals: "Fuuton: Kaze Shuuren no Jutsu!" he called out as the air behind him began to circle. Teela's eyes narrowed, a reminder of her own match flashing before her. Hizoku only smirked at that; there was little doubt in his mind that, what he just witness, was annoyance.

"_I was saving this as means to defeat you, Teela-san_" the chain master thought to himself, putting his hands into a spin, which made his weapon follow. In a flash the winds behind him picked up, kept in place by his own chakra. "_But then, since you're out of the tournament already, I don't exactly have a reason to keep this a secret_" he proclaimed, narrowing his eyes as he suddenly thrust his arms forward, making the air blast at Horohoro.

Instantly the powerful gust, that spun like a cyclone, penetrated the edge of the sphere and with a cracking sound went for the blue-haired teen, much to the latter's surprise. Naruto only smiled at the sight: "_Even if physical attacks won't work, that cannot be the case of wind, which doesn't have a physical form to begin with... you may freeze water, cover the ground in frost, force the flames to die down from the cover... even use ice as blockade for electricity, since it's a poor conductor from the start... but there's no, sure way to stop the wind... this is what Kusari was referring to all along..._"

"Told you he had a trick up his sleeve" Kumiko beamed with pride as most gennin opened their mouths in shock. Akira on the other hand flinched at the turn of events, yet doing his best to keep a calm exterior: "_Horohoro..._"

The blue-haired boy remained still as he saw the drill heading his way at top speed, easily breaking through of the harsh conditions of the dome that surrounded him. He hesitated, gathering all of his chakra in the gut, but quickly made it retreat to the inner canals of his body as he canceled the technique, flipping forward, out of harm's way.

Immediately the sphere disappeared, leaving only the frozen landscape as evidence it was once there. Coming to a sliding stop, Horohoro set his eyes on his opponent again, quickly performing a chain of seals of his own: "Hijutsu: Tsurara Danmaku!"

In a blink of an eye ice spikes arose from crystal ground, all pointed at Kusari. A moment later they flew out, ripping the air as they went for the boy, who was still engulfed in the eye of the horizontal cyclone. Seeing the projectiles, the rookie gennin put his chain into motion, using its long lines as defense, bending to the left as his did.

The motion made the Air Drill change direction as well, forming an u-turn as it went for the blue-haired teen's back, much to Tsume's surprise: "_This is just like my Tsuuga!_" she flipped, while Uramaru growled quietly at the discovery.

Simultaneously the icicles reached their target, yet most got stuck between the chain's links, stopping their flight. The few, which made it through the blockade, zoomed harmlessly by the bended form of Kusari, who wasted no time and kept his weapon moving, leashing it out towards his opponent.

With the sudden yank, the ice spikes flew out of their entrapment and went for their very creator from the front, while the fierce tornado closed in on him from behind. Quickly the teen's hands became blurs as he performed another technique, slamming his palms into the ground: "Hijutsu: Koori Enchuu!"

Instantly round, frozen pillar bolted to the sky beneath his feet, elevating the boy above the attacks. With the icicles hitting its surface, the crystal cracked slightly, allowing the powerful wind to tilt it forward, straight at the shocked Kusari, whose figure immediately got covered by the structure's shadow.

In a flash the weapon master had his two, ball-ended chains, flew up to wrap around the falling column. Tied tightly, the steel pressed onto the ice, breaking it in two, quickly making Horohoro loose his ground as the frozen chunks crushed around his adversary, leaving the younger boy unharmed.

Dropping down straight at the chain master, who already had his cleaver blade ready, the blue-haired gennin released more chakra, making frost cover his arms, turning into ice as the distance was beat. With the weapon flying at him, the teen used his left hand to block, all the while launching his right on at his adversary's face.

Kusari jumped back without delay, dragging his chain behind, but Horohoro's attack didn't end there as he smashed his ice-covered arms together, making shards slowly drop to the ground, while he formed a few, more seals: "Hijutsu: Koori Bakufuu!"

In a blink of an eye the chakra-filled ice pieces stopped their descent and flew forward, smacking the rookie gennin hard, making the boy loose his balance and hit the ground in the most ungraceful manner.

However, what his opponent failed to realize was that Kusari's chain was still in motion, retreating after its master, and was unable to dodge the scythe-end as it scourged his shoulder, the sudden pain forcing the blue-haired ninja onto his knee as he grabbed the wound. Feeling the warmth of the blood escaping the cut, he made a quick seal, creating a thin, ice layer on the injury, the frost burning even harder then the crimson liquid.

"Those two seem equally matched!" Kai yelled, tightening his grip on the rail as excitement was written all over his face. Takaru gave little reaction to the sudden outburst; after all he's gotten used to his teammate's antics, however he had to admit the fight was quite intense, despite the weird feeling he had about the teen.

"_Such massive Ice Release_" Taki thought to herself, her face dropping in worry. "_Regardless to the amount he put in, there's no way Horohoro-kun can keep up for longer... on the other hand, that Kusari kid is not one with great chakra either... at this point..._"

"Dumbass" Funbo frowned, keeping his calm exterior and arms crossed. "This is what happens when you play around; if he'd go all out, there is no way this would turn out like this. I cannot believe he's that stupid to allow it."

"This is who Horohoro is" Akira responded with a stoic face. "We don't push you to change your way, regardless to how troubling we may find it... at the very least, you should not expect us to become someone we are not" he added, making the young assassin narrow his eyes at the statement. The weapon master didn't say a word however, in stead shifting his gaze back to the battle below.

Shaking a little, the blue-haired teen rose back to his feet as fatigue became evident on his face; sweat began running down it, while his breath quickened. Despite this his glance was firm as he settled his eyes on Kusari, who seemed to be fighting his own condition, panting heavily. The chain master remained standing though as he kept his sight on his opponent as well.

His breath slowly calming down, he spoke up with a note of curiosity in his voice: "So... why did you held back just now? Or rather – why have you been doing so since the beginning?"

At first Horohoro didn't reply as he scanned the younger gennin, unsure how to react: "You noticed?" he finally asked with a concerned expression, straightening himself up as he managed to regain at least some of his vigor.

"I may not act it, but I'm not stupid" Kusari responded with a smirk. "I could tell you weren't going full out since the start, so I wanna know... what gives? Are you looking down on me or something? Because I find that quite insulting..."

"That's not it" the blue-haired shinobi assured him with a stoic face. Looking to the side, he took a deep breath, carefully choosing his next words: "It's just that... I don't really see a point in fighting another Leaf seriously... we may be rivals now, but after the exams we're still gonna be comrades. I have no intention of endangering my allies for the sake of some, stupid rank that doesn't really mean anything... not to me, at least. To get promoted... this isn't what I'm fighting for..."

"_A good reason to fight for, eh?_" the chain master lowered his head as Teela's words from few minutes ago rang in his head. Taking a quick glance at the platform, he noticed Kumiko standing among the other gennin and a moment later his gaze caught the Moon kunoichi's stare as well, making him sigh as he turned back to his adversary: "I suppose I can relate... to be honest, I haven't given much thought to those who acted that way up till now, but I think I finally understand their point..." he proclaimed, turning towards their proctor: "Excuse me, Lee-san... I'd like to give up..."

_**-another one bites the dust!-**_

And so this chapter ends. Hope you enjoyed the first NNG installment of 2013... and if not, I sure hope this isn't a premonition as to how 2013 will look like for this tale ^^' Horohoro versus Kusari, from the beginning, was the fight I thought long and hard on how to end it, even disregarding the previous match... I like both of them and aimed to not make that a part of the outcome. So why Horohoro? In actuality, the battle could've ended with either of them giving up, but I figured it'd be more meaningful for Kusari to forfeit... as to why... well, no offense, but if you don't understand it yourselves, my explanation wouldn't hold much value. This is something you must figure out on your own, based on the previous events in the story (and in this chapter).

_Fuuton: Kaze Shuuren no Jutsu_ (Wind Release: Wind Drill Skill)

_Hijutsu: Tsurara Danmaku_ (Secret Skill: Icicle Barrage)

_Hijutsu: Koori Enchuu_ (Secret Skill: Ice Column)

_Hijutsu: Koori Bakufuu_ (Secret Skill: Ice Blast)

**Konoha #7 (Naruto):** _Murasakki Kumiko, __Tanken Ibuki_, Gekido Takaru, Hagane Kusari, _Haisha Kai_

**Konoha #3 (Shikamaru):** _Konpaku Rei_, _Rikoteki Kogane_, Amagasa Toku, Debano Kitsune, _Gusoku Hanamaru_

**Konoha #4 (Hinata):** _Igaku Mikka, Inuzuka Tsume_, Benda Kokoro, _Hatake Senkou_, Kobushi Galu

**Konoha (Shino):** Hamano Taki, Manako Akira, Tanken Funbo, Horohoro

**Suna #1 (Temari):** Aoru, Torune, Tarakudo, Takai

**Suna #2 (Kankuro):** Sabaku no Sabure, Hari, _Dekai_, Karame

**Kusa (none):** _Hokku Tobane_, Kanraku Nezumi (currently in medical wing for treatment), _Kuchibashi Taka_, Kyohaku Tokame, Wanabi Hizoku

**Tsuki (Hinami Hoshiru):** _Junsei Teela, Ki__hako Tasuki_, _Chishio Kumo, Chishio Nobu_

**Kane (unknown):** _Futatsu_

**Kumori (Tategamaru):** _Saiken Tenma_

**Fight 12:** Horohoro (23) vs. Hagane Kusari (24)

**Fight 13:** Aoru (25) vs. Hamano Taki (26)

**Fight 14:** Torune (27) vs. Hari (28)

**Fight 15:** Amagasa Toku (29) vs. Kyohaku Tokame (30)

**Fight 16:** Kobushi Galu (31) vs. Karame (32)

**Fight 17:** Takai vs. Wanabi Hizoku

**Fight 18:** Tanken Funbo vs. Gekido Takaru

**Fight 19:** Benda Kokoro vs. Tarakudo

**Fight 20:** Manako Akira (automatic win)

**Fight 21:** Sabaku no Sabure vs. Debano Kitsune

**Fight 22:** Kanraku Nezumi vs. ?

I'm not "fixing" the lists above just yet, since the result of the match was not officially given ;P I hope that 2013 started nicely for you guys and thanks for tuning in. Until next time.

P.S. Yes – I'm aware of the allusion in this chapter's title ;P


	152. A Different Path

Well, writing this chapter had its ups and downs, but I'm finally done with it :) It may sound strange, but I'm actually kinda relieved; I had a suspicion that finishing Kusari's match and handling the one after that will be a bother and I guess the past, two weeks proved me right ^^' Well, I can hope the next one will be easier to finish :)

As always I wish to thank everyone who sacrificed their time to review; it truly means a lot and it REALLY helped me get through the writer's block I got about halfway through this chappie. Thanks you guys.

On another note, NNG is getting a new beta (lets see how long this one will last ;P just kidding ;)). The brave soul goes by the name CecilRedwing, hope you'll give him a warm welcome.

With that, I believe the only thing left to do is get down to the chapter itself. Hope you'll enjoy it:

**Chapter #152: A Different Path**

_**Title Page:**_ Aoru is peaking out from behind a traditional, Japanese fan, winking

"Excuse me, Lee-san, but... I'd like to give up" Kusari announced, turning to the proctor, who just raised his massive eyebrow at the news. Glancing over to the blue-haired teen, he took note that the latter was just as shocked as himself, yet the jounin nodded at the request, calling out the result: "Hagane Kusari forfeits and thus... Horohoro of the Leaf in the victor!"

"What the hell?" Kai snapped, grabbing Takaru by the collar. "Why did he gave up?"

"How should I know, bonehead!" the scar-faced boy responded, freeing himself from the hold. And, as the two started bickering, Teela allowed a tiny smirk to cross her face, dropping the usual, emotionless exterior which she carried: "_A very intriguing choice, Kusari-kun..._"

"So this is the strrrength of a Hagane?" Tategamaru concluded, still wrapped tightly in his cloak. "It's quite disappointing rrreally... he's nothing, comparrred to his brrrotherrr" he proclaimed, making Saiken glance at the man, while propping his back against the wall: "Well, despite the challenges his personality presents, Hasaki-san is an outstanding shinobi to begin with... even I can admit this much from our brief encounter."

"Hasaki is no morrre then a pawn in this, parrrticularrr play" the man responded calmly.

"And are we anymore... Tategamaru-sensei?"

"Oh man" Senkou slammed his palm against his forehead as the two fighters left the arena. "I cannot believe that doodle brain actually gave up!" he whined, visibly displeased with the outcome. Uramaru barked loudly in agreement, while Tsume merely chuckled at the chain master's antics.

"It was a good match though" Mikka offered shyly, playing with her fingers as her head lowered. Faith decided to have some fun though as her comment was mostly obscured by Rei's snoring, who got back to sleep without anyone even noticing until now. Sweat dropping at her teammate's behavior, Kogane waved her hand, speaking in a lady-like manner: "Well, he did gave us quite a show... didn't think the perv was that capable..."

Hanamaru kept munching on his chips, barelt paying heed to any of this, but Ibuki couldn't help smiling as she watched the blue-haired teen appear back on the platform: "_Good job, Horohoro-san_" she thought to herself before shifting her eyes back to the battlefield: "_You too, dumbass_" she added a moment later, widening her smirk.

Also Taka smiled behind his mask, recalling his match with the young gennin, while Futatsu narrowed his eyes: "_That Hagane brat... he's really getting on my nerves..._"

"This was... unexpected" Shino announced in his usual monotone, readjusting his shades. Hinata could do no more then giggle at the fact; over the years she has gotten to know her comrade well enough to know when his posture was at a breaking point. Undoubtfully, this was one of those times. Naruto, who was on the other side of the stands, smiled as well: "_Good to know those brats can choose their own path..._"

"Hey guys" Kusari lifted his hand up in a greeting as he joined his teammates on the platform. Before he could say more however, a powerful punch to the back of his head made him bend over, a huge lump instantly growing through his hair.

"Don't you 'hey guys' me!" Kumiko snapped, a vein pulsing on her forehead as her fist tightened. "I sneak out of medical wing to watch your match and you just give up? I am so not forgiving you for this!" she vowed as the chain master rubbed his aching head, gazing at her, completely confused.

"K-Kumiko-chan?" he finally managed to speak up, his eyes sparkling. "You came!" he yelled, bolting to his feet. "You do care!" he added, attempting to embrace the girl... only to run straight into her fist, which bashed his nose in: "Well... sorta..."

Horohoro on the other hand received a simple nod from Akira as he neared his team, while Funbo snickered at the ice user: "To have opponent pity you... how disgraceful" he proclaimed. The comment didn't really surprised the blue-haired teen, who choose to ignore it for most part. What came next was much harder to disregard: "Don't listen to that meany! You did splendidly, Horo-chan!"

It was Taki that suddenly jumped onto him, wrapping her arms around his check. With a quick noogie to his hair, the kunoichi smiled behind her mask, locking the boy in a tight embrace: "I knew you were gonna win, you" she stated, underlining her words with a slap to her comrade's rear.

"Will the participants of the next match, please, step into the arena" Lee's voice reached the platform, making the mask girl straighten up: "Well, guess it's my turn" she announced, stretching her arms.

"Good luck" Horohoro spoke, slapping her on the butt as well in a teasing manner and as the kunoichi sent him an angry glare, he smirked, quickly turning her frown into a smile as well. Meanwhile, Akira joined the conversation as well, keeping a slight distance from the two: "You're facing one of those sand-nins... proceed with caution..."

"Why, Aki-chan, I didn't thought you cared" Taki joked, flipping her eyelash, only to realize this was pointless as the boy was blind. Correcting herself, she patted him on the back with full force: "Fear not, I may not be as strong as you guys, but I ain't going down that easily" she promised, turning towards Funbo, who kept his arms crossed and said nothing.

"Right" the girl hung her head as she went towards the rail. "I'll be off then..."

The young assassin gazed after his teammate and narrowing his eyes, a single thought crossed his mind; one which he wasn't specifically willing to share with anyone: "_Good luck..._"

"It's one of those older Leaves" Tarakudo noted with a chuckle. "This could be fun..."

"Just don't push yourself too hard" Torune asked with a worried voice, making the redhead nod in agreement. But, just as she was about to leave the platform, a familiar voice made her freeze, putting a blush onto her cheeks: "Show her what you got..."

It was Takai, who now smirked towards the kunoichi as she glanced in his direction. Incapable of speech at that, particular moment, Aoru merely nodded again and quickly jumped down, trying to hide the fact that her face as became as red as a beetroot. Without rush she walked to the center of the arena, where her adversary has already awaited her arrival.

"Thirteenth match: Aoru from Suna against Hamano Taki of Konoha" Lee began as the two kunoichi stood before each other. "BEGIN!" he yelled, jumping out of the way as the leaf-nin instantly reached for her boomerang. In a flash the weapon flew through the air, coming at the redhead at amazing speed, yet the Sand gennin managed to jump over the assault and somersaulting, she grabbed her tessen, opening it before her feet even touched the ground.

Seeing her opponent rip the mask off, Aoru charged forward, ignoring the boomerang at just began to turn to come at her back. She also remained unfazed as Taki went through a quick set of seals, gathering air in her lung: "Suiton: Suiben" she called out as a stream of water blasted from her lips in the form of a whip.

As the scourge came at her face, the sand-nin strafed right, dodging the attack, which in turn smacked the boomerang, knocking it to the ground. An instant later the redhead was already before her adversary, swinging her tessen upward, straight at the Leaf gennin's chin.

Taki managed to bend back just in time and flipping her head, she made her ponytail wrap around Aoru's arm. With a quick seal, she strengthen her hair, tightening the grip as she nodded her head, forcing the Suna kunoichi's hand down, striking her fan to the ground. Having her opponent open, the water mistress spun on her foot, delivering a kick to the other girl's cheek.

Just as the redhead was blasted away though, she put her body into a spin as well, the sudden momentum allowing her leg to find Taki's face also, pushing the leaf-nin back. Coming to a sliding stop, the Konoha gennin pulled her boomerang back into her grip via the string as she saw Aoru flipping a few times, landing safely on her feet.

Both kunoichi rubbed their soaring cheeks with a smirk as they gazed at each other. The redhead was the first to speak, smile not disappearing from her face: "You're pretty good... seem like I won't manage to bring you down just like that" she announced.

"Ditto" Taki responded simply, cracking her neck. "What say we take it up a notch?" she purposed, to which Aoru's smile only widen. With a slight nod, she agreed and the duo froze for a second, only to resume their match the next moment with the leaf-nin's hands flashing in preparation for another technique.

The Suna shinobi didn't remain passive as she quickly cut her thumb with her tessen and writing in blood on her weapon as he poured chakra into it. At this point the masked kunoichi managed to complete her technique and taking a deep breath, she released a powerful wave of water from her mouth, which cascaded straight at the redhead: "Suiton: Wanizame Batsu!"

Instantly the liquid shaped itself into a rampaging shark that came snapping at Aoru, much to Tokame's surprise: "_Wasn't that that Waterfall kunoichi's technique? Are you actually telling me this girl managed to duplicate it, seeing it just once?_" he wondered, gazing at Kai, recalling the blond showing off a similar feat.

Meanwhile the sand-nin finished powering her fan and, as the shark came closer, she swung it horizontally, immediately igniting a powerful wind, which literally cut through the water and went for Taki, scourging the ground in its wake.

"_Without any hand signs even_" Temari noted with a smirk, proud of her student. "_Seems as though she made great improvements during these exams._"

Seeing the assault, the masked girl jumped to the side, going into a roll. Before she could stop however, Aoru lunged at her and appearing on the right, she slashed from above, aiming at her opponent's head. In a flash Taki came to a sudden stop and blocked the attack with her boomerang.

A smile crossed the Leaf kunoichi's face as she gathered air again, spitting out a small doze of liquid, in a form of a needle: "Suiton: Suitama!"

With the assault coming at point-blank range, the redhead quickly leaned left, yet the projectile still grazed her cheek, cutting the skin. Sudden warmth spread across her face as blood flew down her cheek, while the girl pumped more chakra into her tessen, which still pressed against the boomerang.

In a flash the wind erupted from the spot, lifting tons of dust, while Taki got blown back, coming to a sliding stop a few meters away from her adversary, who seemed to have taken damage from her own attack.

"Hey, what gives?" Kai demanded, pointing at the female leaf-nin. "How in the world did she performed that technique without any hand seals?" he questioned, making Funbo smirk as he answered: "With your intellect, I'm surprised you seem to understand the mechanics behind that Sand girl's skill..."

"Well, that Suna swordsman already performed similar feats earlier" Takaru noted, glancing at the still unconscious Dekai. "At the time Ibuki explained the thing, so he probably remembers it from there... granted, I too find it surprising he actually took something like that to heart..."

"What's that supposed to mean?" the blond demanded.

"Means that you usually don't listen!" Kumiko announced, smashing him on the head. "And as for Taki's technique just now... well, I read somewhere that it is possible to delay the execution of a technique; you need to store the chakra for it and perform the seals before hand, but it can be done. Likely, when preparing the Shark Attack earlier, she also used the hand signs needed for the Water Bullet, thus keeping that technique ready..."

"_Yes_" Hizoku nodded, narrowing his eyes as he gazed at the arena below. "_But something like this is extremely hard to manage... only a handful of jounin should be able to perform such a feat... skipping the fact that this Taki girl didn't seem that good at controlling chakra just a month ago... are you actually telling me she's grown that much in such a short amount of time?_" he wondered as the two combatants took a breather, ready to resume their match.

"So you're not just about taijutsu and weapons, eh?" Taki rather stated then asked, rubbing the back of her head. "This is gonna be troublesome then. But I don't think I'm giving you as much of a challenge as Mikka did earlier... why the sudden flash?"

"Because..." Aoru began, taking a quick glance at the platform, before her eyes shifted back to her adversary. "I think that now it may finally matter..."

"So you're fighting for someone as well" the leaf-nin nodded with understanding, gazing at Akira. With a sigh, she lowered her head, realizing what that meant: "None of us is going to back down then... since that is the case, we might as well go all out and be done with it..."

"Just like that?"

"Well, normally, I like to show off at least a little" Taki responded, sticking out her tongue with a tiny blush covering her cheeks. "But this situation's a bit different... a single clash, winner take all, you game?"

Aoru hesitated for a moment and then smirked, nodding her head: "Careful... you might regret that idea..."

"I already do" the other kunoichi assured her with a smile and in a flash both clasped their hands together in a jutsu...

_**-putting their all in a single blow!-**_

And that is that... for now at least. To be honest I originally planned of stretching Aoru and Taki's fight, especially since the latter didn't got as much time to shine as I'd like thus far, but ultimately I cut most of the unimportant stuff and squeezed the whole thing into this chapter, to move the Final Exam a bit further. I can only hope that this was a good move.

**Konoha #7 (Naruto):** _Murasakki Kumiko, __Tanken Ibuki_, Gekido Takaru, _Hagane Kusari_, _Haisha Kai_

**Konoha #3 (Shikamaru):** _Konpaku Rei_, _Rikoteki Kogane_, Amagasa Toku, Debano Kitsune, _Gusoku Hanamaru_

**Konoha #4 (Hinata):** _Igaku Mikka, Inuzuka Tsume_, Benda Kokoro, _Hatake Senkou_, Kobushi Galu

**Konoha (Shino):** Hamano Taki, Manako Akira, Tanken Funbo, Horohoro

**Suna #1 (Temari):** Aoru, Torune, Tarakudo, Takai

**Suna #2 (Kankuro):** Sabaku no Sabure, Hari, _Dekai_, Karame

**Kusa (none):** _Hokku Tobane_, Kanraku Nezumi (currently in medical wing for treatment), _Kuchibashi Taka_, Kyohaku Tokame, Wanabi Hizoku

**Tsuki (Hinami Hoshiru):** _Junsei Teela, Ki__hako Tasuki_, _Chishio Kumo, Chishio Nobu_

**Kane (unknown):** _Futatsu_

**Kumori (Tategamaru):** _Saiken Tenma_

**Fight 13:** Aoru (25) vs. Hamano Taki (26)

**Fight 14:** Torune (27) vs. Hari (28)

**Fight 15:** Amagasa Toku (29) vs. Kyohaku Tokame (30)

**Fight 16:** Kobushi Galu (31) vs. Karame (32)

**Fight 17:** Takai vs. Wanabi Hizoku

**Fight 18:** Tanken Funbo vs. Gekido Takaru

**Fight 19:** Benda Kokoro vs. Tarakudo

**Fight 20:** Manako Akira (automatic win)

**Fight 21:** Sabaku no Sabure vs. Debano Kitsune

**Fight 22:** Kanraku Nezumi vs. Horohoro

_Suiton: Suiben_ (Water Release: Water Whip) – actually I prepared this trick for Taki waaay ahead, but as I learned something similar was used in the anime, so I decided to use that naming... don't be surprised if some of the technique properties differ slightly.

_Suiton: Wanizame Batsu_ (Water Release: Shark Attack)

_Suiton: Suitama_ (Water Release: Water Bullet)

And this concludes this installment of NNG. Hope you enjoyed it and see you next time!


	153. Frontal Assault

Another, problematic chapter, for various reasons... this match is really getting on my nerves ;P Well, I kinda expected it'd be hard, but... ugh. I do have high hopes for Hari vs. Torune which will be up next :)

As always I wish to thank everyone that did review the previous chapter, it gave me an extra boost for this one and allowed me to squeeze in all the information I wanted without separating it into two (I did went a bit over my "limit" though ^^')... which, considering the content, I think is a good thing. Thanks guys.

Also – sorry for the lateness of this installment; along with CecilRedwing (our new beta) we've experience some difficulties, which generally put this chappie on hold. He actually suffer an injury, so I'd like to dedicate this, little piece to him.

And with that, lets go straight to where the action is:

**Chapter #153: Frontal Assault**

_**Title Page:**_ Honemaru is skiing down a slope, using his own bones as ski poles

"This is highly unusual" Honemaru stated as he sat on the rock, which towered over the monotone, sandy landscape of the desert. He stared curiously at the kunoichi before him, yet his voice remained calm, almost suspicious even: "Most people don't really approach me... nor Takai and Tarakudo, for that matter... not with the request you're making anyway..."

"So you're not gonna do it, Honemaru-san?" Aoru asked a bit miserably. It's not like she expected a different answer, but rejection is never easy to take. The white-haired boy looked to the side, considering his options quickly, before he turned back to face the girl, his face stoic: "Why don't you ask Torune or Dekai? As I understand, they're both wind types, like you, which logically would also give you a safer manner to improve..."

"Well" the redhead began, carefully choosing her words, like she was ashamed. "It's true Dekai-san seems like a more fitting choice, but..." she hesitated, taking a deep breath. Honemaru remained silent, patiently awaiting her to continue, which the girl did a moment later: "But neither he nor Torune-san are the ones that I wish to do this for!"

Her last words struck like lighting, making the white-haired boy narrow his eyes as he gazed at her judgmentally. After a few seconds, which seemed like eternity, the boy smiled as he jumped off the rock, a sharp, spiky bone growing out of his right palm: "If this is the way you wish to go about it" he replied with a calm voice, yet the girl could sense a note of approval in it as he walked closer to where she stood. "You do realize this is highly unorthodox and I cannot guarantee that will work... let alone your survival..."

"I figured as much" Aoru nodded, closing her eyes as she lifted her head towards the sky. "But I feel that, unless I do this, I will never manage to walk beside him... to be his strength... in my position, what would you have done?"

Honemaru didn't reply; in stead he just glanced to the side for a moment before settling his sight on the kunoichi. Grabbing her shoulder with his free hand, he lifted his right arm, aiming the tip of the bone at her lungs as chakra coursed through the cranium blade. His body froze as his mind screamed, warning him what he was about to do. But, the girl's resolve was clear enough.

"Temari-sensei will not approve" he announced in a final attempt to change her mind.

"That's why I asked you to do this in private, Honemaru-san" the redhead replied, keeping her eyes closed. This was all a theory and a far-fetched one to top that off, based on old, Suna legends from even before the forming of the Sand village: "_But if this can give me strength to aid him... then I shall not falter!_"

The white-haired boy allowed his body to shiver as he closed his eyes, his bone still aimed at the female's lungs. With a deep breath, he retreated his arm, only to push it forward, drilling into his teammate's chest in an instant...

-Flashback end-

"Suiton: Entei Hitokugiri!" Taki called out as her lips released an enormous stream of water. In a blink of an eye the liquid spread across the arena, creating a literal wall as it came at Aoru, snapping trees along they way, like they were toothpicks. Time seemed to freeze as the stadium slowly filled like a pond, while the substance trapped the sand-nin in a ring, ready to flood her position.

"_She had that much chakra in her?_" Naruto raised his eyebrow, impressed by the display. "_This is even greater then when Takaru used his Kasai Arashi against that bone brat... such massive suiton in a place without water, that is so unreal..._"

"This is your doing... Horohoro" Funbo rather stated then asked as he shifted his gaze towards his blue-haired teammate. The ice user didn't reply however, merely glancing at the young assassin. Akira on the other hand couldn't help but worry as the sensation of the chakra amount that beamed from the battlefield: "_She's gonna leave herself empty due to this..._"

"Now that's entertainment!" Takarudo stated, clapping his feet, while Takaru allowed a single drop of sweat to run down his face: "_One scarier then the other... and to think those two never stood out._"

"_Aoru_" Takai's expression changed into worry as his female teammate became nothing more then a dot among the rampaging waves below. The redhead stood firmly in spot, her hands poised at the last seal she performed, yet her eyes widen at the scene, while her view became completely obscured by the water.

Sensing what was coming, she formed the last, two seals required for her own technique, making a pillar of wind rise around her, with the air circling wildly as it climbed towards the sky. Narrowing her eyes, she set them on the place her adversary was the last she saw her, calling out from the bottom of her lungs: "Denjutsu: Yasei Gekihatsu!"

"What!" Torune's eyes shoot open, while Temari bolted from her seat: "That idiot!" even Gaara's eyes widen at the statement as he watched the winds pick up, extending around the young kunoichi. In a flash the water got pushed back, blasting to all sides as it sprayed across most of Konoha.

Ibuki covered her face as the sprinkle washed over the stands, spreading throughout the vicinity of the stadium itself. The sudden 'rain' made a figure currently nearby freeze, extending his arm forward as if to catch the water drops that fell from the sky. This man had spiky, steel-gray hair and dull, blue eyes, while his attire consisted of blue shirt with ripped-off sleeves and black pants. A line of kanji, describing various, musical notes went down his left arm, while a strange weapon was attached to his back; it looked like a sword, only the blade was separated in two with the longer part rising directly above the handle, while the shorter was pushed in front of the sharp side, giving it an unusual shape of an 'h', rid of half of its foreleg.

"_This much power?_" the figure wondered, glancing at the stadium. "_Is this really a work of a gennin? And if yes... was that Takaru-kun?_" he questioned, but his trail of thoughts got interrupted by a man in black cloak, that walked in front of a small group, who followed the man:

"Excuse me, Sendou-sama" the figure bowed to the swordsman, a little shaken by the happenings. "What shall we do now?" he asked, gazing at the man.

"We proceed as planned and await Master's signal" the gray-haired enigma replied after a short moment, his voice calm and expression indifferent. "I imagine the others are reaching their points right about now, so we'll begin soon. I will not allow Gaika an opportunity to ridicule me about my squad's tardiness" he announced, receiving another bow from the hooded figure before the robbed platoon scattered. The man, Sendou, however, took one, final glance at the arena and, while his face remained still, a certain thought crossed his mind: "_First we find the guards dead and now this... seems this will be more interesting then I originally imagined..._"

Back to the stadium, Taki got pressed against the wall as her own water smacked right into her. Covering her face with her arms, she panted as her eyes set on Aoru, who was still wrapped by the cyclone. Instantly the winds leashed out from the pillar in the form of whips, each randomly swinging to the side.

The Leaf kunoichi managed to duck under the first one, making it scourge the wall behind her, but fatigue has already caught up to her, her vision getting blurry. Taki was able to to roll to the right, to avoid the second whip that dropped from above and even jump over the third, which came at her horizontally, but being in mid-air she could not dodge the forth, which hit her right in the stomach.

The impact sent the water user against the wall again, her clothes ripped as a long cut decorated her chest. As blood began escaping the wound, Taki felt her legs weaken just before she dropped to her knees, gasping for air. Another whip smacked her in the left shoulder, while the next went for her right knee. Only then did the winds died down, yet the air still circled around Aoru's feet, even as the Suna kunoichi slowly headed towards her opponent, reopening her tessen.

"Man, this is intense!" Kai stated, his knuckles white from the grip on the rail. "I never thought that Taki girl was that powerful! And that redhead who beat Mikka is even stronger! Dammit, who knew?"

"What did you expect?" Kusari snickered at the question, crossing his arms as an all-knowing expression arrived on his face. "Of course they're powerful, they reached the final stage. What, you think they could've done it just because they're hot chicks?" he added with a perverted twinkle in his eye, making a vein appear on Kumiko's forehead, while the kunoichi held back her anger.

"_He's really asking for it_" Kokoro thought to himself, slowly stepping away from the two. One didn't had to be a mind reader to sense the killing intend coming from the female tactician and, at that point, even Kitsune got petrified: "_I am so glad our fight is already over..._"

"Gaara-dono, from your reaction, I understand you're aware what that girl just did" Shinkou noted, keeping his calm exterior, yet Kakashi couldn't help but notice the slightest hint of amazement in the Kane leader's voice. "Care to clue us in?"

"Denjutsu" the Kazekage repeated without taking his eyes off the arena. "Most people label it as nothing more then a myth, but during the time of the warring states, before any villages were formed, ninja used chakra to utilize techniques based on the five, primary elements of nature. Dependable on one's affinity, various clans became prominent in using a specific type of chakra release..."

"We all know that" Genmei interrupted him, growing a tad impatient.

"Yes, well, there was a rumor concerning these abilities back in the day" the redhead went on, for most part ignoring the Ame leader's comment. "At the time very few bloodline limits existed, so it was hard for any clan to gain a real upper hand over another, since their affinity basically decided the outcome. However it's no mystery that to utilize elemental techniques, one uses chakra, an energy that resides in all, living things. The theory was that, since everyone has different affinity, it's a power that comes from within rather then training. If you believe the rumors, they were half right."

"Half right?" Kakashi raised his eyebrow, making the redhead nod: "According to scrolls from that time, elemental affinity really did came from within the body, determined by the spot that was the central piece of chakra channels in the organism. For everyone it's a bit different, but that is also when the separation for the eight, vital spots was born. The meaning behind few of them got lost in history, but from the information Suna was able to uncover, I gather that the center of the chakra circulation system determines your affinity and so lungs are the most important for wind users, brain for lighting-based ninja, kidneys – doton, liver indicates water specialty, while heart stands for fire usage."

"Interesting theory that does make some sense" Genmei admitted calmly. "But I still fail to see a connection" he added, to which Satsuki joined the conversation, her expression serious for the first time: "It was believed that these organs stored chakra in order to sustain the body... that they were containers which, upon opening, would grant the user an extra boost in power... the basis is similar to how opening Celestial Gates is supposed to work. The difference is, dependable on the organ, the user got a bonus power to his nature release type. And quite a big bonus at that. The details are fuzzy but it is generally believed that those who first grabbed that power went on to became the first of the Five Kages, which is also the reason why they were called after one of the basic elements..."

"I don't understand then" Shinkou stated, narrowing his eyes as he gazed at the Tsuki leader and the young Kazekage. "If you knew this and it gave a ninja such a boost, why not use it to amplify your village's shinobi strength?"

"Because obtaining that power comes with great risk" Gaara explained before the kunoichi went on: "In order to free that, extra chakra, a very delicate procedure must be made that would nullify the energy in the desired organ; this is basically done by damaging the chakra channels surrounding it. In most cases the subject of the operation dies, since the organ gives in, unable to take the stress. Before I took over as leader, Tsuki made many attempts to gain this advantage... all of which ended with the test subject's death..."

"_So that brat not only agreed to go through with the procedure, but was also lucky enough to survive_" Genmei summed up, glancing at Aoru. "_I never would've expect that someone like that could be dwelling among these youths. This next generation is truly amazing..._"

"This is the end" the redhead announced calmly as she walked over to Taki, who was slowly struggling back to her feet, breathing heavily. "I imagine your chakra is nearly dry after that massive water release, but I'm still quite capable of manipulating my Wild Outburst. You cannot win..."

"Chances are slim" the leaf-nin nodded, managing a smile as she returned to the standing position. "And I did say that this was supposed to be an all-or-nothing deal... but, as much as it pains me to admit, I lied just a little" she stated, bringing her arms together. "And I'm very glad I let Hitomi teach me this... you see, your wind may blow away my water, but if you paid attention to Nature Transformation classes in Academy, you should know that fuuton is weak against another element... and one I have the affinity for as well!" she proclaimed as smoke started coming from her mouth: "Katon: Ryyuka no Jutsu!"

_**-not over yet!-**_

Taki knows Fire Release? But can she perform it with so little chakra? And if yes, would that really be enough to overpower Aoru's Denjutsu? Who are those gray-haired man and his goons? The match is reaching its climax, while the pieces are slowly coming together. The main event proceeds forward!

**Konoha #7 (Naruto):** _Murasakki Kumiko, __Tanken Ibuki_, Gekido Takaru, _Hagane Kusari_, _Haisha Kai_

**Konoha #3 (Shikamaru):** _Konpaku Rei_, _Rikoteki Kogane_, Amagasa Toku, Debano Kitsune, _Gusoku Hanamaru_

**Konoha #4 (Hinata):** _Igaku Mikka, Inuzuka Tsume_, Benda Kokoro, _Hatake Senkou_, Kobushi Galu

**Konoha (Shino):** Hamano Taki, Manako Akira, Tanken Funbo, Horohoro

**Suna #1 (Temari):** Aoru, Torune, Tarakudo, Takai

**Suna #2 (Kankuro):** Sabaku no Sabure, Hari, _Dekai_, Karame

**Kusa (none):** _Hokku Tobane_, Kanraku Nezumi (currently in medical wing for treatment), _Kuchibashi Taka_, Kyohaku Tokame, Wanabi Hizoku

**Tsuki (Hinami Hoshiru):** _Junsei Teela, Ki__hako Tasuki_, _Chishio Kumo, Chishio Nobu_

**Kane (unknown):** _Futatsu_

**Kumori (Tategamaru):** _Saiken Tenma_

**Fight 13:** Aoru (25) vs. Hamano Taki (26)

**Fight 14:** Torune (27) vs. Hari (28)

**Fight 15:** Amagasa Toku (29) vs. Kyohaku Tokame (30)

**Fight 16:** Kobushi Galu (31) vs. Karame (32)

**Fight 17:** Takai vs. Wanabi Hizoku

**Fight 18:** Tanken Funbo vs. Gekido Takaru

**Fight 19:** Benda Kokoro vs. Tarakudo

**Fight 20:** Manako Akira (automatic win)

**Fight 21:** Sabaku no Sabure vs. Debano Kitsune

**Fight 22:** Kanraku Nezumi vs. Horohoro

_Suiton: Entei Hitokugiri_ (Water Release: Dam Break)

_Denjutsu: Yasei Gekihatsu _(roughly translated, it stands for Legendary Skill: Wild Outburst)

_Katon: Ryuuka no Jutsu_ (Fire Release: Dragon Flame Skill)

And that is that for the time being. Thanks for tuning in, even greater thanks if you'll actually review and until next time! Take care.


	154. For Those Who Are Watching

Took me a bit longer then usual to update this, but my free time has been somewhat limited lately and I've been working on a certain project you guys (especially those that are with me since the beginning) might find interesting. I'll get to that in a moment.

Per usual I wish to thank everyone who sacrificed their time to leave me a review; it's particularly encouraging now that I have less time to write then earlier and it's precisely your word of praise and acknowledgment that keep me going. Thanks guys, this story is alive specifically thanks to you :)

**IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT:** using this occasion, I'd like to give all females best wishes, not just because of the upcoming Women's Day, but just because you're there. They say that "behind every great man stands a woman"... I don't have one, but I grew to learn that is true. So, my dear ladies, hope you'll have a joyful week and those of you that have that "special someone" should receive a treat from them.

Before going off to the chapter itself, I just wish to take one, last moment to elaborate on the info above – the little "side project" I've been working on is the reanimation of "Shinobi Showdown", my second "Naruto" fic that has been on hold for ages. Now, the reanimation is peculiar in that it's actual a re-write; the plot, for most part, will remain the same, but the story itself will be a bit different – skipping the fact I've "updated" the writing style in first chapters, there are extra scenes added, some events are altered, there'll even be "bonus" chapters before I get to the point the original run reached. The story will be published separately from it's original version and I plan to upload the first chapter right after this; those, who are interested, I ask to read and review the prologue, just so that I'd know you'd like to know how SS turns out.

And now, on to NNG:

**Chapter #154: For Those That Are Watching**

_**Title Page:**_ Torune is blowing at a dandelion she holds in her hand, scattering its tufted fruits

"I'm sorry, Shino-sensei, but I just don't understand" Taki proclaimed, crossing her arms as her instructor explained the purpose of their meeting. "I'm a water user, that is the element I've been training in from the start; why switch to something else?" she questioned curiously as the jounin went through an opened scroll, his eyes scanning the content behind his shades.

"Without a nearby water source, Suiton takes a lot of chakra to perform" the bug ninja responded without giving his subordinate a glance. "Having two affinities, however, grants you an advantage very few possess. And it is convenient that your second element is fire, since regardless to everything, you'll be facing sand-nins in first two rounds..."

"Why is that convenient?" the girl asked, rising her eyebrow.

"Elemental techniques have a specific relationship between each other, much like elements themselves" Shino explained in his usual monotone, still more interested in the scroll then the kunoichi. "For example earth, which is a conductor of electricity, makes any Raiton stronger then Doton of the same magnitude... similarly, since water puts down fire, it's easy to overpower Katon with Water Release... there are few exceptions to these, general rules, but they remain in tact most of the time. Suna was based on wind users and Fire is strong against that type of ninjutsu, since air helps the flames burn more brightly."

"And you think you can teach me enough in one month to use powerful Katon in a fight?"

"No" the man replied bluntly, wrapping the scroll back, finally shifting his attention towards the masked gennin. "I'm not exactly fit to teach you this, since I am not a fire type to begin with" he added, making Taki sweat drop at the news. This was so typical of her mentor to act without any regard to everyone's feelings. "However, we can exploit your second affinity to your benefit, even given this, little time."

"How?" the kunoichi asked, making another voice answer her; as she glanced over the shoulder, she noticed Hitomi walking towards them, her expression emotionless, per usual: "By chakra control; the strength of any, nin- and genjutsu based technique depends on the amount of chakra you pump into it and how well you can keep its form by the use of hand seals. Taki, you lack the means to execute your skills properly."

"What's that suppose to mean?" the masked girl demanded, while Shino readjusted his shades: "Your control over your own energy is very poor; undoubtfully you possess the greatest reserves of chakra among our team... that is the reason why you're capable of performing a massive Suiton even without the aid of a water source... however, you also release too much chakra for given techniques and are incapable of keeping it in check with your seals, which basically results in wasting about 50% of your energy needlessly. If, by the time of the final exam, you would manage to fix that flaw, not only would your attacks become more effective, but also learning even the most basic, fire skills would provide you with an advantage against a potential wind user."

"But you just said it yourself, sensei, that me learning to use Katon effectively in such a short time is impossible..."

"That isn't correct" the white-eyed kunoichi stepped in, glancing at her comrade. "Your, exact question concerned using powerful, Katon techniques... those you'll never master in just a month, especially since you never bothered to train your fire affinity before. However, if you'll manage to make progress on your chakra control, then even low-level Fire Release can prove very useful, especially against any Fuuton thrown at you."

"Makes sense, I guess" Taki nodded with understanding as she turned to the jounin. "So, when do we start, Shino-sensei?"

"You misunderstand" the man responded in his robotic speech. "As I said – I am not a fire type and my bugs would make it difficult for me to actually help you progress in chakra control at a satisfactory pace. To that end, I will not be handling your training" he announced, directing his arm towards Hitomi: "For the next month, this shall be your instructor..."

-Flashback end-

"Katon: Ryuuka no Jutsu!" Taki called out as a stream of fire escaped her lips, blasting towards Aoru at point blank range. Unable to move away in time, the redhead used a gust of wind to push herself away; sadly, the sudden blow only strengthen the flames, making them spread more rapidly.

Sparks flew and caught the sand-nin's clothes, instantly devouring the material. With a frown the Suna kunoichi opened her tessen and cut the burning parts, showing off more skin, and accidentally providing Kusari with a much-desired fan service.

The chain master threw out his tongue as his eyes widen... which quickly resulted in him receiving a powerful punch to the back of his head from Kumiko, who already had a vein pulsing on her forehead again. Tarakudo also seemed delighted as his body shook, granted it was hard to tell what exactly was the reason for his excitement; regardless, the very thought seemed to disturb Torune greatly.

Meanwhile Aoru resumed her assault, collecting chakra in her fan. In a flash her tessen left a trail of ripped air behind it as she beat the distance, swinging horizontally at Taki's head. The leaf-nin ducked under the attack, proceeding to form more seals, while her arms got wrapped in flames: "Katon: Kaben!"

With the last symbol, she thrust her clasped hands forward, pointing the middle and index fingers at her adversary. Instantly a ray of fire shoot from the tips, going straight for the redhead's chest. Before the assault connected though, the trail of wind carried by the tessen widen, smacking the masked kunoichi in the cheek, the impact cutting her skin and blasting her to the side, making her lose her balance in the process.

This, however, didn't stop the flames as they flipped in mid-flight and, acting like a whip, hit Aoru on the back, immediately spreading a sore heat down her spine. The girl winced in pain, taking a step forward to avoid tripping and jumped to the left, spinning parallel to the ground, aiming to split her opponent's head from above with her weapon.

Taki came to just in time to see the attack and flipped back, making the tessen cut air, the wind following it smashing against the ground. The hit lifted tons of dust that expand to all sides, covering the two girls in the cloud, hiding them from view.

"Not yet" the masked girl's voiced echoed in the smoke. "As long as Akira-kun's watching, I cannot allow this to end just yet" she proclaimed as the redhead carefully scanned her surroundings: "_Akira-kun? That genjutsu guy? But if he's blind, doesn't that mean he's NOT watching?_" she theorize, yet couldn't help but understand her adversary, her grip on the fan tightening.

"Man, now we can't see" Funbo whined, staring at the cloud of dust with a bored expression. Horohoro, however, didn't listen; he was more concerned over his other teammate, giving the illusionist a worried glance: "_Denjutsu... I heard rumors of such skills... if that Sand girl really has such power at her disposal, then Taki..._" he couldn't bare to finish and shifted his attention back to the arena.

"What is going on down there?" Kai demanded, annoyed that his view was covered. Takai didn't reply however, giving a worried stare towards the cloud only to be snapped out of his thoughts by a familiar voice: "Why so surprised? Is this really that inconceivable for you that Aoru grew this much?"

Everyone glanced back to see Honemaru slowly walking to them from the medical wing, holding his aching arm. He was battered, yet seemed fine for most part, despite Torune's doubts: "You sure you should be moving around this early?"

"Kaguya genes in my body provide it with an accelerated healing factor" the bone user replied simply with a shrug. "Usually, I'm quick to recover, granted this time around it took me longer then I expected" he added, shifting his gaze towards Takaru for the briefest of moments. As a tiny smirk appeared on his face, he brought his attention back to Takai, speaking in a calm manner: "But this is besides the point... the point is what are you gonna do about this?" he questioned the scythe user.

"What do you mean?"

"Do not play that with me, Takai" the white-haired boy responded sternly. "You're not as dense as this one..." here he tilted his head towards Kai, who instantly let out a 'hey' at the motion: "... to claim you know not what I'm talking about. After all, in a way, this match... is a tribute to you..."

At those words, Akira flinched slightly, while the sand-nin in question lowered his head. Deep down, they both knew what Honemaru meant; its accepting that fact what was problematic: "_Off all the stupid ideas_" the blond gennin cursed in his mind.

Meanwhile, Aoru threw her hands to the sides, unleashing another gust of wind, which blew the dust away, clearing her view. The instant she did so, her eyes spotted Taki coming at her from the left, tossing her boomerang in the process. The redhead quickly tilted to the side, dodging the weapon, throwing her arm forward, unleashing a blast that flew near the ground, followed by a trail of dust.

Taken off-guard, the masked kunoichi received a full power of the blow and soundlessly got knocked to her back. The Suna gennin wasted no time and immediately jumped forward, aiming her tessen at the other girl's neck; the blade sunk into skin... or so it seemed for, the moment the fan dug into the throat, Taki's body rippled, allowing the weapon to strike the ground on the other side.

"_Bunshin!_" Aoru realized instantly as a rumble reached her ears from behind; in a flash her real opponent bolted from underground behind her, boomerang in hand, as she swung horizontally at the back of sand-nin's head. Allowing instinct to kick in, the Suna gennin ducked forward, making the attack miss, but as her face neared the surface,, a sizzling sound filled the air, forcing her eyes to widen.

"_Explosive tags below ground!_" she noticed a bit too late as the blast erupted, hitting her face, along with several pebbles spread across the arena. The impact sent her back, yet Taki wasn't done; seeing an opening, she went through another set of seals and while the redhead was still falling back, she took a deep breath, releasing flames: "Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu!"

"_That technique?_" Takaru's eyes widen at the sight. "_Mastered in just a month?_"

As the fire came closer, Aoru's grip on her tessen tightened; releasing most of her chakra into the air, she created a sphere of wild winds surrounding her. The moment flames reached her, sparks were send flying in all directions, scattering the attack and leaving the girl unharmed, panting heavily.

"_Usually, strong wind increases the power of the flame_" Temari thought to herself, observing the match closely. "_But that is true only with the air blowing in one direction; if you create currents that go towards all sides simultaneously, then it's only natural that things without physical form, like fire, will be ripped apart, trying to follow each current... however, performing a Fuuton like that has, undoubtfully, drained Aoru's already depleted energy. This match... will be over soon._"

Propping her hand against the ground, the redhead broke her fall and spun on the arm, aiming a kick to her opponent's cheek. Instantly Taki blocked with her left hand and threw a knee to the sand-nin's face, but the wind user quickly flipped back, getting out of range. The masked kunoichi had no intention of letting her rest though and followed suit, reaching her adversary in a blink of an eye.

Taki released her boomerang, tossing the weapon at Aoru's face, yet the redhead once more unleashed the winds to speed-up her movements, which allowed her to dodge the attack by putting the body into a spin. As the projectile missed, the sand-nin thrust her arm upwards, making the air currents follow, in a flash blasting the masked kunoichi to the sky.

The Leaf gennin let out a cry as her skin got cut by the sharp winds, all the while spinning in a rising motion. Once the hurricane died down, she dropped to the ground hard, her breath shallow and body unresponsive.

Aoru froze as well, panting heavily as she rested her arms on her knees; she could feel her body aching, pushed to the edge of its limits. She gazed at her fallen opponent, huffing as sweat started covering her face: "I understand you wanting to prove your strength to someone you care about" she whispered, not sure Taki could even hear her. "I really do, for in that regard, we are the same. You put up a formidable fight, but in the end..." she began, gathering all the strength she had left to rise the volume: "I win" she finished, her voice not loud enough to even reach Lee's ears...

_**-is it over?-**_

And this concludes this chapter; I must say I'm rather happy with how this one turned out, especially since till now this match was quite informative and I was anxious to give Aoru and Taki a bit more "edge". Hope I've managed to do that.

**Konoha #7 (Naruto):** _Murasakki Kumiko, __Tanken Ibuki_, Gekido Takaru, _Hagane Kusari_, _Haisha Kai_

**Konoha #3 (Shikamaru):** _Konpaku Rei_, _Rikoteki Kogane_, Amagasa Toku, Debano Kitsune, _Gusoku Hanamaru_

**Konoha #4 (Hinata):** _Igaku Mikka, Inuzuka Tsume_, Benda Kokoro, _Hatake Senkou_, Kobushi Galu

**Konoha (Shino):** Hamano Taki, Manako Akira, Tanken Funbo, Horohoro

**Suna #1 (Temari):** Aoru, Torune, Tarakudo, Takai

**Suna #2 (Kankuro):** Sabaku no Sabure, Hari, _Dekai_, Karame

**Kusa (none):** _Hokku Tobane_, Kanraku Nezumi (currently in medical wing for treatment), _Kuchibashi Taka_, Kyohaku Tokame, Wanabi Hizoku

**Tsuki (Hinami Hoshiru):** _Junsei Teela, Ki__hako Tasuki_, _Chishio Kumo, Chishio Nobu_

**Kane (unknown):** _Futatsu_

**Kumori (Tategamaru):** _Saiken Tenma_

**Fight 13:** Aoru (25) vs. Hamano Taki (26)

**Fight 14:** Torune (27) vs. Hari (28)

**Fight 15:** Amagasa Toku (29) vs. Kyohaku Tokame (30)

**Fight 16:** Kobushi Galu (31) vs. Karame (32)

**Fight 17:** Takai vs. Wanabi Hizoku

**Fight 18:** Tanken Funbo vs. Gekido Takaru

**Fight 19:** Benda Kokoro vs. Tarakudo

**Fight 20:** Manako Akira (automatic win)

**Fight 21:** Sabaku no Sabure vs. Debano Kitsune

**Fight 22:** Kanraku Nezumi vs. Horohoro

_Katon: Kaben_ (Fire Release: Fire Whip)

_Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu_ (Fire Release: Grand Fireball Skill)

I'll close this chapter here, but I do hope you had fun reading it. I wouldn't mind a review before you go and tune in next time!


	155. A Short Intermission

Yup, I'm back. Took me a bit longer then expected, but my schedule have been a bit filled lately, so I had less time to write. Also, this chapter was a bit problematic, coz I attempted to not have it dragged and yet have the right impact it was supposed to. I re-wrote it at least twice and I can only hope it turned out satisfactory :(

Thanks to all of you who reviewed the previous chapter. Hope you'll find this one worth waiting for and, without further delay, here's the newest piece of NNG:

**Chapter #155: A Short Intermission**

_**Title Page:**_ Tarakudo is training yoga within a class full of other students

"I understand you wanting to prove your strength to someone you care about" Aoru whispered to fallen Taki, panting herself, barely staying on her feet. "I really do, since I am the same; you put up a formidable fight, but in the end..." she began, gathering all the strength she had left to rise the volume: "I win" she finished.

A tiny smile crept onto her face as she slowly rose her head towards the platform; her body ached all over as fatigue kicked in with full force. She didn't particularly cared since the proctor marched towards them to make the announcement. Settling her eyes on Takai, her smirk widen... only for her eyes to follow as a whistling sound reached her ears. Aoru only managed to look over her shoulder before the boomerang the leaf-nin tossed a moment earlier came flying at her, smacking her hard in the face.

The impact send her to the ground, face-first, with a 'thud'. The redhead tried to pull herself up, but her body refused her every command, effectively immobilizing the girl: "_Shi... I don't have any strength left!_" she cursed as Lee observed her for a moment as if he was waiting for her to get up.

Noticing that won't be happening, he gave a quick glance towards Taki and seeing no motion from the masked kunoichi either, he shifted his attention to the honorary lounge, making the announcement: "Neither contestant is able to carry on and thus this match... is a tie!" he proclaimed, receiving silence from the stands.

A moment later the crowds burst into applause at the effort the two girls put into the fight, while Takai and Torune, alongside Akira and Horohoro, jumped down to the arena before the medics reached the center.

"That was... kinda anti-climax" Tsume stated, sweat dropping as she had a dumb-fooled look on her face. "It's a pretty lame way to have victory slip through your fingers..."

"Well, boomerangs are specifically designed for the use we just saw" Ibuki disagreed, keeping her poker-face. "Their shape allows them to turn and return to their master after the throw; the premise is that the first attack is usually a faint and the weapon is supposed to hit the target when coming back; true, it's a tad disappointing that redhead from Suna forgot of this, but to argue with the other side – this outcome was, likely, Taki's intention from the moment she tossed it."

"_Being able to use something as basic as that to win such a high-level match shows that every little helps_" Taka smirked behind his mask as his eyes set on the two, downed kunoichi. "_Not only did those two managed to use powerful techniques, but even prepared the simplest of traps, anticipating their opponent might be taken by surprise by it; usually, if two shinobi are skilled, neither suspects the other to use straight-forward tactics and, ironically, because of this, such strategies work in those predicaments..._"

"I can't believe I got beat in such a way" Aoru forced a weak laugh as her teammates gathered around her. "And to think I almost got to the second round. Sorry, Takai-kun... looks like we won't meet in the tournament after all."

The scythe user gazed at her face for a moment and, despite its exterior joy, he could tell the girl was not happy with this predicament. Forcing a smile of his own, the boy replied with a voice the redhead have not heard him use in a very long time: "Maybe this is for the best... after all, from everyone gathered, I have no doubt that, for me, you'd be the most troublesome opponent to deal with" he proclaimed, making Torune widen her eyes at the statement, positive she heard him wrong.

Hearing this, Aoru was no less shocked then the other kunoichi, but managed to shake it off quickly as she smiled as well: "Is that so?" she asked with a smirk as the medics reached her. "Then you better watch your step from now on, Takai-kun... coz I'll be taking you down in the near future" she added before being put on a stretcher.

"Man, Hitomi's gonna kill me for putting her training to waste" Taki joked, though there was a hint of worry in her voice as a single drop of sweat ran down her face. Seeing that neither of her teammates reacted to the comment, she grew serious, letting out a sigh: "I really blew it, haven't I?"

"Not quite" Horohoro disagreed, glancing at the sand-nin that was being taken by the medics. "Being able to score a tie against a superior opponent is quite an achievement" he announced, making the kunoichi smile:

"You really mean it?" she asked sweetly, only to drop her expression as realization struck: "Hey, who are you calling inferior?" she teasingly snapped. Slowly, she shifted her gaze towards the blind gennin, who was visibly confused: "I guess you two and Funbo will need to carry on by yourselves. It's a shame, really, coz I was counting on kicking both your asses" she proclaimed, sticking out her tongue.

"We'll take revenge for you" Akira replied simply, straightening up to make room for medics who just reached them. "You just rest easy, Taki... chan..."

Those words made the girl smile slightly, though Horohoro was not as cheerful as the other two: "And how do you plan on doing that, since the redhead is out of the tournament as well? Besides, this is easy for you to say, getting a free pass to the quarter-finals... some of us will actually have to put an effort to advance" he pointed out, making the kunoichi giggle at their behavior.

"You've got quite a team there, Takai" Kai greeted his opponent as the sand-nin returned to the platform. The scythe user froze at those words and glanced at the blond, taken by surprise. Allowing a weak nod, he stepped over the rail to stand next to his two, remaining comrades: "That I do" he answered finally in a monotone: "But your squad fares no worse" he reciprocated, gazing at Kumiko, Kusari and Takaru, who were located a little further from them.

"Yeah" the Leaf gennin replied with a smile. "Makes you wanna try your best, doesn't it?" he questioned, widening his grin. Honemaru also smirked at the simpleton, but had the decently to turn away, avoiding his teammate's sight: "_Well, I guess I now know what transpired earlier... how ironic to have a complete stranger affect him more then people he knew for years; the two of us certainly grew over this, little challenge_" he thought to himself and then shifted his attention to Tarakudo, who ignored the whole conversation for most part: "_I wonder if this trip had an impact on him as well?_"

"This is turning out a bit problematic" Shinkou noted without any, real worry showing on his face. "This is a second tie in this round, meaning we'll be having two, automatic wins in the next; perhaps it's best to re-arrange the fights for the second portion?" he purposed casually.

"That may be a good idea" Genmei agreed, nodding. "As is, that blind boy and whoever wins the next match will be rid of a chance to promote themselves as much as other contestants."

"I believe you're getting too ahead of yourselves, Genmei-dono, Shinkou-dono" Kakashi countered lazily, looking over his book, which made Satsuki wonder when did he even picked it out. She cursed in her mind – to be that caught up in a fight to lose awareness of her surroundings was unacceptable. Meanwhile, the cyclopean ninja continued: "Even with this outcome, there are still three matches in this round left and there's no telling what their results are gonna be, skipping the fact there's also that rat girl from Kusa who, for the time being, has been escorted to the medical wing due to injuries; it may turn out she's unable to take part in her, scheduled match either. I say it's best to wait until the first portion of the tournament unfolds before we meddle in the set-up."

Silently, Gaara nodded in agreement, making the rest of the leaders comply, while down in the arena the next, two combatants stood ready to begin their match. Simultaneously, their jounin also awaited the start of that bout, visibly on edge. Naruto, who was still sitting by their side, picked up on that and decided to lighten the mood somewhat: "Though luck about that redhead of yours, Temari, but I suspect you'd have a real bother to pick a side, since your student faces a relative of yours..."

"Actually, it a bit less complicated for me" the blond kunoichi assured him sternly. "Though, also, more complex" she added, looking to the side, making the Kyuubi vessel completely confused. The whisker-marked man glanced over to Kankuro, but the latter gave no response, his attention entirely centered on the battlefield.

"Fourteenth match" Lee announced as the two, sand-nins stood before each other with wide smirks. "Torune against Hari, both from Suna! Ready and... BEGIN!" he yelled, getting out of the way, making Kankuro's student instantly go for her weapons porch: "Lets do this, Torune-nee!" she spoke excitedly, pulling out her senbon.

"_Torune-nee?_" Hinata repeated in her mind, shock written all over her face. Before she could say anything to her companions though, she noticed Shikamaru starring at the match below with involvement she rarely saw him show over all the years she's known him. Stopping in her traces, she pulled back the question that was making its way through her throat and returned to watching the fight.

Hari unleashed her needles at the other, Suna girl, but the latter merely performed a quick set of seals, creating a gust of wind which blew the projectiles away with ease: "This sort of tactics won't have any effect on me" she proclaimed calmly. "You should know this..."

"Doesn't hurt to try" the other blonde replied in a teasing manner, still smiling widely as a new set of senbon was prepared in her grip. Tossing them at her adversary, she forced Torune to form another cyclone, but as the needles got carried by the wind, Temari's student eyes widen at the glance of something glittering in the sun: "_Strings!_" she noticed, jumping back to avoid capture.

Alas, it was too late as she felt a net forming on her back in mid-flight, the projectiles changing directions accordingly; before she knew it, the strings circled around her, wrapping her arms and legs in a matter of moments, completely immobilizing her on the spot. Unable to keep her balance, the blonde dropped to her back, accompanied by Hari's voice: "My, my... that was waaaaaaay too easy, Torune-nee... don't tell me this is really all it takes..."

To this, the other sand-nin flipped her wrist, forming a few, quick, hand seals, making Saiken narrow his eyes at the sight: "_Single-handed again?_" he wondered while powerful winds picked up from below Torune, lifting the kunoichi off the ground. In a flash the sharp air cut the strings, placing its master on her feet just as four, small tornadoes rose around Hari, trapping her in a circle motion.

"Now this is more like you" the senbon mistress stated, looking at the rampaging winds. Without hasted she glanced back at the other blonde, still smiling: "I can't really get through this barrier... not with my needles at least. It's a bit troublesome, but I basically asked for it, so I can't complain about you forcing me to use my, secret weapon..."

"Frankly, I'm offended you did not pull it out right off the bat" Torune proclaimed calmly, bringing her hands together for another seal. Meanwhile, Hari bit her thumb to draw blood as her eyes narrowed: "Allow me to remedy that... lets go all out!"

_**-a sandstorm's coming!-**_

Yes, I know – frankly Taki vs. Aoru was ALWAYS supposed to be a tie and I figured this would be an unexpected way to do it. I guess I could've played a bit further on the humorous aspect of Aoru getting sucker-punched like that, but I was worried that would badly correspond with the resulting aftermath... I fear there was no, good way out of this :(

**Konoha #7 (Naruto):** _Murasakki Kumiko, __Tanken Ibuki_, Gekido Takaru, _Hagane Kusari_, _Haisha Kai_

**Konoha #3 (Shikamaru):** _Konpaku Rei_, _Rikoteki Kogane_, Amagasa Toku, Debano Kitsune, _Gusoku Hanamaru_

**Konoha #4 (Hinata):** _Igaku Mikka, Inuzuka Tsume_, Benda Kokoro, _Hatake Senkou_, Kobushi Galu

**Konoha (Shino):** Manako Akira, Tanken Funbo, Horohoro

**Suna #1 (Temari):** Torune, _Honemaru_, Tarakudo, Takai

**Suna #2 (Kankuro):** Sabaku no Sabure, Hari, _Dekai_, Karame

**Kusa (none):** _Hokku Tobane_, Kanraku Nezumi (currently in medical wing for treatment), _Kuchibashi Taka_, Kyohaku Tokame, Wanabi Hizoku

**Tsuki (Hinami Hoshiru):** _Junsei Teela, Ki__hako Tasuki_, _Chishio Kumo, Chishio Nobu_

**Kane (unknown):** _Futatsu_

**Kumori (Tategamaru):** _Saiken Tenma_

**Fight 14:** Torune (27) vs. Hari (28)

**Fight 15:** Amagasa Toku (29) vs. Kyohaku Tokame (30)

**Fight 16:** Kobushi Galu (31) vs. Karame (32)

**Fight 17:** Takai vs. Wanabi Hizoku

**Fight 18:** Tanken Funbo vs. Gekido Takaru

**Fight 19:** Benda Kokoro vs. Tarakudo

**Fight 20:** Manako Akira (automatic win)

**Fight 21:** Sabaku no Sabure vs. Debano Kitsune

**Fight 22:** Kanraku Nezumi vs. Horohoro

Now, before finishing, I'd just like to warn you that it is likely that I won't manage to update before the holidays and, to that end, I'd like to wish you all _**HAPPY EASTER!**_ Hope you'll find tasty eggs ;P

Take care and until next time!


	156. Clashing Cousins

Wow, this has been on hold for a long time. Sorry, but vacation, work and what-not has been, quite successfully, pulling me away from continuing my fanfics (skipping the fact that recent developments has made me QUIT reading "Naruto" altogether... honestly, the instant Sasuke and the revived Hokage made a decision of joining the battle is the exact moment I literally stopped following the manga, so I have absolutely NO IDEA what has transpired in the last 20 chapters or so)... so, to answer questions some of you gave during my absence: no, this story will not be dealing with such revelations.

Actually, as I wrote in the first, few chapters of this fic, this story was planned out at the time Sai was introduced and anything that took place after that event in the manga shouldn't be considered cannon... and the Great Shinobi War happening now never took place in NNGverse, simply because most characters taking part in it had very different fates assigned to them (one example: Neji still lives).

Either way: I apologize for not answering your reviews for last time... after such a long absence it just didn't feel right to bother you with them. Naturally, I'll do better now and will address your reviews from here on out, so if you do have questions, do not hesitate to ask.

With that said... well, best get right to it:

**Chapter #156: Clashing Cousins**

_**Title Page:**_ Horamaru with his arms outstretched to the sides, fingers connected with his steel strings

"Lets go all out!" Hari yelled, drawing quick symbols with her blood on the ground. In a flash she slammed both palms to the surface, making the spots erupted with a cloud of white smoke covering the kunoichi. Meanwhile Torune finished her technique as well and brought her arms down, forcing the tornadoes surrounding the other blonde to bend, each going for the cloud.

"_This is just like Getsuuga!_" Tsume noted with her eyes widen, while Uramaru growled at the predicament. As the winds smacked the dust, explosion erupted in the air, lifting up a new cloud in place of the first one. Once that cleared, most people widen their eyes at the sight of Hari, who now covered her face in her arms.

But her position was not the thing that shocked most spectators; in stead it was the fact that her back, which seemed to take most of the impact, was now covered in a thick shell that spread down her spine. Joints reached from the edges, attaching to the girl's arms and legs, further protecting her body, while her head got hidden is some sort of a solid 'hood' that strangely resembled a creature with a beak, the latter forming a dome over the blonde's face.

"Using Kamenoko already?" Torune rather stated then ask while her cousin straightened herself up, ready to resume the match. "I will admit that its shell will be somewhat a bother, but don't forget – wind has a tendency to squeeze through the narrowest of spaces..."

"Noted" the other sand-nin responded with a smirk as she flipped the fingers of her right hand. Seeing this, Torune widen her eyes as she quickly looked around, only to see various, puppet parts floating in the air above her, each pointing a blade at her. Instantly the objects descended, aiming to pierce her vitals, yet the blonde immediately went through another set of seals and creating a powerful draft from the back, literally pushed herself out of the way, making the projectiles dig into the ground.

Coming to a sliding stop, she watched as the parts flew back, constructing a human-sized doll with an annoying, clicking sound. A doll she knew all too well: "So Karasu as well... you really are giving it your all, ain't ya?"

"Have I not warned you earlier?" Hari teased her cousin, retreating her puppet to her side while the armor on her body detached itself as well, creating another doll, roughly half the size of the first, but also humanoid in shape, only hunchbacked, resembling a cross between a normal person and a tortoise. "There will be no holding back..."

"At her age, she's able to use two puppets simultaneously?" Naruto raised his eyebrow, visibly impressed by the feat. "You've really outdone yourself, Kankuro. That girl's even better then you were back in the day!"

"What, you thought she's gotten this far just be tossing senbon?" the Sand puppet master teased with a smirk, but Temari remained calm at the predicament: "That is quite an ability, but even so... Torune is far from being done for..." she announced as a memory of few nights back echoed in her mind...

-Few days earlier, Nara compound-

"Bothering people in the middle of a night... you're still just as troublesome as you always were" Shikamaru whined in a usual manner as he yawned, scratching the back of his head. His eyes lazily gazed at the girl standing besides Temari, one he would recognized, though not just from the eliminations: "And you even brought... Torune, was it?"

"Don't play that with me, slacker" the Sand jounin warned him sternly; over the years she did get accustomed to the man's behavior, but this, particular situation was different and she was not about to let such attitude slide. "You know why we're here... we discussed this just after me and Kankuro came to Konoha."

"So we did" the head of the Nara nodded slowly, shifting his attention towards the girl. "Do you know why you are here?" he asked, receiving a shake of the head from the gennin. Certainly it was confusing to say the least with the final exam merely few days away. Torune would imagine she should train, not go on field trips, especially to visit an instructor of the opposing ninja. "So explanation befalls on me?" Shikamaru sighed, noting a stern gaze from Temari. After a short silence,, he sighed again; in a way, that was only fair: "Okay, best to say that straight out; I would appreciate you not making too much of a ruckus at the news, but it was decided it's time you learn this... Torune... I am your father."

The girl's eyes widen at the information, yet she remained surprisingly quiet, despite the news. She glanced confused at her sensei, but the expression on her mother's face told her all she needed – what she just heard was the truth. Noticing her behavior, the lazy jounin went on, his voice a little shaky, compared to the usual monotone: "You're probably wondering why you weren't told or why you are informed now... suffice to say the situation is a bit... complicated..."

"Konoha and Suna may be allies, but these sort of arrangements are still... unusual" Temari joined the conversation, kneeling down as she placed her hand gently on top of the girl's face. "Once I learned I was pregnant, the lazy bump and I knew that may pose a problem, since we both have a rather high status in our, respective villages. Despite friendship between Leaf and Sand, there would have been friction concerning your upbringing and we did not wish to have you got through that."

"So you hid the truth?" the gennin accused her, visibly angry.

"Politics cannot be separated from shinobi's life" Shikamaru defended the woman. "As a child, you really didn't had a lot of say in the matter and while Gaara certainly is an... influential leader, even he has limits to his power. Besides, having a close relative of the Kazekage being involved with a ninja from another village could stir other countries to take action in order to prevent such a union, especially since we're talking about two of the Great Villages..."

"It's still not fair!" Torune shoot back, feeling tears gather in her eyes.

"No, it is not" the Suna jounin agreed. "Just like forcing you to pretend you still do not know who your father is" she went on, putting an even greater weight on the young ninja. "But that is what must be done, at least for the time being. I know that this may not be what you needed before the final exam, but it was high time you learn the details... and there are a few, trusted friends that know of this fact as well, so you're not alone in this..."

"It's not fair" the girl repeated, much quieter. The two adults exchanged glances; Temari was certainly not good with consoling people and she did not know how to respond, despite an overwhelming urge to do something. Luckily, Shikamaru shown less problem with this predicament: "Crying will not change the situation... I know it's troublesome... painful even... but there is one thing you shouldn't forget – with this, you're carrying the reputation and future of two, great villages within you! You're special! The question is: are you capable of rising to that responsibility?"

The question ranged in Torune's head; her sobbing died down instantly as she started at the ground. Ironic as that may be, the man was right – she was raised as a warrior... a survival and, as such, she was not about to let something so small shaken her resolve. No; if anything, she will become stronger for it: "Of course I am!" she replied with a smirk, facing him.

Temari also smiled under her nose: ridiculous as it might have seemed, this did remind her why she has fallen for such a lazy idiot in the first place...

-flashback end-

"As you wish... Hari-nee" Torune stated, going through a quick set of seals. "No holding back! Fuuton: Kaze Bougu!" she called as as powerful, wind currents rose around her. Within moments the scope of the cyclone tightened, forming an armor of air that violently circled the sand-nin's body.

The other blonde remained confident as she directed Karasu to separate again and attack from all sides, only to have all its parts blasted back upon impact. Widening her eyes, the puppeteer retreated her doll, quickly putting Kamenoko out front, having it transform into a wide shield. Just in time too as Torune charged forward, swinging her arm at Kankuro's daughter.

In a flash the tornado surrounding her arm expanded, slashing at the blockade and, while the shield held, long cuts decorated its shell. With another swing, Hari was pushed back by the force, adding more scars to her puppet as Kamenoko shook at the attack.

"Holy crap, her entire body's a weapon now!" Kai noted impressed. "There's no way that puppet girl could break through this now!"

"That is not necessary true" Horohoro disagreed, carefully watching the match. "In general, the basic is not that different from Hyuuga's Gentle Fist; perfect defense and devastating offense... at first a fearful combination, but as that moon-nin earlier proved, even a Jyuken prodigy can be brought to her knees... every technique has its weakness, one just needs to find and exploit it."

"To execute, fuuton doesn't require much chakra, so it can be use rather easily" Dekai announced, making Kai jump at the sudden voice: "_When the hell did this guy wake up?_" he wondered, eying the swordsman suspiciously.

"That much is certain, since Ibuki is capable of using it and she was never much of a chakra type to begin with" Kumiko agreed, recalling her teammate's match against Sabure. And then, realization hit: "But keeping fuuton techniques in check is a different story; especially if you attempt to hold it together in a confide space, such as a thin layer around the body..."

"Yeah, that's why Teikiatsugan was so hard to master!" Kai nodded, happy that he, finally, understood something without full explanation.

"That's my Kumiko-chan!" Kusari praised, making another attempt to hug the girl... only to come out with the same outcome. Rubbing his soaring nose, he glanced back at the stadium, where Torune pressed on: "Anyways, with her current level and chakra reserves, I doubt she could hold that armor longer then few moments..."

"Then all will be resolved shortly" Takai stated while Torune threw a straight punch, launching a tornado right at the center of Kamenoko. The hit pushed Hari back, smacking her back against the wall. She was cornered.

"Forfeit" the wind mistress said in an ordering tone, yet to her surprise her cousin merely smirked at the demand, returning her shield to its original form – a humanoid tortoise: "And just why would I do that, Torune-nee? Now that I finally got you where I wanted?"

Hearing this, the other blonde raised her eyebrow, only to widen her eyes a moment later at the sensation; but alas, it was too late. Biting on the chakra strings, Hari pulled hard, making walls rise from below ground, trapping the two in a small cylinder. With another motion of her arms, the puppeteer put the tube in motion, making it spin wildly around the duo.

Immediately the wind armor of her adversary started fading, the air moving upwards without Torune's consent: "As a fuuton user, you should know what happens to air when you decompress a confide space!" Hari yelled over the horrific noise of the blowing wind. "Even a jounin would have a hard time executing techniques in this predicament!"

"_So when she summoned those dolls, simultaneously set a trap_" Saiken analyzed quickly. "_I was wondering why she used her puppets in such childish manner; it was all a smokescreen to lure the opponent into that, particular ambush. A wind user is put an a tremendous disadvantage under these circumstances, since he cannot properly control his own techniques... it's like someone who has little, chakra control would try to materialize it. Clever... very clever indeed._"

"And, for the record!" Hari went on, this time flipping her toes between her sandals. "I can use three puppets already!" she announced as her left leg slid back.

Torune only noticed a shadow growing larger beneath her feet. Glancing up, she saw a new marionette, neither Karasu nor Kamenoko, dropping from above. Again humanoid in shape, this one had claws in stead of fingers and two, massive blades growing from its elbows. Spikes covered its back, while feet were pointy. The thing's mouth was also formed into a hard jaw, filled with fangs, able to snap anything in two.

But the girl took little note of that; what was important, was that the puppet went straight for her and she couldn't dodge...

_**-the tables turn!-**_

And so this chapter ends. Frankly the happenings in it were originally planned for two chappies with Hari showing off some more puppet use, but I ultimately decided that this would be better, coz puppet theater didn't seem as exciting to me. So I shortened that part of this match and can only hope that it was the right decision. Do tell me what you think.

_Fuuton: Kaze Bougu_ (Wind Release: Wind Armor)

**Konoha #7 (Naruto):** _Murasakki Kumiko, __Tanken Ibuki_, Gekido Takaru, _Hagane Kusari_, _Haisha Kai_

**Konoha #3 (Shikamaru):** _Konpaku Rei_, _Rikoteki Kogane_, Amagasa Toku, Debano Kitsune, _Gusoku Hanamaru_

**Konoha #4 (Hinata):** _Igaku Mikka, Inuzuka Tsume_, Benda Kokoro, _Hatake Senkou_, Kobushi Galu

**Konoha (Shino):** Manako Akira, Tanken Funbo, Horohoro

**Suna #1 (Temari):** Torune, _Honemaru_, Tarakudo, Takai

**Suna #2 (Kankuro):** Sabaku no Sabure, Hari, _Dekai_, Karame

**Kusa (none):** _Hokku Tobane_, Kanraku Nezumi (currently in medical wing for treatment), _Kuchibashi Taka_, Kyohaku Tokame, Wanabi Hizoku

**Tsuki (Hinami Hoshiru):** _Junsei Teela, Ki__hako Tasuki_, _Chishio Kumo, Chishio Nobu_

**Kane (unknown):** _Futatsu_

**Kumori (Tategamaru):** _Saiken Tenma_

**Fight 14:** Torune (27) vs. Hari (28)

**Fight 15:** Amagasa Toku (29) vs. Kyohaku Tokame (30)

**Fight 16:** Kobushi Galu (31) vs. Karame (32)

**Fight 17:** Takai vs. Wanabi Hizoku

**Fight 18:** Tanken Funbo vs. Gekido Takaru

**Fight 19:** Benda Kokoro vs. Tarakudo

**Fight 20:** Manako Akira (automatic win)

**Fight 21:** Sabaku no Sabure vs. Debano Kitsune

**Fight 22:** Kanraku Nezumi vs. Horohoro

And this concludes chapter 156... wow, I've been writing this a loooooooooong time, even skipping the hiatus portions ^^' Thanks for reading and especially reviewing. Take care and until next time!


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